Guillermo Del Toro Talks ‘Pacific Rim’ At CinemaCon, Digs At Michael Bay’s ‘Transformers’ After Bay Insults “Rip-Off” Robot Films

Guillermo Del Toro explained what he wants - and doesn't want - his new film Pacific Rim to be like at the CinemaCon convention last week.

Del Toro said he doesn't want Pacific Rim to be "sleek," "militaristic" or "macho" - so basically, not a Michael Bay film. In an interview in Las Vegas, Del Toro emphasized that his newest film won't resemble Transformers at all.

"What is interesting to me is to show a completely different approach to this size of movie by not trying to show a recruitment-to-the-army approach, but to take an almost romantic, operatic approach to the adventure," he said.

"We have people from every walk of life and every country coming together and not conquering with superior firepower or macho dynamics, but through ingenuity and sacrifice."

Del Toro's interview occurred a day after Michael Bay's presentation for his upcoming Pain & Gain. Bay, during his presentation, jabbed at the "rip-off" robot movies made in Hollywood since his Transformers. It's unclear if this was an intentional dig at del Toro, but the Pacific Rim director certainly took it as one.

Del Toro told The Hollywood Reporter, "We are far, far away from [Transformers] in a very willing fashion. For good or bad, this is my movie. This is my unversed and my creation, and I do not create through comparison."

The Pacific Rim director added, "The fights don't occur in well-lit, supercool, car commercial- looking environments. They occur in the middle of a raging sea storm or in a savage snowstorm. They happen in a universe that is incredibly saturated."

Del Toro's CinemaCon interview was conducted after movie insiders were treated to several minutes of Pacific Rim. The teaser was part of a presentation by Warner Brothers as part of Time Warner Inc, according to Wall Street Journal. The WSJ blog said that the effects were excellent and the general sound loud, but that Pacific Rim did have a unique aesthetic.

The director explained that Pacific Rim features "crazy color palettes" and very "romantic, crazy atmospherics." The mood of the film may be darker than summer blockbuster movie aficionados are used to, but that's typical of the director of Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy.

Del Toro's film features more than 1,000 special effects shots. It was filmed using giant sets. The WSJ cited four blocks of Hong Kong that were built just to be destroyed and a Tokyo city block that was wired to shake with the approach of a "kaiju" monster as examples.

The plot features "mecha" robots that fight against the kaiju monsters to help humankind. The robots are each 'driven' by two humans, played by a number of actors including Idris Elba and Charlie Hunnam.

To control the Mecha robots, the pilots connect to the machines with a neural link that gives each total access to the other's mind. The soldier-controlled robots battle against a race of alien kaiju monsters that rise from the ocean.

Del Toro explained that the neural link was a useful plot device and an important element in the movie's message. "I wanted to show that sometimes the only way we have to win anything is together. Instead of inspiring values that are militaristic, it was about trusting each other," the director said.

Regardless of its box-office success upon its release on July, del Toro explained that he has been changed by directing this film, according to the LA Times.

"I could have an aneurysm, be booted out of town in August - whatever happens, I've already been blessed by doing Pacific Rim. Creatively, it's the greatest thing I have experienced, because it was a movie that was protected and secluded creatively with the scope of a big movie. And rarely, if ever, can these things combine."