“Ready Player One” mega sci-fi mash-up                      !SPOILER ! WARNING

Borrowing popular icons from movies, television and video games, Steven Spielberg’s
latest science-fiction offering is largely a love letter to the decade he helped define, the 1980s

Based on Ernest Cline’s bestselling dystopian fantasy set in 2045, when world is in decline. People spend their free time inside OASIS (virtual universe)* rather than face misery of reality. But OASIS creator James Halliday has died, leaving notice he has hidden an Easter egg† inside his creation. First person to find it will inherit his entire $500 billion fortune and control of OASIS

Teenager Wade Watts — avatar moniker Parzival (left) ‡ — has spent years searching for Halliday’s egg, when he suddenly discovers location of first of three hidden keys and attracts world attention

ONLINE TRAILERS
A Comic-Con Teaser: goo.gl/oVZPbV 
B Official Trailer: goo.gl/e1MEJw
C Come With Me: goo.gl/Wz71dp
D The Prize Awaits: goo.gl/GD1mSu


Within OASIS, avatars can resemble or operate anything their users desire. Trailers suggest movie is full of pop culture references...

0:00 AAA   Time stamp in trailer

1:07 The Iron Giant (1999) teams up with Parzival and company to try and find Easter egg before villainous IOI can

A
A
A GMC Vandura (The A-Team, 1983)

1:21 Duke Nukem (1991, left) and Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street, 1984) in heat of battle

1:41 Lara Croft (Tomb Raider, 1996), leaning on Christine (1983) car, with Dizzy Wallin (Gears of War, 2006)

B  Ryu (Street Fighter, 1987)   0:42

L-R: Mach Five (Speed Racer, 2008), Batmobile (Batman, 1965), Ford Falcon V8 Interceptor (Mad Max, 1979)

B Billboard references RoboCop (1987)
C
D

1:25 Avatar, riding Kaneda’s motorcyle from cult anime Akira (1988), makes daring leap during Copper Key race

1:28 T-rex (Jurassic Park, 1993) chases Parzival ally Aech, who is driving original monster truck Bigfoot (1979)

0:31 Parzival riding shotgun in DeLorean DMC-12 (Back to the Future, 1985), featuring Knight Rider (1982) scanner




* Massively Multiplayer Online Simulation Game (MMOSG) where in-game vending, teleportation, fuel, and almost everything else costs real-world money
† Intentional secret feature hidden inside computer programme, video game, or DVD/Blu-ray menu screen ‡ Named after Arthurian knight on quest for holy grail Sources: Warner Bros, New Rockstars, Empire, Ready Player One Wiki, IMDB, YouTube Pictures: ©Warner Bros/Amblin Entertainment © GRAPHIC NEWS