The long-awaited clash of the titans is finally here. Godzilla vs. Kong has all the kaiju-on-kaiju
action audiences love, as well as a few fun Easter eggs. Here are the best ones you might
have missed. Spoilers ahead!
When Godzilla vs. Kong starts, audiences are treated to King Kong's morning routine. He
wakes up, strolls through a river, washes his face, and throws a tree at the sun. You
know, normal giant gorilla antics. Except, it turns out King Kong is stuck in a Monarch
containment outpost, and he just skewered a section of its holographic ceiling, specifically
"Sector 7G."
Simpsons fans know that Homer Simpson works in "Sector 7G" of the Springfield Nuclear
Power Plant, and King Kong, of course, fights a walking nuclear lizard in the movie.
"Ahhh! It's my problem! We're doomed!"
"Sector 7G is now being isolated."
Godzilla and King Kong first crossed paths in 1962. This was when the Godzilla films
were goofier and campier — essentially the Adam West Batman era of Godzilla. That's why
the original King Kong vs. Godzilla has its share of goofy moments. The film includes
one moment that survived in meme form, and was referenced in Godzilla vs. Kong.
Around the halfway mark of the movie, Godzilla attacks a floating convoy of ships carrying
King Kong. To trick Godzilla into thinking they're dead, the crew cuts power, which leaves
them in a predicament. They can't continue ferrying Kong to Antarctica without moving,
and they can't move without alerting Godzilla. So, they make the only reasonable choice:
fly the rest of the way by helicopter while carrying King Kong in an oversized net.
While not a one-to-one translation, this scene references the prelude to the 1962 King Kong
vs. Godzilla's Mt. Fuji scene where the army air lifts King Kong and basically drops him
on Godzilla's head. In that film, Kong is strung up to several balloons and ferried
along by helicopters. Godzilla vs. Kong's rendition is basically a modern upgrade to
the classic scene.
Many TV shows, movies, and plays feature a literary device known as a "Chekhov's Gun."
If the opening act prominently displays a gun, someone will shoot it during or before
the final act. Godzilla vs. Kong's Chekhov's Gun comes in the form of conspiracy theorist
Bernie Hayes's alcohol flask. Since the film draws attention to the flask, audiences know
he will either drink it or use it to save the day. But, this "Chekhov's flask" and its
contents also play double duty as an Easter egg.
When Josh asks Bernie what's in the flask, Bernie says it is filled with "Katzunari single
malt whiskey." That's a very specific name for a Chekhov's Gun. Did Legendary Pictures
make a deal with a whiskey manufacturer to make Bernie and his flask act as a trojan
product placement? No. Instead, the name most likely honors Godzilla film suit actor Kazunari
Mori… who played MechaGodzilla in 1974's Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla.
So not only did the flask and its contents tease how the main villain will be defeated,
its fictional brand name teases the identity of said villain. Sure, the name of the whiskey
isn't exactly the same as the name of the original MechaGodzilla actor, but it feels
too similar to just be a coincidence.
Since the Godzilla franchise has been around since 1954, the series has been through several
ups and downs, some more infamous than others. To Godzilla fans, it's difficult to get more
infamous than North America's first attempt at creating a Godzilla film. That movie now
wears a permanent bullseye that Godzilla vs. Kong's creators gladly shot at. Possibly.
During Godzilla vs. Kong, King Kong is trapped on a ship in the Tasman Sea with miles of
water in every direction. He can't move, but more importantly, he can't hunt for food.
To mangle an old phrase, what does a 158-ton gorilla eat? Whatever he wants, but since
he's in the middle of the ocean, he'll just have to settle for fish. A lot of fish.
One of the most frequently derided scenes in the 1998 Godzilla movie is when the army
tries to bait Godzilla out with fish. A big pile of fish.
"Look at all that freakin' fish."
So Kong's seafood feast in Godzilla vs. Kong is a fun callback to the 1998 box office disappointment.
And finally … Though director Adam Wingard formally crowns a winner in Godzilla vs. Kong
the way the original match-up movie didn't, he clearly still has love for the original
King Kong vs. Godzilla, since the ending shots are very similar.
In King Kong vs. Godzilla, Kong swims away as tiny humans watch from the shore. In Godzilla
vs. Kong, it's Godzilla who swims away, in a clear homage to the original.
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