<P> On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 43% based on 201 reviews, and an average rating of 5 / 10 . The website's critical consensus reads, "Pacific Rim Uprising won't win any points for subtlety or originality, but it delivers enough of the rock' em - sock' em robots - vs. - kaiju thrills that fans of the original will be looking for ." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 44 out of 100, based on 44 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, down from the first film's "A --", while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it an overall positive score of 78% . </P> <P> Mark Kennedy of Associated Press called the film "cheer - at - the - screen fun" and awarded it 3.5 out of 4 stars, lauding Boyega's performance and his chemistry with Spaeny, while also commending DeKnight for using daylight instead of the rainy night settings of del Toro . Mel Evans of Metro gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "very loud, mighty fun, but not much more," while also applauding Boyega for his performance and noting his chemistry with Eastwood . Ethan Sacks of New York Daily News gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, and was also positive of Boyega's and Spaeny's performances, comparing Boyega's character to Han Solo . However, he criticized the dense backstories of the characters, noting that, "a movie about massive monster - fighting robots doesn't need so much engineering ." </P> <P> Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun - Times gave the film 2 out of 4 stars, saying: "The climactic battle drags on forever and looks like a high - tech update of a monster movie clash of the titans from a half - century ago . Even the sight of the residents of Tokyo scrambling for their lives as a giant lizard monster stomps through the city serves only as a reminder we're sitting through a glorified B - movie with nothing new to say ." David Ehrlich of IndieWire gave the film a "C --", calling it a "generic and diverting sequel that corrects some of the original's biggest mistakes while also highlighting some of its more eccentric charms ." </P> <P> Cary Darling of the Houston Chronicle gave it 1.5 out of 5 stars and called it the worst film of 2018 so far, being especially critical of its bland premise and pandering attempt at international marketability . Darling concluded, "Pacific Rim Uprising is a lot like the city - crunching monsters it stars: big, loud and as dull - witted as Homer Simpson roused from a medically induced coma . It's a rote, paint - by - numbers blockbuster that would be offensive in its mediocrity if it also weren't so relentlessly uninspired," and "all that's left is the robot brawling and the marketing ." Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club called the film an "impersonal sequel," stating "simply put, it lacks its predecessor's curiosity about its world--its fascination with colorful backdrops and machines . Del Toro's movie (...) had an idealistic vision for its anime - influenced hobby - store pursuits (...) Pacific Rim: Uprising offers only its spare parts ." Similarly, Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle noted that "DeKnight doesn't attempt to invest his monsters with majesty, the way Guillermo del Toro did in the previous film . With DeKnight it's just a lot of pounding, smashing and driving, purely functional ." </P>

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