The first trailer for Pacific Rim showed us exactly why we should all be excited about Guillermo del Toro‘s new manga-inspired adventure, in which giant human-controlled robots (‘Jaegers’) battle the Kaiju – skyscraper-sized monsters from the deep. Over the weekend Legendary Pictures released some concept art from the film, providing further scale to this already epic-looking movie.

The first image shows the Russian Jaeger, Cherno Alpha, standing guard over a snow-covered port – possibly from early in the film. The Jaegers looked impressive in the quick cut trailer, but this artwork brilliantly illustrates just how humongous these robots are.

The second image presents a skull in the middle of city – perhaps Toyko. Possibly it belonged to a Kaiju casualty of war; now acting as a reminder that these beasts can be defeated – either that or some sort of macabre tourist attraction-cum temple.

Pacific Rim Concept Art 1

Pacific Rim Concept Art 2

Concept art doesn’t always make it to the screen – but in this case I hope it does. Regardless, these images are further evidence that this could well be one of the greatest monster movies of all time…and that you should watch it on the biggest screen you can find.

Pacific Rim opens 11 July.

How excited are you about this film?

When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity’s resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes—a washed up former pilot and an untested trainee —who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind’s last hope against the mounting apocalypse.

Directed by Guillermo del Toro the film stars Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi, Ron Perlman, Burn Gorman, and Charlie Day.

Pacific Rim smashes into New Zealand theatres on 11 July, 2013