Ernest Cline’s sci-fi bestseller “Ready Player One” is a love letter to the 1980s wrapped around a plot. Easter eggs and pop culture references abound throughout the novel, and Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster adaptation appears to have ripped a couple of pages from the book. Here are all the easter eggs we were able to spot in the new trailer.
Remember Madballs? If not, you aren’t alone. The rubber bouncing balls were popular throughout the 1980s, continuing into the next decade. As the audience sees this bleak new world, we encounter a trailer with one of these objects as graffiti art.
There’s definitely a huge race taking place, if the number of cars, bikes, and other vehicles are to be trusted. Among what we’ve been seen include Mach 5 from “Speed Racer,” the original Batmobile from the “Batman” TV series, as well as Ryu from the “Street Fighter” video games. Some spotted Mad Max’s Interceptor from “Fury Road,” as well.
Protagonist Wade Watts, aka Parzival (Tye Sheridan), will drive the DeLorean from “Back to the Future” in the race. Fans were caught off-guard with the brief glimpse of the iconic vehicle in the original trailer, and now it’s getting the attention it deserves.
There was some confusion over whether Parzival’s competitor/love interest, Art3mis (Oliva Cooke), was driving a Light Cycle from “TRON” or Kaneda’s futuristic bike from “Akira” in the first trailer. Now we can call it: that is definitely the “Akira” bike.
During the race, King Kong appears perched above his own Empire State Building with biplanes circling overhead.
We see a newspaper that references “Oasis Coin,” a clear reference to Bitcoin, that shows the movie goes beyond the 1980s for its cultural knowledge.
During a party scene where we get our first good look at Art3mis, we’re treated to a cameo appearance by Commander Shepard from “Mass Effect” and Blanka from “Street Fighter” (nope, we’re not done with those yet).
There’s too much going on in the aforementioned shot for just one slide. On the other side of the screen, a bartender wearing a Devo hat is seen to be taking an order from Lara Croft.
Fans quickly noticed Harley Quinn in the Comic-Con trailer, and now we’ve gotten a look at this rather dapper version of her beau, the Clown Prince of Crime himself.
One of the classic vintage relics of the era that “RP1” cherishes, this boombox also calls to mind a certain movie…
Here’s Parzival, pulling a full John Cusack from “Say Anything…” as DC supervillain Deadshot and Sagat from “Street Fighter” lead the charge into the final battle between Oasis users and the sinister IOI corporation.
As part of the final battle, we notice the early-1990s video game characters Battletoads as well as a flying ostrich from the arcade game “Joust.”
The battle is going to be massive. In this shot, we can see Tracer from “Overwatch,” Chun-Li from “Street Fighter,” FemShep from “Mass Effect” and Lara Croft (again).
Yes, you really saw iconic horror villain Chucky pulling a full-on, CGI Yoda and kicking some serious IOI butt in the process.
One of the most popular franchises in Japan, “Gundam” plays a vital role in the book, and we’re glad to see that Spielberg kept the giant hero robot.
Arguably the biggest surprise from the Comic-Con trailer was the inclusion of Iron Giant. Spielberg was quick to note that the robot was not just to make fans feel good, but he would be an important part of the story. Here he is now, diving headlong into the final battle.
Just when you think the trailer has offered plenty, there’s one final treat: the instantly recognizable musical twinkle from “Back to the Future.” March 30 can not come soon enough.
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