Godzilla vs Kong on TF1: This incredible reference to the iconic 80s movie

As monsters roam the earth and humanity fights for its future, Godzilla and King Kong, two of the most powerful forces in nature, collide in a spectacular battle never seen before. When the Monarch embarks on a dangerous mission into uncharted territory and discovers clues to the origin of the Titans, a human conspiracy threatens to wipe these creatures – both good and evil – off the face of the planet.

The fourth film in the MonsterVerse, which began in 2014 with the Godzilla reboot, Godzilla vs Kong was released in 2021, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. This tough context still allowed it to collect just over $470 million at the worldwide box office.

A pure popcorn movie, watched even with innocent pleasure, Godzilla vs. Kong also has some more or less pointed references, such as its ancestor King Kong, the 1933 film, in the film King Kong Escaped (1967); King Kong vs. Godzilla, a Toho film released in 1962. Or even… Shrek! Yes Yes. It’s early in the movie when Kong appears her morning routine. The giant emerges from his siesta, stretching and scratching before taking a few steps into his swamp.

But what especially catches our attention is playing a movie that we didn’t expect at all. In this case a reference to … Lethal Weapon 2! This is revealed at the end of the film. After Kong dislocates his shoulder in the final battle, he pops it back into place by slamming it against a giant building.

This is a nod to Riggs’ (Mel Gibson) character Lethal Weapon 2, who manages to dislodge the shoulder as well as put it back in place. “Capacity” (very painful anyway…), which also saves his life when he almost drowns in the movie after being thrown to the bottom of the water.

Here is the memory sequence…

That being said, what does such a reference do? Godzilla vs. Kong ? The director is a big fan of Richard Donner’s films. And explained it in an interview with the site CinemaBlend In 2021, it suddenly becomes clear that there should be even more guidance.

“The character he plays Skarsgård Must have been drinking from the Lethal Weapon 2 glass. Actually he was even wearing a Lethal Weapon 2 shirt, but that was it version Japanese, so you could only know it if you spoke or read Japanese.