Summary
Although it didn’t get the attention it deserved, the bestPacific Rimsequel came out in 2021 — and it’s much better thanPacific Rim: Uprising, the 2018 sequel to Guillermo del Toro’s hit Kaiju-monster film. Penned by del Toro and Travis Beacham,the originalPacific Rimmovie, which hit theaters in 2013, garnered a whopping $411 millionat the global box office and received solid reviews from critics and audiences alike, despite its style-over-substance approach. InPacific Rim, humans are at war with Kaiju — enormous monsters that have crawled out of an inter-dimensional portal.
To fight back, humans created Jaegers — giant mechas piloted by two soldiers who share a mental link. While the original movie establishes the universe’s lore and world, it also centers on once-retired Jaeger pilot Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam), who mentors rookie Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) in the later days of the Human-Kaiju War.Pacific Rim: Uprisingcenters on Jake Pentecost (John Boyega), a Jaeger pilot trying to uphold his father’s legacy. A popcorn movie to its core,Uprisingwas much less well-received than its predecessor, making a thirdPacific Rimproject the better follow-up.
Pacific Rim: The Black Animated Show Was Better Than Pacific Rim: Uprising
The Animated Netflix Series Is A More Character-Driven Pacific Rim Entry
WhilePacific Rim: Uprisingwas criticized for being a derivative, less imaginative romp, Netflix’s animated series,Pacific Rim: The Black, is the complete opposite. The third installment in thePacific Rimfranchise,The Blackis a two-season anime-influenced series that aired from 2021 to 2022 before being axed. Set in the same universe that del Toro and Beacham created in 2013,Pacific Rim: The Blacksees Kaiju emerging from the ocean to overrun Australia. Despite their efforts, Jaeger pilots are unable to successfully beat back the Kaiju with their enormous armored mechs, which reshapes the continent.
With a fresh setting and more character-driven story,Pacific Rim: The Blackis the superior sequel.
This post-apocalyptic version of Australia is populated by isolated pockets of survivors, including teenagers Taylor (Calum Worthy) and Hayley Travis (Gideon Adlon), whose parents left to fight the Kaiju. WhenPacific Rim: The Black’s siblings find an old Jaeger,they realize that the mech can help locate their parents. In true apocalyptic fashion, however, Taylor and Hayley’s journey is continuously thwarted by their fellow survivors, all of whom want to get their hands on the Jaeger, as well as the ruthless Kaiju. With a fresh setting and more character-driven story,Pacific Rim: The Blackis the superior sequel.
Pacific Rim 3 Updates: Will A Kaiju Sequel Happen?
Will Pacific Rim 3 ever happen? Here’s everything we know about a potential sequel to 2018’s Pacific Rim: Uprising, including story details.
When Pacific Rim: The Black Takes Place In The Pacific Rim Timeline
The Animated Pacific Rim Series Is Set After The Uprising Wars
For viewers looking to watch thePacific Rimmovies in timeline order,Pacific Rim: The Blackcomplicates things a bit. The events of the originalPacific Rimunfolded in 2025, whileUprisingjumped forward a decade to focus on an adult version of Marshal Stacker Pentecost’s (Idris Elba) son, Jake. A somewhat-standalone show,Pacific Rim: The Blackdoesn’t definitively state when it occurswithin the franchise’s timeline, but there are some clues that strongly suggest that it unfolds afterUprising. For example, the show repeatedly mentions the Uprising Wars and even spotlights familiar Jaegers from the second movie.
Pacific Rim: The Black’s Boy & Kaiju Messiah Explained
Pacific Rim: The Black expands the franchise’s mythology with the introduction of Boy and the Kaiju Messiah. Here’s what we know about them.
Will There Ever Be Another Pacific Rim Movie?
Pacific Rim 3 Isn’t Currently In The Works Despite Previous Cinematic Universe Claims
For now, theending ofPacific Rim: The Blackseason 2is the last entry in thePacific Rimuniverse. Ahead ofPacific Rim: Uprising’s release, director Steven S. DeKnight claimed a third movie had been written, but that its future hinged on the success ofUprising. AlthoughUprisingdidn’t perform poorly, it made just half of what the original grossed, leaving its future uncertain. DeKnight also suggested sequels, standalone stories, and spinoffs set in thePacific Rimuniverse weren’t off the table (viaSlashFilm). For now,there are no official plans or developments forPacific Rim 3.
Both seasons ofPacific Rim: The Blackare streaming on Netflix.
Pacific Rim
In a post-apocalyptic future, Earth battles a deadly race of alien monsters called the Kaiju, who have begun arriving on the planet through an interdimensional portal in the Pacific Ocean. In an attempt to combat the Kaiju, humanity has created Jaegers, giant robot suits powered by at least two pilots that can match their enemy for size and strength. When the Kaiju begin to become too strong, however, a washed-up Jaeger pilot must return to the program to participate in one final mission to save Earth for good.
