{"id":825148,"date":"2026-07-26T15:24:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T15:24:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/825148\/"},"modified":"2026-07-26T15:24:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T15:24:23","slug":"transformers-meets-godzilla-in-john-boyegas-sci-fi-sequel-resurfacing-on-hbo-max-8-years-later","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/825148\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Transformers\u2019 Meets \u2018Godzilla\u2019 in John Boyega\u2019s Sci-Fi Sequel Resurfacing on HBO Max 8 Years Later"},"content":{"rendered":"

Transformers<\/a> had a one-of-a-kind premise when the first film was released. Years later, Real Steel brought a similar premise, but this time combined robots with wrestling. Then in 2013, Guillermo del Toro<\/a> dropped Transformers machinery into a Godzilla-scale monster war. This new film followed two human pilots operating a skyscraper-sized weapon through a shared neural connection. While it didn\u2019t go parabolic relative to Transformers, it still performed decently at the box office. Three years later, its sequel arrived and grossed $290.9 million worldwide against a production budget of $150 million, which was underwhelming when other costs were weighed in. That sequel is now trending in the U.S. on streaming.<\/p>\n

It also arrived with a cast full of future stars \u2014 John Boyega<\/a> was coming off the new Star Wars trilogy and Cailee Spaeny<\/a> later led Priscilla and Alien: Romulus. Scott Eastwood, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day,<\/a> Jing Tian, and Burn Gorman round out the rest of the cast, some returning from the original like Day. Now eight years after its theatrical release, the sequel is climbing rather than merely appearing in HBO Max\u2019s U.S. catalog. It entered the platform\u2019s movie Top 10 at No. 6 on July 20, rose to No. 4 on July 21, and reached No. 3 on July 22. That\u2019s not all though; the film also sat in the ballpark of Top 20 films in Mongolia and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n

The franchise is Pacific Rim<\/a>, and we’re talking about Pacific Rim: Uprising<\/a>, Steven S. DeKnight<\/a>\u2019s 2018 sequel, with del Toro producing rather than directing. Boyega plays Jake Pentecost, the estranged son of Idris Elba\u2019s Stacker Pentecost, who returns to the Pan-Pacific Defense Corps when a new Kaiju threat emerges<\/a>. Spaeny\u2019s teenage engineer Amara Namani builds her own Jaeger from scraps, while Kikuchi returns as Mako Mori, and Charlie Day\u2019s Newt Geiszler becomes central to the invasion. The movie holds just a 42% score on Rotten Tomatoes<\/a> and a 5.6\/10 on IMDb, yet it still has managed to find streaming success on HBO Max almost a decade later.<\/p>\n

Collider Exclusive \u00b7 Sci-Fi Survival Quiz
\n Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive?
\n The Matrix \u00b7 Mad Max \u00b7 Blade Runner \u00b7 Dune \u00b7 Star Wars<\/p>\n

Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong \u2014 or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc8aThe Matrix<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd25Mad Max<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf27\ufe0fBlade Runner<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfdc\ufe0fDune<\/p>\n

\ud83d\ude80Star Wars<\/p>\n

\n TEST YOUR SURVIVAL \u2192\n <\/p>\n

01<\/p>\n

You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do?
\n The first instinct is often the truest one.<\/p>\n

\n APull on every thread until I understand the system \u2014 then figure out how to break it.
\n BStop asking questions and start stockpiling \u2014 food, fuel, weapons. Questions don’t keep you alive.
\n CKeep my head down, observe carefully, and trust no one until I know who’s pulling the strings.
\n DStudy the patterns. Every system has a rhythm \u2014 learn it, and you learn how to survive it.
\n EFind the people fighting back and join them. You can’t fix a broken galaxy alone.\n <\/p>\n

NEXT QUESTION \u2192<\/p>\n

02<\/p>\n

In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely?
\n What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.<\/p>\n

\n AKnowledge. If you understand the system, you don’t need resources \u2014 you can generate them.
\n BFuel. Everything else \u2014 movement, power, escape \u2014 runs on it.
\n CTrust. In a world of fakes and informants, a truly reliable ally is rarer than any commodity.
\n DWater. And after water, information \u2014 the two things empires are truly built on.
\n EShips and credits. The galaxy is big \u2014 you survive it by being able to move through it freely.\n <\/p>\n

NEXT QUESTION \u2192<\/p>\n

03<\/p>\n

What kind of threat keeps you up at night?
\n Fear is useful data \u2014 if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.<\/p>\n

\n AThat reality itself is a lie \u2014 that everything I experience has been constructed to keep me compliant.
\n BA raid. No warning, no mercy \u2014 just the roar of engines and then nothing left.
\n CBeing identified. Once someone with power decides you’re a problem, you’re already out of time.
\n DBeing outmanoeuvred \u2014 losing a political game I didn’t even know I was playing.
\n EThe Empire tightening its grip until there’s nowhere left to run.\n <\/p>\n

NEXT QUESTION \u2192<\/p>\n

04<\/p>\n

How do you deal with authority you don’t trust?
\n Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.<\/p>\n

\n ASubvert it from the inside \u2014 learn its rules well enough to weaponise them against it.
\n BIgnore it and stay out of its reach. The further from any power structure, the better.
\n CAppear to comply while doing exactly what I need to do. Visibility is the enemy.
\n DManoeuvre within it carefully. You can’t beat a system you refuse to understand.
\n EResist openly when I have to. Some things are worth the risk of being seen.\n <\/p>\n

NEXT QUESTION \u2192<\/p>\n

05<\/p>\n

Which environment could you actually endure long-term?
\n Survival isn’t just tactical \u2014 it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.<\/p>\n

\n AUnderground bunkers and server rooms \u2014 cramped, artificial, but with access to everything that matters.
\n BOpen wasteland \u2014 brutal sun, no shelter, constant movement. At least the threat is honest.
\n CA dense, rain-soaked city where you can disappear into the crowd and nobody asks questions.
\n DMerciless desert \u2014 extreme heat, no water, and something enormous living beneath the sand.
\n EThe fringe \u2014 backwater planets and busy spaceports where the Empire’s attention rarely reaches.\n <\/p>\n

NEXT QUESTION \u2192<\/p>\n

06<\/p>\n

Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart?
\n The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.<\/p>\n

\n AA tight crew of believers who’ve seen behind the curtain and have nothing left to lose.
\n BOne or two people I’d trust with my life. Any more than that and someone talks.
\n CNobody, ideally. Alliances are liabilities. I work alone unless I have no choice.
\n DA community bound by shared hardship and mutual survival \u2014 people who need each other to last.
\n EA ragtag team with wildly different skills and total commitment when it counts.\n <\/p>\n

NEXT QUESTION \u2192<\/p>\n

07<\/p>\n

Where do you draw the line \u2014 if you draw one at all?
\n Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.<\/p>\n

\n AI won’t harm the innocent \u2014 even the ones who’d report me without hesitation.
\n BI do what I have to to protect the people I’ve chosen. Everything else is negotiable.
\n CThe line shifts depending on who’s asking and what’s at stake.
\n DI draw a long-term line \u2014 nothing that compromises my people’s future, even if it’d help now.
\n ESome lines, once crossed, can’t be uncrossed. I know which ones they are.\n <\/p>\n

NEXT QUESTION \u2192<\/p>\n

08<\/p>\n

What would actually make survival worth it?
\n Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.<\/p>\n

\n AWaking others up \u2014 dismantling the illusion so no one else has to live inside it.
\n BFinding somewhere \u2014 or someone \u2014 worth protecting. A reason to keep moving.
\n CAnswers. Understanding what I am, what any of this means, before time runs out.
\n DLegacy \u2014 shaping the future in a way that outlasts me by generations.
\n EFreedom \u2014 for myself, for others, for every world still living under someone else’s boot.\n <\/p>\n

REVEAL MY WORLD \u2192<\/p>\n

Your Fate Has Been Calculated
\n You’d Survive In\u2026<\/p>\n

Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.<\/p>\n

The Resistance, Zion\n <\/p>\n

The Matrix<\/p>\n

You took the red pill a long time ago \u2014 probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.<\/p>\n

You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
\n You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you \u2014 your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
\n You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
\n The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.<\/p>\n

The Wasteland\n <\/p>\n

Mad Max<\/p>\n

The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected \u2014 it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.<\/p>\n

You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
\n You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it \u2014 and you’re good at all three.
\n You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough \u2014 just barely \u2014 to be something more than another raider.
\n In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.<\/p>\n

Los Angeles, 2049\n <\/p>\n

Blade Runner<\/p>\n

You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.<\/p>\n

You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
\n In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
\n You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
\n In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.<\/p>\n

Arrakis\n <\/p>\n

Dune<\/p>\n

Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe \u2014 and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.<\/p>\n

Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths \u2014 and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
\n You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
\n Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
\n In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis \u2014 you’d begin to reshape it.<\/p>\n

A Galaxy Far, Far Away\n <\/p>\n

Star Wars<\/p>\n

The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval \u2014 and you wouldn’t have it any other way.<\/p>\n

You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself \u2014 a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
\n You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
\n You fight \u2014 not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
\n In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.<\/p>\n

\n \u21bb RETAKE THE QUIZ\n <\/p>\n

Why \u2018Pacific Rim 3\u2019 Didn\u2019t Happen<\/p>\n

The first Pacific Rim<\/a> earned $411 million worldwide against a reported $190 million budget, and scored 72% on Rotten Tomatoes. Those numbers were respectable enough to justify another attempt, especially with $309 million coming from outside North America. Uprising then fell to $290.9 million worldwide on a $150 million budget, while its domestic gross dropped from $101.8 million to $59.9 million. Its critical reception wasn\u2019t good either<\/a> and, at the time of writing, has collapsed to 42%, with audiences giving it only 36% on Rotten Tomatoes.<\/p>\n

Director Steven S. DeKnight later summarized the franchise\u2019s problem directly and said that the films are \u201creally, really expensive.\u201d His proposed third movie would have united Jaegers and liberated Kaiju<\/a> before opening the franchise into a multiverse. <\/a>During an interview to Syfy, S. DeKnight also went on to add that he \u201cwould personally love to see Guillermo del Toro return and do a third one.” While that hasn\u2019t happened so far, the franchise\u2019s story was later continued with a comics trilogy.<\/p>\n

Pacific Rim: Uprising is currently trending on HBO Max<\/a> in the U.S. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.<\/p>\n

\"01292619_poster_w780.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Release Date<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMarch 23, 2018<\/p>\n

Runtime<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t111 minutes<\/p>\n

Director<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSteven S. DeKnight<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Transformers had a one-of-a-kind premise when the first film was released. Years later, Real Steel brought a similar…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":825149,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[64,63,134,344],"class_list":["post-825148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-entertainment","tag-movies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=825148"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825148\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/825149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=825148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=825148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=825148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}