Godzilla vs. Kong really does contain a Die Hard Easter egg, it’s now been confirmed. With over $300 million taken at the worldwide box office, the latest entry in Legendary’s MonsterVerse has proven to be a huge hit with audiences. The movie has even grossed a pandemic-high $70 million domestically despite its simultaneous release on HBO Max.
One reason for Godzilla vs. Kong’s success is surely that people simply want to get back into theaters after being deprived of the experience for the long months of the pandemic. Another reason too is the enduring popularity of Godzilla and Kong, characters who’ve been around for decades and still maintain huge fan followings. A third reason is of course the movie’s kaiju throwdown action, in particular the big battle on the sea between Godzilla and Kong that sees the monsters tearing up naval vessels while trying to destroy each other.
One of the most memorable images in that high seas fight scene is of course the one of Kong leaping from the aircraft carrier while it’s in the process of being destroyed by a blast of Godzilla’s atomic breath. That particular image indeed seemed instantly iconic, perhaps because it was modeled after another famous cinematic leap. Speaking exclusively to Screen Rant, ScanlineVFX supervisor Bryan Hirota confirmed that the image of a leaping Kong does indeed pay homage to a famous shot of Bruce Willis escaping an explosion in Die Hard, as many fans suspected. When asked about Godzilla vs. Kong Easter eggs fans hadn’t yet picked out, Hirota said:
I don't know if I can think of specific Easter eggs that haven't been caught. Knocked out, sleeping Kong on the transport ship is also a nod to King Kong vs. Godzilla, but I think people have spotted them all. Adam [Wingard] also has these nods to '80s action stars, like how Kong jumping off the carrier when Godzilla blows it up is a nod to Bruce Willis in Die Hard, and Kong putting his shoulder back into place is a nod to Martin Riggs' dislocated shoulder bit from Lethal Weapon 2.
The Die Hard leap in question of course happens during the movie’s famous climax. John McClane has made it to the roof of Nakatomi Plaza, only to realize Hans Gruber means to blow it up along with him and all the hostages. McClane manages to herd the hostages off the roof but must now escape the coming explosion. His only chance to avoid incineration insanely is to tie a firehose around his waist and leap off the skyscraper. The resulting image of McClane jumping from the roof while it explodes behind him has obviously become one of the most indelible in all action movie history.
Godzilla vs. Kong paying homage to movies like Die Hard and Lethal Weapon is a fun bit of trivia of course, but it also has some significance in terms of the movie’s depiction of Kong. Director Adam Wingard has in fact talked about some of his influences going into the film and singled out things like Clint Eastwood’s character in Unforgiven – an aging gunslinger pulling it together for one last fight. McClane in Die Hard and Riggs in Lethal Weapon are also in that tradition of world-weary action heroes battling through their own personal struggles as they take on bad guys. It’s definitely no coincidence then that Godzilla vs. Kong calls back to those classic action films, as it clearly wants the audience to see Kong as an old school action hero who takes a beating but keeps rising up to fight again.