BLOOD WORK: MONSTERS OF CINEMA: PACIFIC RIM ~ THE BLACK (2021)

PACIFIC RIM: THE BLACK

The 2013 Pacific Rim is one of my all time favorite movies, easily my favorite movie of that year. The sequel, Pacific Rim: Uprising, was fun but not quite as good. Honestly I didn’t care for the actors in Uprising but I loved the Jaegers and Kaiju action. It took an Evangelion inspired approach to the story that I very much appreciated. But the movie didn’t earn enough at the box office to warrant a sequel.

While I didn’t like the second film as much as the first I was still sad to see that there would be no more Pacific Rim films. Movie theaters were made for giant monsters and giant robots. And you can’t replicate this particular experience at home. Then the announcement came...

Pacific Rim is not dead!!!

When they announced that Netflix was producing a Pacific Rim animated series I was ecstatic! No, it’s not a theatrical experience but it is a sign of life in what was essentially a dead franchise. So I’ll take it!

THE SYNOPSIS

Pacific Rim: The Black takes place at an undisclosed year sometime after the events of Uprising (at least five years after, making it somewhere around 2040). Australia has been lost to the kaiju. The Pan Pacific Defense Force has abandoned the continent. Taylor and Hayley were left behind when the kaiju took over. Trapped at an old Jaeger depot, the siblings set out to find help as monsters descend upon them.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

This season is short and sweet, a mere seven episodes ranging from around 20 to 30 minutes each. This season is basically the equivalent of a 2 and a half hour movie. The show has a post apocalyptic setting reminiscent of Mad Max. Plot wise this adds some new elements to the mythology which have amazing potential for future seasons. Its focus is tight and follows a small core group. As a result the story feels a bit smaller in scope with portents that could spread far wider.

The tone is pretty serious with somewhat graphic deaths of characters peppered throughout. Yet it still manages to capture some lighthearted moments. And I feel those moments work here where they just felt bad in Uprising. Pacing is good for a show you can binge easily in one sitting. The show travels pretty fast and we see a lot of character development and story within these seven episodes.

If there’s one element in this show that could prove divisive it’s the animation. The show is animated by Polygon Pictures, the studio behind Blame!, Knights of Sidonia, and Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters to name a few. It’s not bad for the most part. Strangely I found the animation struggled a bit more with human characters and really shone with the Jaegers and kaiju. I noticed more at the beginning of the season with the animation growing better as the episodes continued (either that or I just got used to it).

I wasn't sure about the siblings, Haley and Taylor Travis. Some elements felt either forced or a bit cliche at first. But as the story progressed they shaped up into fairly compelling characters. I must admit the character I was drawn to the most was Mei, the hard nosed femme fatale assassin with a conscience. She turned out to be very cool and surprisingly sympathetic. The character of "Boy" also became quite intriguing and, by the end, incredibly interesting. All in all there's a really strong core cast here. I am very curious to see where they take Boy's character from here.

I also loved the references to the movies. In cases like this it would be easy for the writers and filmmakers to ignore the films and work entirely in their own space. We were gift with a new scene with Herc Hansen from the first film as well as name drops of Raleigh Beckett and Stacker Pentacost. And various kaiju and jaegers from the films are mentioned too. I must admit the new kaiju, Copperhead, was pretty cool and was in keeping with Guillermo Del Toro's kaiju edicts. And the scary ass Bio-Mech was wicked awesome!

THE VERDICT

Ultimately this small episode number of this show is what really hurts here. The show really starts making strides right as it ends. It feels like a mid-season finale rather than a full season finale. The ending is great but it's not quite enough. The show is too short to really fail or succeed as it feels like only the tip of the iceberg has been shown. It’s been confirmed that a second season is greenlit but who knows how long we’ll have to wait for it. I'm reminded of Castlevania's first season a bit, great but far too short (barely a 90 minute feature). This is better than that, but not by much.

Season One Ranking: 7 out of 10

Pacific Rim: The Black shows great potential and sets up a solid foundation for things to come. It feels like the first act of a three part story. As is it’s hard to have a firm judgment here. I want to say I like it more than Uprising but there isn’t a complete story here. What is here I can say is good, I just wish there was more of it. They’re poised to do great things but they could drop the ball later. We’ll see.

For more of my thoughts on Pacific Rim and giant monsters check out these posts below!

PACIFIC RIM (2013)

PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING (2018)

THE MONSTERVERSE

Godzilla (2014)

Kong: Skull Island (2017)

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

The Meg

THE SAGA OF THE KING OF THE MONSTERS

Part 2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Part 3: King Kong Vs Godzilla (1962)

Part 4: Mothra Vs Godzilla (1964)
Part 5: Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)