Pacific Rim Uprising may not have set the world alight, leaving the future of the franchise uncertain, but the sequel does make one thing abundantly clear: John Boyega is a bona fide movie star.
Uprising to middling reviews but is still projected to debut atop the domestic box office, bringing an end to the record-breaking streak of Black Panther. The sequel to Guillermo del Toro's 2013 sci-fi action-adventure is one of the more unexpected blockbusters of the year: it's a movie tailor-made to cater to international audiences, particularly in China; it only features a handful of the first movie's cast; and it's not a franchise with a zealous fan-base who were crying out for more. Still, its success signals several things to us, the main one being the now undeniable power of its leading man. We knew John Boyega was good before, and has been for many years, but now, he's truly made it
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Even in the most damning reviews Pacific Rim Uprising has received, Boyega's performance and sheer magnetism have been commended. Playing the role of Jake Pentecost, son of the late Kaiju War hero Stacker Pentecost (played in the first film by Idris Elba), Boyega had a fresh opportunity to remind audiences of his old-school movie-star charm, and he did it with serious aplomb. Ethan Sacks of the New York Daily News compared Boyega's character to Han Solo, and it's easy to see why.
This Page: How John Boyega Became A Star
John Boyega is the Best Thing in Pacific Rim Uprising
Regardless of the material - and with Pacific Rim Uprising, the characterizations and dialogue are pretty thin in terms of substance - Boyega manages to elevate it with such ease that he makes it seem effortless. It's no mean feat following in the footsteps of Idris Elba, currently one of the most charismatic actors working, but if there is a man for the job, it's Boyega. When the endless barrage of giant robots punching giant monsters begins to wear thin, it's Boyega who continues to hold your interest. It would be unfair and inaccurate to make direct comparisons between him and movie-star predecessors, but when critics put his name in the same sentence as Harrison Ford, you wholeheartedly understand why. He follows in major footsteps, but Boyega is inimitably his own man.
Boyega may be best known to the world as Finn, but he's been impressing audiences since his big-screen debut in Joe Cornish's criminally underrated sci-fi Attack the Block. As one of an ensemble of mostly unknown actors, Boyega stole the show as Moses, a troubled kid living on a council estate who becomes a hero in the most unlikely manner once aliens begin to invade the tower block he resides in. For most of the film's running time, you can't take your eyes off him. Moses is quiet but already cynical about his lot in life, and Boyega has to walk this fine line between tough and tender. There are times where Boyega breaks the viewers' hearts with a mere smile.
Pacific Rim 2 Reveals What Star Wars Hid
Moses was the sort of performance that should make its actor an undeniable star, but while it did garner Boyega both attention and awards, it took a couple more years for him to truly get his dues. Fortunately, that happened with a little film called Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The role of Finn allows Boyega to exude his natural charm, blended with a more comedic slant as his character acts as the audience's viewpoint into the new age of the franchise. Finn is earnest but frequently clueless, often heroic but prone to panic at the prospect. If anyone in the Star Wars franchise could be described as truly "relatable", it's Finn, and that's thanks to Boyega's work.
Related: Star Wars: Things You Didn't Know About Finn
If the franchise centered entirely on Finn, you know Boyega would pull that feat off with ease. However, as wonderful as he is in Star Wars, he often doesn't get much to do, at least compared to co-stars like Daisy Ridley. The franchise has helped him to hone his leading man skills, but in order to show them off to the best of his abilities, he needed his own blockbuster, hence Pacific Rim Uprising.
Boyega Runs Circles Around Scott Eastwood
Boyega isn't just the undisputed star of Pacific Rim Uprising: he's the leading man who's acting circles around his co-stars. Scott Eastwood, son of Clint and actor from The Fate of the Furious, is such a charisma drain in the film that, if he were the star of the project, it may have sunk without a trace. He simply cannot compare to Boyega in terms of magnetism or range, and it shows in the scenes they share together. Once upon a time, it would have been Eastwood, Hollywood royalty and increasingly the spitting image of his dad, garnering the title of future movie star. That Boyega takes that mantle, no debate needed, is a great sign of Hollywood's future.
What Pacific Rim 2's Mixed Reaction Means For Boyega
Pacific Rim Uprising cost $150m, and while it's projected to hit the top spot this weekend in America, it remains to be seen if it can become a true international box office hit. As an actor, he can weather the mixed reviews, especially since he's the most beloved thing in each of them, but he also has another role in this film as a producer. It's a great step forward for Boyega, being part of that market in a more direct manner. More involvement, more risk, although this may be a smart gamble.
The film isn't a guaranteed hit, but it is one that has been made to heavily appeal to Chinese audiences - it's partly funded by Chinese production companies, parts of the film are in Mandarin, it's set in Hong Kong, and so on - because the first film was such a huge hit there. So, whether or not it does well in North America is almost inconsequential. Boyega is smart enough to know that his best chances as a leading man outside of Star Wars will happen in movies that appeal best to international crowds.
Related: China's Box Office Isn't As Important As Hollywood Thinks
Boyega's presence in Pacific Rim Uprising and its status as a China-focused blockbuster also signals a major shift forward for the way we think of the international market. For far too long, one of the defenses the film industry used to justify the lack of diversity in major big-budget fare was the claim that actors of color, particularly black actors, don't play well to Asian audiences. If that stereotype wasn't already crushed by the massive success of the racially inclusive Fast and Furious movies, then it was certainly refuted by the recent opening weekend of Black Panther. In China alone, Marvel's multi-record breaking epic had a projected $60m opening weekend. Boyega leading a major film like this, both as producer and star, and having it appeal to such a wide base of audiences not only cements his movie-star status but helps pave the way for further change.
What's Next for John Boyega?
Boyega's future seems mostly dominated by Star Wars. Episode 9 is next on his filmography, with fans hoping Finn will feature more prominently in this installment than he did in The Last Jedi. He'll also be lending his voice to a new animated adaptation of the childhood classic Watership Down. After that, his filmography is empty, but there's tons of things we'd love to see him do.
As an actor and producer, he could lend his talents to a whole host of projects that would further allow him to demonstrate his talent and leading-man charm. Having a go at some comedy, or maybe another action-comedy hybrid in the vein of what Dwayne Johnson has been doing with great success over the past few years. Kathryn Bigelow's Detroit was not widely seen but Boyega's work in it showed how well he does quieter dramatic work, so why not let him explore that further? Some fans have suggested him as a strong choice for a Blade reboot, or for the role of John Stewart in the next Green Lantern film, and it's hard to disagree with either of those options.
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At this point in his career, John Boyega has the world ahead of him, and if Hollywood is smart enough, they'll give him plenty of opportunities to cement his status as a legitimate movie star. The industry doesn't really make A-Listers in that classic vein anymore, but Boyega has the potential to reinvigorate that model for the age of modern international cinema. Pacific Rim Uprising may succeed, or it may flop, but John Boyega's future is sealed.
Next: Guillermo del Toro Should Make A PROPER Pacific Rim 2
