Godzilla: 17 Easter Eggs, References & Fan Nods You Need To See

11. The Mutos

While they were invented solely for this film, the MUTOs - or "Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism" as they are correctly labelled in-film (a misnomer considering one of them has wings) - are particularly evocative of Godzilla lore, as well as Japanese reference points too. The name, though presented as an acronym sounds like a Godzilla monster of old, and is a Japanese surname (used for a main character in Yu-Gi-Oh, and belonging, more intriguingly to a famously tenacious WWII Japanese fighter pilot who was in action over the Philippines like his monstrous name-sake in the film). The monsters themselves were inspired by Alien, King Kong, Jurassic Park and Starship Troopers (where the most genetic similarites are visible), and there's definitely an element of the Cloverfield monster in there too. The mutos were teased a long time before the film was unveiled, including a viral site that teases character details and establishes an atmosphere for the film.