“Ready Player One” is full of Easter eggs and references to popular movies, TV shows, video games, and pop culture from the 1980s and 1990s. Fans of these eras will likely enjoy trying to spot all of the hidden nods and references throughout the movie.
1. The DeLorean time machine from “Back to the Future”: One of the main vehicles used by the protagonist Wade Watts is a DeLorean time machine, complete with a Flux Capacitor and the ability to travel through time. This is a direct reference to the iconic vehicle from the “Back to the Future” movie series.
2. King Kong: In one of the challenges in the game, the players must climb to the top of a virtual recreation of the Empire State Building while being chased by King Kong.
3. The Bigfoot monster truck: Wade drives a Bigfoot monster truck during a race sequence, which is a direct reference to the real-life monster truck of the same name.
4. The “Holy Hand Grenade”: One of the weapons used in the final battle of the movie is the “Holy Hand Grenade” from the British comedy film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.”
5. The “Zemeckis Cube”: In the movie, the “Zemeckis Cube” is a device that allows the user to travel back in time for a short period. This is a reference to “Back to the Future” director Robert Zemeckis.
6. Adventure Easter Egg: The plot of “Ready Player One” centers around a virtual treasure hunt that includes finding an Easter egg hidden in a virtual version of the classic Atari game “Adventure.”
7. The Overlook Hotel: In the book, the final challenge takes place in a virtual version of the Overlook Hotel from the movie “The Shining.”
8. Ultraman: The Japanese superhero Ultraman is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of the character makes an appearance during the final battle.
9. The Tomb of Horrors: The virtual world of “Ready Player One” features a recreation of the Tomb of Horrors, a notoriously difficult dungeon from the game “Dungeons & Dragons.”
10. Rush: The Canadian rock band Rush is referenced throughout the book, and their music is used during one of the challenges.
11. Holy Grail: In the book, Wade uses a line from “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” to solve one of the puzzles.
12. Firefly: The spaceship Serenity from the TV show “Firefly” makes a brief appearance in the book.
13. Blade Runner: In the book, Wade’s avatar drives a Spinner, the flying car from the movie “Blade Runner.”
14. Prince: In the book, Wade has a Prince poster hanging in his hideout.
15. The Last Starfighter: The Last Starfighter arcade game is mentioned in the book, and the ship from the movie makes a brief appearance in the movie.
16. The A-Team van: The van from the 1980s TV show “The A-Team” makes a brief appearance in the book.
17. Dungeons & Dragons: The role-playing game “Dungeons & Dragons” is referenced throughout the book, and a virtual version of the game is featured in one of the challenges.
18. Buckaroo Banzai: In the book, Wade references the 1984 movie “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.”
19. Wargames: The 1983 movie “Wargames” is referenced in the book, and the computer used in the movie makes a brief appearance in the movie adaptation.
20. Space Invaders: The classic arcade game “Space Invaders” is featured in one of the challenges in the book.
21. Galaga: Another classic arcade game, “Galaga,” is featured in the book.
22. The Breakfast Club: The 1985 movie “The Breakfast Club” is referenced in the book.
23. The Big Lebowski: The 1998 movie “The Big Lebowski” is referenced in the book.
24. Ghostbusters: The 1984 movie “Ghostbusters” is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of the movie’s headquarters makes an appearance in the movie adaptation.
25. Back to the Future: The 1985 movie “Back to the Future” is referenced several times in the book and movie, and a virtual version of the DeLorean time machine makes an appearance.
26. Beetlejuice: The 1988 movie “Beetlejuice” is referenced in the book, and the character Beetlejuice makes a brief appearance in the movie adaptation.
28. Knight Rider: The 1980s TV show “Knight Rider” is referenced in the book, and the car KITT makes an appearance in the movie adaptation.
29. WarGames: The 1983 movie “WarGames” is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of the movie’s computer makes an appearance in the movie adaptation.
30. Iron Giant: The 1999 movie “Iron Giant” makes a significant appearance in the book and movie, and the character is one of the main allies of the protagonist.
31. The Lord of the Rings: The Lord of the Rings trilogy is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of the Mines of Moria appears in the movie adaptation.
32. The Matrix: The 1999 movie “The Matrix” is referenced in the book, and the character Trinity makes a brief appearance in the movie adaptation.
33. Tomb Raider: The video game series “Tomb Raider” is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of Lara Croft makes an appearance in the movie adaptation.
34. Minecraft: The popular video game “Minecraft” is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of the game makes an appearance in the movie adaptation.
35. Gundam: The anime series “Gundam” is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of the giant robot makes an appearance in the movie adaptation.
36. Batman: The Caped Crusader makes an appearance in the book and movie, with various versions of the character appearing in virtual reality.
37. John Hughes movies: The films of director John Hughes are referenced in the book, with nods to movies like “Sixteen Candles,” “The Breakfast Club,” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”
38. Dungeons & Dragons cartoon: The animated series “Dungeons & Dragons” is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of the show’s characters makes an appearance in the movie adaptation.
39. John Williams: The prolific composer John Williams, known for his iconic film scores, is referenced in the book and movie, with various musical cues from his movies appearing throughout the story.
40. RoboCop: The 1987 movie “RoboCop” is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of the character makes an appearance in the movie adaptation.
41. Firefly: The short-lived TV series “Firefly” is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of the show’s spaceship, Serenity, makes an appearance in the movie adaptation.
42. Godzilla: The iconic movie monster Godzilla is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of the character makes an appearance in the movie adaptation.
43. Buckaroo Banzai: The 1984 movie “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension” is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of the character makes an appearance in the movie adaptation.
44. Simon: The electronic memory game Simon is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of the game makes an appearance in the movie adaptation.
45. Goldeneye: The 1995 James Bond movie “GoldenEye” is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of the movie’s satellite dish makes an appearance in the movie adaptation.
46. The A-Team: The TV series “The A-Team” is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of the show’s van makes an appearance in the movie adaptation.
47. DC Comics: Various DC Comics characters and references appear throughout the book and movie, including Batman, Superman, and Harley Quinn.
48. Duran Duran: The 1980s band Duran Duran is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of the band appears in the movie adaptation.
49. Family Ties: The TV series “Family Ties” is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of the show’s house appears in the movie adaptation.
50. Say Anything: The 1989 movie “Say Anything” is referenced in the book, with a nod to the iconic boombox scene, and a virtual version of the boombox appears in the movie adaptation.
51. Mad Max: The post-apocalyptic movie franchise “Mad Max” is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of the movie’s vehicles and characters appear in the movie adaptation.
52. Street Fighter: The popular fighting game series “Street Fighter” is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of the character Ryu appears in the movie adaptation.
53. He-Man: The 1980s cartoon “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe” is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of the character appears in the movie adaptation.
54. The Breakfast Club: The 1985 movie “The Breakfast Club” is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of the characters’ iconic fist-pump appears in the movie adaptation.
55. The Terminator: The movie franchise “The Terminator” is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of the movie’s killer robots appears in the movie adaptation.
56. The Dark Crystal: The 1982 movie “The Dark Crystal” is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of the movie’s creatures, the Skeksis, appears in the movie adaptation.
57. Thundercats: The 1980s cartoon “Thundercats” is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of the character Lion-O appears in the movie adaptation.
58. Back to the Future: The movie franchise “Back to the Future” is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of the DeLorean time machine appears in the movie adaptation.
59. Firefly: The TV series “Firefly” is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of the show’s spaceship, Serenity, appears in the movie adaptation.
60. Halo: The video game series “Halo” is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of the game’s Master Chief character appears in the movie adaptation.
61. Gremlins: The 1984 movie “Gremlins” is referenced in the book, and a virtual version of the creatures appears in the movie adaptation.
These are just a few more Easter eggs from “Ready Player One.” The book and movie are packed with references and homages to pop culture from various eras, making it a fun and nostalgic ride for fans of all ages.
