Drama
A Man in Full
Talent and intrigue ultimately can’t cloak the truth about this vulgar, crass and graphic drama on Netflix.
It’s years after the events of Pacific Rim and Pacific Rim: Uprising, and humanity is still battling the Kaiju—gigantic beast monstrosities sent by an alien race bent on conquest and expansion to terraform Earth by jumping into Mount Fuji to trigger a world-ending catastrophe.
Except, this time, they’ve emerged from rifts all over the Australian continent, and they’re in no rush to get to Mount Fuji quite yet. Instead, they’re just going to take a well-earned vacation by sacking the Australian continent until the rest of the world collectively decides that the Land Down Under really isn’t worth the battle, forfeiting the world’s entire supply of Vegemite in a single day.
That decision is quite a problem for Taylor and Hayley, two siblings stuck in the middle of Australia while everyone more-or-less abandons it to the Kaiju. Their parents operate a Jaeger—the name of those massive, Kaiju-fighting machines—and Mom and Dad have taken it to go find help for their children and the rest of those people who got left behind.
That was five years ago, and Hayley doubts they’re even still alive. And when Hayley accidently discovers another Jaeger hidden in an abandoned buried hangar, she and Taylor decide to pilot it in order to discover just what happened to their parents.
The alien race known as the Precursors has a bone to pick with humanity. Specifically, we have a nice planet, and they’d like to add it to their collection.
The Precursors have thus far narrowly failed in two separate invasions of Earth, each time relying on their massive Kaiju to destroy Earth’s defenses. But this time, they’ve got a foothold in Australia as the sudden and overwhelming assault on the continent surprises the world, forcing humanity to abandon it.
But Taylor and Hayley just want to figure out what happened to their parents, and they’ll fight through whatever Godzilla-looking monster comes their way to do it. And that’ll be quite difficult, as the Jaeger robot they’re piloting is only used for training and has no weapons installed.
As Taylor and Hayley travel across Australia, they come across many different people who have taken to surviving the wasteland in different ways. One group of people are nomadic travelers with a gritty and dangerous leader. Another group worships the Kaiju as dark angels sent to punish mankind for its sins. A few others have found safety in going lone wolf (and range in their sanity). As you can tell, it’s a dangerous world out there.
And that’s just the normal humans! In Pacific Rim: Uprising, the Precursors were able to weave Kaiju DNA with the Jaeger drones to create Kaiju-Jaeger bio-mechanical killing machines. In this show, they take it a step further: mixing human DNA with Kaiju DNA, creating dangerous hybrids of unknown power.
Taylor and Hayley will need to fight to survive the onslaught of beasts and baddies that come their way, and each fight will leave our screens covered in a mix of blue Kaiju and red human blood. A rampant cult attempts a ritual, and some language is heard, including g–d–n. The TV-14 rating warns parents that though the show may be animated, it stays true to the content found in the series’ previous entries.
Taylor and Hayley fight over what to do about bOy, the dangerous and mute Human-Kaiju Hybrid. A mysterious cult known as the Sisters of the Kaiju stirs up trouble.
The hybrid bOy fights and kills many Rippers—Kaiju dogs—by shoving his arm through their heads. Blue Kaiju blood coats his arm and pools around the bodies. A Kaiju tick latches onto bOy, tearing open his skin and causing him to faint. Mei, an ally of Taylor and Hayley, shoots the tick, killing it.
A woman’s arm is broken by bOy. A group of cultists wear creepy masks. A flashback shows the Jaeger Atlas Destroyer wrecking Season One villain Shane’s compound of Bogan. Shane punches a man in the face, knocking him to the ground.
We hear one use of “d–n” and one use of “p-ss.”
The continent of Australia is lost to a sudden Kaiju invasion, leaving Taylor and his sister Hayley stuck in the wilderness as their parents look for help. Five years later, Hayley stumbles across a hidden Jaeger, causing a Kaiju to attack.
In a Kaiju invasion, Kaiju and Jaegers fight one another. Blue Kaiju blood sprays everywhere as buildings are destroyed, rockets are launched and bullets are fired. A Jaeger stabs a Kaiju through its head, and it shoves a rocket down a Kaiju’s throat, exploding it. A Jaeger is destroyed, killing its pilots. Atlas Destroyer, a Jaeger piloted by Taylor and Hayley, fights a Kaiju.
Taylor throws a helmet in anger. Hayley steals supplies, and she falls down a deep hole. A Kaiju crushes many villagers, and we see their bodies among the rubble.
We hear one instance of “d–n” and one use of “h—.” Additionally, there are four misuses of God’s name. A man says “God be with us all.”
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
Talent and intrigue ultimately can’t cloak the truth about this vulgar, crass and graphic drama on Netflix.
Tales of the Empire is typical Star Wars fare. But in its exploration of what drives folk to the Dark Side, it can get a bit…darker.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a little like its titular character. It’s painful. It gets under your skin. And it just might leave a mark.
The Sonic spinoff blends explosive adventure and road-trip-buddy-comedy into a fun romp for both kids and diehard fans.
