Guillermo Del Toro Explains The Real-Life Technology Behind Pacific Rim

By Rudie Obias | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

One of the most anticipated movies of 2013, Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim also has the potential to be one of the best science fiction movies of the next year. This movie will be a spectacle, as its plot surrounds fierce and ferocious battles between sea monsters and giant freakin’ robots.

In a new interview, del Toro talks about the origins of the giant robots, called Jaegers, and the real-life technology behind their construction and makeup. Although Pacific Rim takes place in the distant future, it would make sense if the obsolete Jaegers were based on today’s technological advances. Del Toro explains:

The Jaegers were based on existing Robotic / DARPA (US military research agency) Jet-fighter neural links. The very first engines used to create the ‘muscle strands’ on the Jaeger limbs were Husqvarna (Swedish engine makers) engines and the first assembly line was an amalgam between Germany and US. Those were the MARK I.

It feels like Pacific Rim should be watched on the biggest movie screen imaginable with its giant robots, sea monsters, and heavy-duty oceanic battle sequences. The film is positioned to be the exciting science fiction aquatic action movie that Peter Berg’s Battleship was supposed to be.

The movie is currently receiving a late 3D up-conversion as requested by its movie studio, Warner Bros. Although the treatment came late in the post-production process, Pacific Rim will have a luxurious 40-week timetable to complete the 3D process. For some perspective, James Cameron’s Titanic received a 50-week 3D up-conversion treatment before its re-release in theaters earlier this year.

Pacific Rim follows a pair of fighter pilots (Charlie Hunnam and Rinko Kikuchi) who control giant robots called Jaegers. At the helm of the giant ‘bots, they are the only line of defense left against hideous sea monsters that enter our dimension through a rift in space over the Pacific Ocean. Earth’s final chance to survive these vicious attacks rests with these two heroes.

Pacific Rim hits theaters everywhere on July 12, 2013 in IMAX 3D.