Adoption at the Movies : Pacific Rim Uprising Adoption Movie Review

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Pacific Rim Uprising Adoption Movie Review

The monstrous Kaiju are back, and Jake, the son of war hero Stacker Pentecost, is pressed into service. Using large robots, Jake and his team must defeat the Kaiju before they destroy the world.

** SPOILERS AHEAD THE REST OF THE WAY **

The Adoption Connection

In the first Pacific Rim movie, we learn that Stacker Pentecost adopted Mako. Mako offers her adoptive brother Jake a way out of going to prison. Their relationship isn’t very developed, and Mako does die before the film ends.

Strong Points

Many characters act bravely. Some characters are able to resolve interpersonal differences.

Jake reflects on Mako, “My dad took her in. She was my sister, my family.”

A character is told, “It doesn’t matter who your parents are, who believed in you and who didn’t. We are a family now. You need to confront your past [in order to bond with others and function in the present.]” It’s quite a stretch to apply this to adoption, but it was, I think, a good line.

Challenges

Mako’s death isn’t really processed. It’s also sad in context; in the first film, Mako was in danger and so Stacker took her in to protect her. Ultimately she died in a similar war – but as a hero, not as a victim.

Recommendations

Watching Pacific Rim Uprising feels like watching a Transformers movie. Big, mechanized creatures fight on screen for much of the runtime of the film. There are some interesting moments of dialogue, and some good lines which I’ve highlighted in “Strong Points.” The adoption connection is present, but very thin. The film seems likely to appeal to most teens 13 and up, and parents could potentially make some conversation after the film about the concept of sharing one’s mind with another.