History Film / ReadyPlayerOne2018

** The third challenge is to [[spoiler:play an Atari game at Castle Anorak. A television, an UsefulNotes/Atari2600 and every game the console had is set over an ice-cap. Playing the wrong game for more than a minute causes the ice to collapse. Playing the right game (''VideoGame/{{Adventure}}'') and winning causes the ice to collapse. Using clues from Halliday's funerary video and the lessons he had learned from previous challenges, Parzival correctly deduces that the way to win the challenge is to find the EasterEgg within ''Adventure''.]]

* BodyBridge: The Iron Giant (piloted by Aech) uses his body to build a bridge over the lava chasm at Castle Anorak. Watch the scene [[https://youtu.be/oNNSaO2ADe8?t=242 here]].

* WeaponOfMassDestruction: The Cataclyst, although subverted.

* BrokenAesop:
** One of the morals of the film is that you shouldn't play games to win, you should just play them for fun. However, if you lose in the OASIS, you "zero out" and lose all the money and items you've obtained. It gets worse since the OASIS currency is just as valuable as real-world money, meaning you can potentially lose all of your savings and go broke, as seen when Aunt Alice's boyfriend zeroes out and loses all of her savings. Additionally, Halliday left his fortune and control of the OASIS to whoever wins his [[AbsurdlyHighStakesGame extremely dangerous contest]], which also conflicts with his "play for fun" message.
** Moreover the film ends with Halliday advising Wade to avoid his mistakes and find fulfillment in real life instead of video games, which Wade does by turning off the OASIS a few days every week so people will experience reality instead. Fair enough. But Wade found everything Halliday didn't (mainly a circle of close friends and a girlfriend) ''exactly because'' of his devotion to the game. It's the whole basis of his GondorCallsForAid speech.

** Aech's [[GirlsAreReallyScaredOfHorrorMovies hate for scary movies]] like ''Film/TheShining''.

* GirlsAreReallyScaredOfHorrorMovies: [[spoiler: Aech]], even before her gender is revealed, admits that she really hates scary movies.

** Parzival's [=DeLorean=] from ''Film/BackToTheFuture'' also has a pulsing scanner on the front like KITT from ''Series/KnightRider'', probably the two most iconic sci-fi cars.

[[caption-width-right:349:Are you ready?[[note]]Clockwise from center: Wade Watts, Samantha Cook, James Halliday, Ogden Morrow, [=Art3mis=], Parzival, Aech, Daito, Sho, I-R0k, Zhou, Toshiro, Helen Harris, and Nolan Sorrento.[[/note]]]]

The film also stars Creator/OliviaCooke as Samantha Cook/[=Art3mis=], Creator/BenMendelsohn as Nolan Sorrento, Creator/LenaWaithe as Helen Harris/Aech, Philip Zhao as Zhou/Sho, Creator/WinMorisaki as Toshiro/Daito, Creator/TJMiller as I-R0k, Creator/HannahJohnKamen as F'Nale Zandor and Creator/SimonPegg as Ogden "Og" Morrow/the Curator. Also, like the book it's based on, ''Ready Player One'' is ReferenceOverdosed, featuring important plot elements from other aspects of pop culture, such as WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant himself.

[[caption-width-right:349:Are you ready?[[note]]Clockwise from top left: Nolan Sorrento, Wade Watts, Samantha Cook, James Halliday, Ogden Morrow, [=Art3mis=], Parzival, Aech, Daito, Sho, I-R0k, Zhou, Toshiro, and Helen Harris.[[/note]]]]