Pacific Rim (2013)
- The original script for Pacific Rim was written over a decade before production finally began in 2013.
- Eagle-eyed viewers have noticed a hidden easter egg referencing Guillermo del Toro's previous film in the background of the opening scene.
- Before Charlie Hunnam was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
Pacific Rim is a 2013 American science fiction action film directed by Guillermo del Toro. Set in the near future, the film depicts humanity's last stand against the Kaiju β colossal alien monsters that emerge from a dimensional rift at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean to devastate coastal cities. To combat these towering threats, humanity develops Jaegers, equally massive humanoid fighting machines piloted by two operators whose minds are linked through a neural bridge called "the Drift." Washed-up pilot Raleigh Becket, played by Charlie Hunnam, is pulled out of retirement for one final mission alongside rookie co-pilot Mako Mori, played by Rinko Kikuchi, to close the rift and end the Kaiju War.
Guillermo del Toro poured his lifelong passion for Japanese mecha anime and giant monster films into Pacific Rim, creating a love letter to the kaiju and mecha genres that took the spectacle of enormous creatures fighting enormous robots with absolute sincerity rather than ironic detachment. The film's action sequences β featuring Jaegers wielding cargo ships as baseball bats, battling Kaiju in the neon-lit streets of Hong Kong, and diving to the ocean floor β were designed for maximum scale and impact. Idris Elba's commanding performance as Marshal Stacker Pentecost, culminating in his rallying speech "Today we are canceling the apocalypse," became one of the most quotable moments in modern science fiction.
The film earned $411 million worldwide on a $190 million budget, a modest return that left the franchise's future uncertain until a sequel finally materialized in 2018.
