Best Godzilla vs Kong Callbacks
#10: Kong Doesn’t Have the Best Luck with Travel
Top 10 Things to Remember Before Godzilla vs Kong
In several versions of “King Kong”, humans bring him to a foreign land by knocking him unconscious and putting him in chains on a boat. Although he’s also initially knocked out in the 2021 film, at least they were trying to bring him home this time. There’s another great reference to Kong’s travel methods when they go to Antarctica. In one of 1962’s “King Kong vs Godzilla” sillier scenes, they attached big yellow balloons to the ape and gently towed him into battle. Fortunately, the 2021 version gave him a little more respect by getting an entire fleet of helicopters to carry him on a giant net. Although we’re not sure this made Kong love travel, we’re sure he appreciated the lack of embarrassing balloons.
#9: That’s a Lot of Fish!
Things to Remember for Godzilla X Kong New Empire
While most critics might want to forget 1998’s “Godzilla” film, it still contained a few memorable scenes. When the humans want to lure the kaiju in for a closer look, they buy a couple of fish. Okay, maybe more than a couple. “Godzilla vs. Kong” appears to contain a reference to this bizarrely memorable fish moment. A few minutes before Godzilla attacks, Kong grabs a quick snack. To our surprise, it’s another giant pile of fish. Even if that the only food option Monarch had available for the ape, his diet would still be a hilarious coincidence to the 1998 film. Maybe Kong and Godzilla's fight could’ve been avoided if they hashed out their differences over a sushi dinner.
#8: The Bad Bats Return
Top 10 Genuinely Terrifying Godzilla Moments
We saw a lot of terrifying creatures in the Hollow Earth. But the ones that scared us the most were the bat turkey hybrids that we saw in Kong's ancestral home. Unfortunately for the ape, this isn't the first time he had to deal with batty monstrosities. When Jack tries to rescue Ann from King Kong in the 2005 film, he has to sneak past a bunch of bats. Although the creatures eventually wake up, they don’t devour the humans. The “Godzilla vs Kong” bats are more ferocious, harder to look at, and would’ve definitely treated our heroes like snacks if they got the chance. We’d rather take our chances with the snake creature Kong fought than a bunch of these bats.
#7: Keeping Kaiju on an Island Was a Good Idea This Time
Although we thought Kong was roaming free on his island when the movie began, he was actually confined to a dome created by the Monarch agency. And he’s not exactly happy about it. This opening is almost identical to an older monster movie. In 1968’s “Destroy All Monsters,” the United Nations Science Committee has contained a group of Titans within the borders of an island. The monsters live there in relative peace...until an alien race forces the kaiju to leave the island and wreak havoc across the globe. Fortunately for Monarch, Kong never fell victim to any mind control. Although their containment plan never really backfired, they were compassionate enough to let Kong off the island in the end.
#6: Mechagodzilla Tried to Use Godzilla's Finishing Move
Mechagodzilla Origin EXPLAINED
Godzilla showed absolutely no mercy to the evil massive unidentified terrestrial organism, or MUTO for short, in the 2014 film. Our favorite kaiju fired his atomic breath into his enemy’s mouth until it stayed down. Godzilla nearly found himself on the receiving end of this brutal technique. After Mechagodzilla comes out to play, it manages to pin down the organic original. Right before it fires its massive laser into Godzilla’s mouth, Kong steps into the fray. If it weren’t for the ape’s great interference, Godzilla would’ve lost his life to his own finishing move.
#5: A Different Hero Defeats Mechagodzilla
Is Godzilla a Hero or Villain?
The first time we saw the evil mechanical Kaiju was in 1974’s “Godzilla versus Mechagodzilla”. After teaming up with a giant guardian named King Caesar, Godzilla defeats his mechanical enemy by knocking off the robot’s head. Kong made sure to pay homage to the original battle in an awesome way. After cutting Mechagodzilla down to size, Kong makes sure to remove the robot’s head and throw it away like it was a piece of garbage. We’re not sure which movie’s version of the robotic kaiju’s defeat is better. But we know one thing for sure. Mechagodzilla never comes out ahead in either battle. See what we did there?
#4: Bernie’s Podcast Hints at Mothra’s Fate
One of the best additions to the Monster-Verse was Brian Tyree Henry’s Bernie. This character made exposition fun by conveying vital information through hilarious podcasts. He even made time to reference Dirty Dancing by saying “no one puts Godzilla in a corner.” Although we loved all his podcast titles, we’re most interested in #244 “Mothra Pregnancy Theory”. Mothra lost her life in “The King of the Monsters.” However, the post-credits scene hinted that she may have left an egg behind. Bernie’s podcast may give us further insight as to when a new Mothra might hatch. Now we just have to wait until his over 200 episodes are available in our world.
#3: Ren Serizawa’s Tragic Link to “King of the Monsters”
Top 10 Things To Remember Before Seeing Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Ren Serizawa was initially responsible for controlling Mechagodzilla’s actions. But what could drive a person to pilot that mechanical monstrosity? The answer may lie with his father. Ren’s dad, Ishiro Serizawa, was a wise and compassionate Monarch scientist. He was also known to drop wicked one-liners. During “Godzilla: King of the Monsters”, Ishiro sacrificed his life to ensure that Godzilla would live to fight another day. If Ren blamed Godzilla for his father’s passing, then we understand why he’d voluntarily pilot Mechagodzilla. It’s a shame that Ren doesn’t make it to the end of the film. We would’ve liked to see him get a second chance to follow in his father’s footsteps.
#2: Mechagodzilla’s Alien Origins
Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla
During 1974’s “Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla” we learned that the mechanical titan was created by a shapeshifting alien race. Although the 2021 version of the character was built by humans, it still has an alien connection. The skull of one of Ghidorah’s heads is inside of Mechagodzilla. In “King of the Monsters” we learned that Ghidorah wasn’t born on earth. So, in an extremely roundabout way, you could say Mechagodzilla is still part alien. We’re not sure why the 2021 film didn’t follow the original to a tee. The 1974 Mechagodzilla was built by creatures who shapeshifted into green apes and had ray guns and... on second thought, the Ghidorah alien origin might be easier to digest.
#1: A Different Victor
The Evolution of King Kong
We all tuned into the movie to see who would win the title fight. This was mainly because of the somewhat ambiguous ending to their last matchup in the 1960s. During that battle, the two titans fell into the water. Although we didn’t see Godzilla, Kong looked victorious as he walked away from the fight in the water. The 2021 film made sure there was no question who the winner was. Their first fight leaves Kong catching his breath on a boat. Although Godzilla is ready for more, he chooses to swim away and fight another day. He later comes out on top once more in their third-round grudge match. Sorry Kong fans, but the title belt definitively belongs to Godzilla this time around.
