Synopsis

When monstrous Kaiju emerge from a portal beneath the Pacific Ocean, humanity fights back with enormous machines called Jaegers, each controlled by two pilots linked through a shared neural connection. Years into the war, former pilot Raleigh Becket is recruited to operate the aging Gipsy Danger alongside trainee Mako Mori. Together, they join a last-ditch mission to close the breach and end the invasion.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film was shot primarily at Pinewood Toronto Studios, with Toronto locations redressed as places including Tokyo, Alaska, and Hong Kong. Principal photography ran from November 14, 2011, through April 10, 2012.

• The production used the working titles "Still Seas" and "Silent Seas" during filming.

• A full-scale Conn-Pod cockpit set was built on a hydraulic gimbal. The roughly 20-ton structure could shake, tilt, vibrate, drop, and rock to reproduce the physical sensation of piloting a Jaeger.

• The filmmakers designed roughly 100 Jaegers and 100 Kaiju, then repeatedly voted on which designs would appear in the finished movie. Only a fraction made the final cut.

• The Kaiju and Jaeger designs were developed with strong visual identities so that each machine and creature could be recognized by its silhouette, movement, weapons, and national influence.

• Industrial Light & Magic recreated digital versions of Hong Kong, Sydney, and San Francisco. For Hong Kong, the effects team gathered location photography and moving footage to build a detailed computer-generated city environment.

• The film marked the first time cinematographer Guillermo Navarro used a digital camera on one of his features. Production used RED Epic cameras.

• The interior of the building destroyed during Gipsy Danger's Hong Kong fight was made with miniatures. Several office details were produced with 3-D printers, while the miniature set used practical, scale-appropriate lighting.

• Artificial rain was used extensively during the shoot. The effects created so much water and steam that the camera department had to protect the equipment from moisture and heat generated by the lighting.

• The film contained approximately 1,700 visual-effects shots, including digitally created characters, creatures, water, cityscapes, destruction, and environmental extensions.

• With a production budget reported at about $190 million, the film earned more than $411 million worldwide. Its international performance, particularly in China, was substantially stronger than its domestic box office.

• The film was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects, and its effects work also received recognition from the Visual Effects Society.