The film was originally planned to be shot at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida. The base denied permission to film there after a high-ranking official read the script and disagreed with the portrayal of the sailors. Production moved to a private helicopter airport that played at least seven locations. The last-minute relocation and weather led to at least nine script rewrites.
Mystery Science Theater 3000 (2017) featured this movie in its second season on November 22, 2018.
The movie's original title was "Atlantic Rim."
First film to be featured on MST3K that had been produced and released in the 21st century
The movie was released on July 9th, 2013 to capitalize on Pacific Rim (2013), which was released in the U.S. on July 12th, 2013.