Category: Science Fiction

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We looked at the Godzilla sequel last week and gave it a favorable review. We also listed Essential Godzilla Viewing in Examining The Dead #21. Here, you will see why those movies were selected.

Godzilla – Starting off with Big G himself, here are some nuggets placed throughout the film. Many of which go back to the original 1954 Gojira.

• Leading into the third act, Godzilla is re-energized by a point-blank nuclear bomb planted by Dr. Serizawa. For a time, Godzilla has glowing red patches all over his body. This is a nod to 1995’s Godzilla vs. Destroyah, which saw Godzilla eventually reach meltdown status and… well… melt.

Mothra – One monster that is almost always a heroic, Mothra is usually depicted as one of Earth’s guardians.

• In the “Blink and you miss it” moment, Monarch does have a screen identifying her as “Mosera”, which is the original Japanese pronunciation.
• Mothra is found in Outpost 61, a reference to 1961, which is the year the first Mothra movie was released.
• Ziyi Zhang portrays two characters, Dr. Chen and Dr. Ling. Chen has an in-depth knowledge of Mothra and claims to have ancestors from the same island as the creature. As any Mothra fan knows, she usually has twin fairies, referred to as Shobijin (“little beauties”). They can communicate and translate monster language, as well as call on Mothra for help.

• In the current movie, Mothra is blasted by King Ghidorah’s dragon breath, and her life essence revitalizes Godzilla. This helps Godzilla come back to finally defeat Ghidorah. A similar scene happens in 2001’s GMK: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, only the roles of Godzilla and Ghidorah are reversed. Mothra revitalizes Ghidorah to take down an evil Godzilla.

King Ghidorah – Ghidorah served as the main antagonist in the film. He is arguably Godzilla’s most powerful foe because it often takes multiple monsters working together to defeat him.

• Monarch originally refers to Ghidorah as Monster Zero, a name that was given to him in the 1966 film Godzilla vs. Monster Zero.
• In another scene reminiscent of GMK, Monarch finds Ghidorah frozen in ice, where he has presumably been for many years. This mirrors his discovery in GMK. In an unexpected twist, GMK marks the first and only time King Ghidorah played the role of a guardian monster.
• During a fight, Godzilla bites off one of Ghidorah’s heads. In the post-credits sequence, the severed head is found and given to Jonah Alan. In 1991’s Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, one of the opening scenes is the discovery of a severed Ghidorah head. That head was used to make Mecha-King Ghidorah, who fights Godzilla in the third act. That may not guarantee we get MKG, but it may lead to the three-headed monster’s return in a future sequel.

King Kong – Kong was introduced in 2017’s Kong: Skull Island, and will return next year in the aptly titled Godzilla vs. Kong

• Kong himself is absent from this movie, though he is seen in some of the monitors in Monarch outposts.
• Dr. Houston Brooks was a major character in the 2017 film played by Cory Hawkins. Veteran character actor Joe Morton portrays an older Dr. Brooks in this movie

Rodan – While he is clearly #4 in importance behind Godzilla, King Ghidorah, and Mothra, Rodan still has some memorable screen time in the film.

• Rodan emerges from a volcano, much like he did in 1964’s Ghidorah, The Three Headed Monster. A film which also saw him team with Godzilla and Mothra to take on King Ghidorah
• The volcano is dubbed by Monarch as Outpost 56, a reference to the 1956 film Rodan.

Dr. Serizawa – Portrayed by Ken Watanabe, Dr. Ishiro Serizawa is one of the leading experts on Godzilla. His name is a combination of two people: Ishiro Honda and Dr. Daisuke Serizawa.

• Ishiro Honda was the real-life director of several Godzilla films, including the original 1954 Gojira.
• Dr. Daisuke Serizawa in the original film was a scientist who developed The Oxygen Destroyer, which was used to kill the original Godzilla.
• The 1954 version saw Serizawa sacrifice himself with Godzilla’s destruction. He feared that as long as he was alive, there was a chance he could be forced to develop the weapon again.
• In the current movie, the military already has a weapon called The Oxygen Destroyer, which it uses in an attempt to kill both Godzilla and King Ghidorah.
• Like the original, this Dr. Serizawa also sacrifices himself. Only it is to heal Godzilla through a nuclear detonation.

Spiga – A giant spider that plays a minor part throughout the film bears a striking resemblance to Spiga/Kumonga, who first appeared in Son Of Godzilla.

Did you see any other easter eggs? Or hints at future films? Sound off below!