Spielberg’s adaptation of the this iconic VR story is chock full of the amazing cameos.
In a world where every conceivable form of a story is being adapted into a major motion picture, it can be a little tiring to see our favorite books, comics and other media constantly being regurgitated. Often times for the worse. So when a film adaptation comes along that at least appears to capture all the magic that made it’s source material so special, you have to stop and take note.
So when it was revealed that the trailer for Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One film would make an appearance at San Diego Comic Con, the internet held it’s breath in careful anticipation for a movie that hopefully captures the essence of the cult classic book. And while we’ll obviously have to wait to see the full movie before making a final decision on this VR-centered story, the trailer has at the very least put the hype train in motion.
An epic soundtrack, stunning visuals and a strong cast all point towards a great movie, but of course it wouldn’t be Ready Player One without an absurd amount of pop culture cameos. So here’s a breakdown of some of the coolest TV and movie Easter eggs we could find in the trailer:
0:33 – Passing who we can only assume is the film’s main protagonist are both Harley Quinn and Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke. With Ready Player One being a Warner Brothers film, it’s not surprising to see DC characters make an appearance. There’s also some quick shots of what appears to be Conan The Barbarian standing among the crowd as well as Gandalf The Grey of Lord of the Rings floating among the other characters in this colorful scene.
0:45 – If you need clarification on who this big guy is I question the quality of your childhood. Making arguably my favorite appearance in the trailer, The Iron Giant can be seen towering over a slew of other characters in one hell of an epic shot.
0:52 – Check out this insane shot of the infamous time traveling DeLorean from Back To The Future peeling out. Fans of the book probably expected the vehicle’s appearance in the film due to it’s importance in Ready Player One, but I don’t think anyone saw some of these beautiful sequences coming. I mean, that later shot featuring the iconic car dodging incoming wrecking ball? *Goosebumps.*
0:57 – The Joust knight and birds in an intense battle with a scorpion mech. In fact at 0:58, it actually converts into an egg, just like in the game.
1:00 – My man Freddy Kreuger finally getting his desserts. Also, as soon as Freddy explodes you can catch a small glimpse of Duke Nukem firing a rocket launcher. DUKE NUKEM! Also, is that Orc sporting an assault rifle from the Halo franchise?! Okay this is starting to get legendary.
1:11 – In this incredibly hectic scene you can just make out the classic A-Team van towards the right, as well as Christine, the 1958 Plymouth from the John Carpenter adaptation of Stephen King’s Christine.
1:21 – In one of the more bizarre pair ups, Lara Croft of Tomb Raider and Dizzy Wallin of the Gears Of War franchise can be seen chatting to the right next to the car Christine. Also on the lower left you can see the car from the arcade classic Pole Position. What a throwback!
1:29 – A reflection in the green starting light showing the Statue of Liberty reveals that this race is taking place in a virtual New York City. There’s also a shot of the statue a little later in the trailer confirming the location.
1:35 – Beyond thrilled to see Kaneda’s bike from the anime classic Akira pop-up several times. Also, I do believe that’s the car Kitt from Knight Rider there behind the bike!
1:38 – The orc character can be seen driving a customized version of the Bigfoot monster truck. The familiar Bigfoot logo can be seen on the vehicle as well.
1:48 – Another killer shot of the rear of Kaneda’s bike with a small appearance by Mad Max’s V8 Interceptor! Max’s powerful ride makes several other blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearances in the trailer, thought this is the clearest.
So there you have it! Just a quick rundown of what is sure to be just a fraction of the amazing references that will be present in the film. Did we miss anything? Be sure to let us know! We’ll definitely be keeping an eye on this VR-centered film as we learn more about their adaptation of the story and how it will deviate from the original.
Released in 2011, Ernest Cline’s dystopian novel Ready Player One follows Wade Watts as he searches for an easter egg hidden in the virtual reality game, The Oasis. Discovering the egg will result in his inheritance of a large fortune in an Earth plagued by an energy shortage.
The insanely original story showcases a future where virtual reality has supplemented real-life for many individuals limited by mass poverty and social degradation. As VR continues to influence our lives in the real world, this film could be a huge factor in terms of the mass adoption of the technology by the public. Could the outlandish situations and unlimited possibilities tantalize the audiences enough to invest in VR? Rr could the underlying social impact be enough to scare people away? We’ll just have to wait and see.
You can watch the full trailer below:
Ready Player One hits theaters March 30th, 2018.
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Studios
