Pacific Rim Concept Art Is Awesome Even Without The Movie

By David Wharton | Updated

This article is more than 2 years old

Barlowe1smWhile it never found its footing with American audiences, most of us here at GFR really enjoyed Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim. I mean, sure, we’re a science fiction site with “Robot” in the name, so Pacific Rim was clearly targeted directly at us, but the movie itself was a hell of a good time at the movies, and still we’re hoping that overseas box office nets us a sequel, if only to see what sort of batshit-crazy stuff del Toro and screenwriter Travis Beacham come up with next.

But even if you didn’t see Pacific Rim, or saw it and just didn’t like it, there’s one are any die-hard science fiction fan should enjoy: the movie’s gorgeous design work. From the towering Jaeger mechs to the vicious Kaiju beasts, Pacific Rim allowed concept artists and designers such as the legendary Wayne Barlowe to let their imagination run wild. And thankfully in this digital age, it’s not hard to find tons of eye-popping Pacific Rim concept art out there, most of which would make some very snazzy desktop wallpaper. Check out a ton of art (gathered by ForeverGeek) below, divided by artist.

First up are a couple of pieces by the aforementioned Wayne Barlowe, who has worked on films such as Avatar, John Carter, Hellyboy, and Galaxy Quest, and whose Barlowe’s Guide to Extraterrestrials should be on the shelf of every sci-fi fan worth their salt. You can click on most of the images for larger versions. (Barlowe also did the above header image.)

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By Wayne Barlowe and Hugo Martin

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We’ve only got one from artist Oscar Chichoni, who collaborated with Hugo Martin (see below) for this Jaeger shot.

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Artist Frank Hong created this moody shot of, appropriately enough, Hong Kong.

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And then there’s…Alex Jaeger? Alex Jaeger? If I run across a Bob Kaiju by the end of this list I’m going to know that del Toro is screwing with us. At any rate, Mr. Jaeger created two menacing shots of the Kaiju beasts, complete with their spots of bioluminescence.

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Then we’ve got the aforementioned Hugo Martin, who contributes several epic images. I particularly like the third one, with the Kaiju snapping a skyscraper in half.

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David Meng created this image of a hulking, unpleasant-looking Kaiju brute.

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Below, Carlos Salgado illustrates two of Pacific Rim‘s most iconic images: a Jaeger being airlifted into combat by numerous helicopters, and the fight in Hong Kong where the Gipsy Danger uses a boat like a baseball bat.

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Stephen Erik Schirle contributes this shot of a submersible about to have a very bad day.

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Artist Keith Thompson did this shot of one of the massive (and ineffective) Kaiju walls under construction.

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Francisco Ruiz Velasco seems to specialize in monsters, as he created the four shots below. I love the third one, with the hammer-headed Kaiju with a triple-split tail.

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Allen Williams did these four incredibly detailed black-and-white numbers, featuring Kaiju both living and dead (and being harvested for their organs…and you thought your job was bad).

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Last but not least, we’ve got a trio of images from Doug Williams, two of which we’ve seen (or seen variations of) before, but which are worth another look. You can’t go wrong with the image of an urban cityscape grown up around the bones of a fallen Kaiju.

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