Ready Player One is a love letter, wrapped in a homage, inside a tribute – not only to pop culture, but also the type of movies close to Speilberg’s heart: poor, impoverished and penniless children use only their initiative and resourcefulness to solve mysteries and recover a treasure. [See: Goonies, also sub-plot: E.T., Back to the Future]

It’s a movie that includes brief references to other pieces of pop-culture… a film about Easter eggs that is itself full of Easter eggs. It’s been done before, arguably the first of our generation was the vastly underrated Last Action Hero (1993) – incidentally, the screenplay of which was also written by Zak Penn, who wrote the screenplay for Ready Player One.

We’ve more than likely missed a few since the references come thick and fast in Speilberg’s new movie, so let us know in the comments if you find ones we’ve forgotten…

A Nightmare on Elm Street: Freddy Krueger seen as an avatar during the Battle of Castle Anorak

The A-Team: B.A. Baracus’ van seen in the Copper Key Race

Adventure: An Atari 2600 game that is crucial to the ending

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Parzival dresses as Buckaroo for his date with Art3mis at the Distracted Globe nightclub

Akira: A motorcycle modeled after Kaneda’s is seen in the Copper Key Race

Alien: A chestburster is used by Art3mis as part of a disguise

Aliens: The USS Sulaco is seen as a virtual toy, plus Art3mis pulls an M41-A Pulse Rifle to blast IOI troops at the Distracted Globe nightclub, she also uses the 30mm grenade launcher…cool

Animal House: Mentioned by Wade

Asteroids: Mentioned by Halliday’s business partner, Ogden Morrow

Atari 2600: Becomes a crucial plot point when it’s revealed that Halliday has hidden a key to beating OASIS in a virtual version of one of the antiquated system’s games

Back to the Future: Wade drives a virtual DeLorean. A modified Rubik’s Cube called a Zemeckis Cube (named after Back to the Future director Robert Zemeckis) allows a character to travel back in time, when she logs off Art3mis refers to Parzival as “McFly”

Batman: Wade tells us you can hang out with a virtual Batman inside OASIS and we see him climbing Mount Everest, plus the Batmobile from the 1960s Batman TV show is seen in the Copper Key Race

Battlestar Galactica: The 1970s version of the Galactica is seen as a virtual toy, Helen has multiple Colonial Fleet insignia patches on her jacket and Art3mis pulls a blaster from the 70s series during the Battle of Castle Anorak

Battletoads: Titular toads seen as avatars

Beetlejuice: Title character seen as someone’s avatar

Bigfoot: The famous monster truck is seen in the Copper Key Race

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure: Halliday mentions the film

The Breakfast Club: Mentioned by the villain, Nolan Sorrento. Bender (Judd Nelson’s character) seen as an avatar elsewhere

Centipede: An Atari 2600 game mentioned by Sorrento’s underlings

Chappie: Title character seen as an avatar in a battle

Child’s Play: Chucky is used as a weapon during a battle royale: “It’s f**king Chucky!”

Citizen Kane: Multiple references to Rosebud

Cowboy Bebop: Swordfish replica seen in Aech’s garage

Christine: The titular car from the 1983 Stephen King adaptation is seen in a virtual race

The Dark Crystal: Mentioned by Halliday

Deathstroke: The DC Comics villain is seen as an avatar in a battle

Devo: In the virtual nightclub, the bartender is wearing a Devo energy dome

Duke Nukem: Title character seen as an avatar in a battle

Dune: The planet Arrakis is mentioned as a virtual destination

Dungeons and Dragons: A virtual space is named after the role-playing game’s creator, Gary Gygax. A 20-sided die is briefly seen. Helen’s van has an image on the back door from module Tomb of Horrors

Duran Duran: Wade briefly dresses as a band member, in a typical “new romantic” style outfit of the era

Excalibur: Merlin’s charm of making from the film is recited as a magic spell to activate the Orb of Osuvox

Fast Times at Ridgemont High: Mentioned by Wade

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: Mentioned by Sorrento

Firefly: Mal Reynolds’ ship Serenity is seen on multiple occasions

The Fly: The 1986 remake is mentioned as a film Halliday once saw

Forbidden Planet: Toy Robby the Robot seen in Halliday’s childhood bedroom

Friday the 13th: Jason Voorhees seen as an avatar in a battle

Galaga: Poster for the game seen in Halliday and Morrow’s offices

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla: Sorrento morphs into Mechagodzilla during a battle

Goldeneye: The video game is mentioned as Halliday’s favorite (he prefers the “slappers only” mode)

Gremlins: Graffiti related to the film briefly seen

Gundam: Wade’s ally Daito morphs into a Gundam robot during the Battle of Castle Anorak

Halo: Spartan soldiers seen as a group’s avatars, plus Covenant weapons pop up from time to time in battles

Harley Quinn: Seen in the Distracted Globe nightclub

Hello Kitty: A sticker for the brand is seen on a motorcycle

Jason and the Argonauts: Skeletons seen as avatars in a battle royale

The Joker: Wade’s virtual avatar is briefly modded to look like the Batman villain. Someone else in a Joker avatar hangs out in the Distracted Globe nightclub

Joust: Poster for the game seen in Halliday’s childhood bedroom

Joy Division: Band T-shirt seen on Samantha

Judge Dread: Art3mis pulls a Lawgiver from the 1995 movie starring Sylvester Stallone

Jurassic Park: The T-Rex is an obstacle in the Copper Key Race

King Kong: The final obstacle in the Copper Key Race

Knight Rider: The Knight Industries Two Thousand car is briefly seen in the Copper Key Race

Krull: The Glaive – an ancient, magical, five-pointed throwing weapon – is used by Art3mis during the Battle of Castle Anorak to sever I-Rok’s arm, which is replaced by a tentacle

Last Action Hero: Characters race past a cinema marquee advertising the movie Jack Slater IV – Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character

Looney Tunes: Young Halliday is seen near a Marvin the Martian toy

Madballs: A madball is used as a weapon in a battle

Mad Max: Max’s modded V8 intercepter seen in the first Copper Key Race

Mario Kart: Aech jokingly mentions the game during a car chase

Mass Effect: Shepard avatar seen in the Distracted Globe nightclub

Minecraft: The popular video game is one the many worlds gamers in the film can visit as part of the OASIS virtual-reality system

Monty Python and the Holy Grail: Wade uses the Holy Hand Grenade in the Battle of Castle Anorak

Mortal Kombat: Goro seen as an avatar

Motorcross: An Atari 2600 game mentioned by Sorrento’s underlings

Nancy Drew: Mentioned by a character

Pac-Man: Poster for the game seen in Halliday’s childhood bedroom

Pee-wee’s Big Adventure: Aech has a replica of Pee-wee’s bike

Pitfall: An Atari 2600 game mentioned by Sorrento’s underlings

Pole Position: Two cars seen in the Copper Key Race

Punk’d: Aech mentions “being punk’d”

Purple Rain: Wade briefly dresses as Prince’s character

Raiders of the Lost Ark: Poster for the film seen in Halliday’s childhood bedroom

RoboCop: Title character seen as an avatar in a battle

Robotron: Mentioned by Sorrento

Saturday Night Fever: An extended dance sequence is based on the film, complete with Bee Gees soundtrack

Say Anything: Mentioned as a film Halliday once saw

The Shining: An extended sequence is set in a replica of the Overlook Hotel

Silent Running: The primary spaceship Valley Forge is seen as a virtual toy

Simon: The classic toy is seen as a possession of Halliday’s

Sinbad: Cyclops avatar seen in battle royale

Sonic the Hedgehog: Title character seen as someone’s avatar

Spaceballs: Eagle 5 replica seen in Aech’s garage

Space Invaders: Halliday is repeatedly seen wearing a shirt advertising the game

Spawn: Seen as an avatar in a battle royale

Spider-Man: Wade mentions that he was given an alliterative name to sound like Spidey’s alter ego Peter Parker, or the Hulk’s, Bruce Banner

Speed Racer: Speed’s car, the Mach 5, is seen in the Copper Key Race

Star Trek: OASIS creator James Halliday has a photon torpedo tube as a coffin just like Spock’s in Star Trek II and III, plus Federation flags hanging everywhere. Later, we see a Klingon bat’leth weapon on a window sill

Star Wars: R2-D2 toy seen on a floor, a character refers to Wade as “padawan,” Parzival’s belt is identical to Han Solo’s and supposedly Stormtroopers are briefly seen as avatars in the Battle of Castle Anorak

Street Fighter: Logo seen in a marketplace for gamers. Characters Ryu and Chun-Li make appearances as player avatars in fights. A character uses Ryu’s famed “hadouken” fireball to attack someone

Superman: Wade’s avatar is briefly modded to look like Clark Kent

Swordquest: An Atari 2600 game mentioned by Sorrento’s underlings

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The versions of the characters from the recent film reboot are seen as avatars during the Battle of Castle Anorak

Terminator 2: Judgment Day: While sinking into a pit of lava, the Iron Giant gives a thumbs up

Throne of Blood: Daito’s avatar is Toshiro Mifune!

Tomb Raider: Lara Croft seen as an avatar in a battle

Thriller: Wade briefly dresses as Michael Jackson’s character from the 1983 music video

Thundercats: Wade wears a belt with the logo on the buckle

Tootsie Pop: A character mentions the candy as a metaphor

2112: Poster for the Rush album is seen in Halliday’s childhood bedroom

War of the Worlds: A crashed Martian ship from the 1953 movie is the site of a virtual meeting between Sorrento and I-R0k

Apparently, there’s a light-cycle from Tron in a virtual race, but we didn’t see that one. Oh, we suspect I-R0k’s gun is Johnson from Shadows of The Damned.

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