Now that the epic first trailer for Steven Spielberg‘s Ready Player One has dropped, we can dig into just what in the 80s is going on here. Fans of Ernest Cline‘s sci-fi novel, that’s one part love story to pop culture of the 80s and one part action-adventure story, seemed a rather daunting adaptation thanks to a laundry list of references and completely insane action sequences. Spielberg was clearly up to the task, as this first trailer shows. While the first glimpse of OASIS–a virtual world that lets you become literally just about anything you want and do anything you want–was a fantastic introduction to the world 2045, the trailer doesn’t do much to lay out the treasure-hunting story that’s at the heart of the film.
That’s where this trailer breakdown comes in! Fans of the book (and of pop culture in general) will recognize quite a few characters, locations, and even vehicles here, but I’ve gone through the trailer scene by scene to pull things of interest for your viewing pleasure. [Update: Thanks to a trailer commentary from Cline himself, via EW, we have some updated info below!]
Image via Amazon
Scripted by Cline and Zak Penn, Ready Player One stars Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, T.J. Miller, Simon Pegg, and Mark Rylance and opens in theaters on March 30, 2018.
For more on Ready Player One, be sure to get caught up with our recent write-ups provided at the links below:
- ‘Ready Player One’ SDCC Panel Recap: Spielberg Teases Big ‘Iron Giant’ Role, Reveals Why He Signed On
- ‘Ready Player One’: First Image Reveals Tye Sheridan’s Protagonist and Easter Eggs
- John Williams Won’t Score Steven Spielberg’s ‘Ready Player One’
- ‘Ready Player One’: T.J. Miller on His Newly Created Character with a ‘Star Wars’ Obsession
- Tye Sheridan Talks ‘Detour’, ‘Ready Player One’ and What You Learn on a Spielberg Set
Here’s the official synopsis for Ready Player One:
The film is set in 2045, with the world on the brink of chaos and collapse. But the people have found salvation in the OASIS, an expansive virtual reality universe created by the brilliant and eccentric James Halliday (Mark Rylance). When Halliday dies, he leaves his immense fortune to the first person to find a digital Easter egg he has hidden somewhere in the OASIS, sparking a contest that grips the entire world. When an unlikely young hero named Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) decides to join the contest, he is hurled into a breakneck, reality-bending treasure hunt through a fantastical universe of mystery, discovery and danger.
Check out the images and trailer breakdown below: