It's been four years since humanity defeated the Kaiju and prevented those terrifying creatures from conquering Earth in Pacific Rim. They wouldn't have been victorious, though, without the Jaegers, those giant mechas controlled by the best of the best. Now with Pacific Rim Uprising a little over half a year away from release, the Jaeger program is accepting new recruits to help defend our world, and you can watch its pitch in the first preview for the sequel, below.
Rather than take the traditional teaser trailer approach and show off a few scenes that highlight the movie's upcoming action, but don't reveal too much about the plot, Pacific Rim Uprising's first preview takes the form of a recruitment video. Reminding folks how those who operated the Jaegers were the heroes we needed all those years ago, the Jaegers are presented as the "pinnacle of human invention," and the innovation didn't stop once the Kaiju were vanquished. If you join the Jaeger program, you can pilot a machine that's "you x 1000" that has "a heart that burns as bright as the sun." After some shots of a few Jaegers showing off their moves, the video concludes with our first look at John Boyega's character, Jake Pentecost, the son of Idris Elba's Stacker Pentecost, in his Jaeger operating suit (seen below), followed by a lineup of seven of the colossal machines geared for battle.
Along with Universal Pictures and Legendary Pictures dropping the first Pacific Rim Uprising trailer, the movie's website has also provided some new details about what to expect. First off, five of the Jaegers we'll see in action next year are identified. Most notably is there's a new Gipsy Danger that honors the legacy of its predecessor, which was destroyed in battle at the end of Pacific Rim. The other new Jaegers include Bracer Phoenix, Saber Athena, Titan Redeemer and Guardian Bravo.
The history of Earth's conflict with the Kaiju is also presented on the website, starting with when Trespasser, the first of these beasts, attacked San Francisco on August 13, 2013. In the immediate years following, the Pan Pacific Defense Corps was formed, and the Jaegers were sent out to slay the invading Kaiju. Between 2021-2025, humanity learned that the Kaiju could learn and adapt from its slain predecessors, but in 2025, Stacker Pentecost led a successful last stand against the creatures, and his sacrifice and the teamwork of the Resistance resulted in the breach being destroyed. 10 years later, the oceans are still calm, but the Jaeger program hasn't ceased its operations, and they're ready for when the Kaiju return. That will finally happen in the Pacific Rim sequel.
Pacific Rim Uprising opens in theaters on February 23, 2018, and along with John Boyega, its main cast includes Scott Eastwood, Cailee Spaeny, Jing Tian, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Burn Gorman, Karana Brar and Nick Tarabay.
