The cinema ofSteven Spielbergis vast. Not only from a commercial point of view, but his whole career is diverse enough to render the style of a theme park (a comparison completely unrelated to Martin Scorsese’s comments about the MCU and DCEU), an encyclopedia, and yes, history. He’s built an identity, made up a cinematic language with his mashup of talented crew members, and changed the Hollywood landscape for all eternity. From a commercial point of view, every director wishes they wereas successful as Spielbergwas when he released his most important movies.
This success has also provided him with creative freedom. He can safely borrow and discard pop culture references because he’s behind many of them. Proof of this was the adaptation ofReady Player One, in which the producing studio surely had to pay for the use of some IP, but those who accepted proposals trusted the product enough to do so with their eyes closed.
What are Easter Eggs?
Easter eggs are details, often very secret and hard to find, that are put in movies whereanother film or character is referenced. They can be lines of dialogue, objects in the background, you name it. It takes a very skillful viewer to find them, and they’re not in every film. So don’t go thinking they have to be part of movies, because not all directors can associate themselves with other movies as cleverly as Spielberg can.
When it comes to these winks, nods, and references, Spielberg is undoubtedly one of the best at the craft. They are the basis for the treasure hunt we went on to find the most clever Easter eggs in his films.
The following list may contain major spoilers.
20The Shining Scene - Ready Player One (2018)
Ready Player One
Based on the book of the same name by Ernest Cline,Ready Player Onetells the story of a futuristic society in which everyone’s hooked online to play their favorite game all the time. The OASIS is a virtual reality simulator created by James Halliday, and Wade Watts is an expert at the game. Also known as Parzival, his avatar’s name, Watts is on a search to find the golden Easter egg that Halliday left hidden in the game before his death, and he will have to find it before the evil corporation controlling the world does. To put you in context of the movie, we’ll let you know that Halliday was an ’80s fan, and he made sure to include in his game just about every pop culture reference of the decade. This makes thevery entertaining filma collection of nods that you won’t have any trouble finding.
Spielberg Convinced Us We Were Back in the Overlook
The Easter egg in question, and one of thousands in the film, comes when Parzival and company continue their search for the keys. They must enter a recreation of the Overlook Hotel, made famous by Stanley Kubrick’sThe Shining. You will rub your eyes at the marvel of such a recreation.
Ready Player One is not exactly a subtle film for Easter eggs, but the whole sequence inside the Overlook makes for a great nod. It wasn’t part of Cline’s book (in the book, the challenge referencesWarGames), so Spielberg decided to add a homage to one of his friends in the form of the film’s best sequence. It’s all here: the elevators with blood, the creepy twins, and even the old lady in the bathtub. In casea sequel ever gets made, this will possibly be topped. But how?you’re able to streamReady Player Oneon Netflix.
Watch the trailer forReady Player Onehere.
19Captain Hook’s Hat - Hook (1991)
Hookis Spielberg’s continuation of the original Peter Pan story,Peter and Wendy,by J.M. Barrie. In the film, Pan has turned into a modern-day lawyer called Peter Banning and has forgotten his time at Neverland. He forgot his entire childhood. However, his children, whom he had with Wendy’s granddaughter, get taken by his nemesis, Captain Hook, and Peter is forced to return to Neverland in order to save them.
The Omen No One Saw
In the film, Captain Hook’s crocodile stands as a tribute to his past when he defeated the animal who simply wanted to eat him. However, his demise comes at the hands of the falling crocodile statue after Hook gets a bit greedy. This horrible form of death could be predicted by Hook’s hat, which, at the edge, has some ornaments that eerily resemble the teeth of a crocodile.
Hookis one of themost important children’s movies of the ‘90sand definitely an underrated Spielberg movie, so why not check it out and see this Easter egg for yourself?you’re able to streamHookon Hulu.
Watch the trailer forHookhere.
18Dennis Nedry Watches Something Quite Familiar - Jurassic Park (1993)
Jurassic Park
InJurassic Park, millionaire entrepreneur John Hammond has found a way to clone dinosaurs and bring them back to life. Contrary to what everyone thinks, he believes in the idea of a theme park in which the huge and dangerous creatures can be displayed for the whole world to see. When he brings some scientists and his grandchildren for a test drive, things don’t go well. A thunderstorm and one employee’s greed will prove that Hammond should have given this more thought.
A Nice Wink at Himself
One of the Easter eggs in Jurassic Park comes in the hands of Dennis Nedry, the IT whiz who causes the park’s systems to fail because he steals some dino DNA and wants to escape. Before going on the run, Nedry is seen in front of his many monitors, nervous and trying to get past the boredom of waiting. If you take a good look at one of the monitors on the left side of the screen, you will see that Nedry is actually streaming a movie! And that is none other than Spielberg’sJaws. Netflix or the internet weren’t exactly a thing back in 1993, so chances are Nedry was just digitally bootlegging stuff.
30 years after its release,Jurassic Parkremains as importantas it was back then.
Watch the trailer forJurassic Parkhere.
17R2-D2 is on the Mothership - Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Close Encounters of The Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kindis the story of humankind’s encounters with extraterrestrials, told from the perspective of several witnesses. The main one is Roy Neary, a father and husband who sees his entire life crumble down after the first encounter and doesn’t stop until finding some answers in the third act when aliens finally arrive and reveal their true purpose. With him is Jillian, the mother of Barry, who got abducted earlier in the film and just wants to get her boy back.
One of the Many Signs of George Lucas and Spielberg’s Friendship
One of the best movies ever madeabout UFOs,Close Encounters of the Third Kind,of course, features state-of-the-art special effects, and it was the first movie to show a large-scale ship with countless details. When the mothership emerges from behind the mountain, right as Jillian looks up, you can find one of the film’s Easter eggs. None other thanStar Wars’ cute android R2-D2 can be seen upside down, stuck on the edge of the ship. It was a nice nod to George Lucas, Spielberg’s longtime friend. But this also makes you think: Can there actually be a connection?You can streamClose Encounters of the Third Kindon Mubi.
Watch the trailer forClose Encounters of the Third Kindhere.
Related:Every Steven Spielberg Movie From the ‘80s, Ranked
16C3P0 and R2-D2 in the Sarcophagus - Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
InRaiders of the Lost Ark, archeology professor and adventurer Indiana Jones is commissioned with a very dangerous task. He must find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis do, and indulge in experiments with the occult. This brings Indiana, Marion, and Sallah to Egypt, where they will get to the Ark first by using their wit, Indy’s talent, and sheer luck. However, it won’t be easy, as Belloq, the specialist working for the Nazis, won’t give up so easily.
Once Again, a Wink to Lucas
Raiders of the Lost Arkis amind-blowing action-adventure filmthat stands among the best in Spielberg’s entire catalog. It’s not without its Easter eggs, a pattern that would be repeated all throughout the entire franchise. George Lucas, the man behindStar Wars, came up with the concept and pitched it to Spielberg, who was kind of disappointed because he wasn’t able to make a James Bond film.
So, Spielberg made sure to include something from his friend in the film. Right as Indy is about to move the large stone that sits on top of the ark, you can see the droids R2-D2 and C3P0 in the hieroglyphs in one of the columns. The image is there for a microsecond, so get those thumbs ready for pausing.You can streamRaiders of the Lost Arkon Disney+.
Watch the trailer forRaiders of the Lost Arkhere.
15Nedry’s Outfits - Jurassic Park (1993)
We come back toJurassic Park. Halfway through the film, we already know what kind of shady character Dennis Nedry is. He comes up with a scheme for stealing the DNA using a shaving foam can, and chances are he will be able to disable the security system to escape on time. However, as you all probably know, Nedry doesn’t exactly plan everything ahead, and he falls prey to the Dilophosaurus.
Nedry, the Pop Culture Nerd
We caught him seeingJaws, but as it turns out, it seems Nedry is more likeable than we thought, in terms of his tastes. Throughout his scenes, we see him changing his attire, which is curiously similar to the clothes worn by Mikey, Chunk and Mouth, three of the Goonies who face the wrath of the Fratellis while they search for the treasure of One-Eyed Willie. If you don’t know what film we’re referring to, it’s actuallyThe Goonies, theSpielberg productionwith all the Amblin touches you want and the adventure film you might want to check out soon.
Watch a clip ofJurassic Parkhere.
14Captain Hamill’s Line - Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Saving Private Ryan
Spielberg’sSaving Private Ryantakes us to World War II. In the film, Captain John H. Miller is tasked with putting together a team to carry out a mission after they go through the ordeal of the Normandy invasion at Omaha Beach. Miller and company must go through the French countryside, infested by Nazis, to retrieve James Francis Ryan, a soldier whose three brothers have been killed in combat. Military leaders want to save him so that his mother gets at least one son back.
Star Wars in World War II?
The film is part of Spielberg’s more sober catalog of films, but it’s a veryimportant piece in the war genre. But he was clever enough to include an Easter egg thatStar Warsfans should pick up easily. During their trail, the group come upon a company led by Captain Fred Hamill. If you’re familiar with Luke Skywalker, then you should know Mark Hamill portrays him in the movies. Not only that, but Private Richard Reiben also has a line in the film that resembles something spoken by Han Solo: “I don’t have a good feeling about this one.“You can streamSaving Private Ryanon Paramount+
Watch the trailer forSaving Private Ryanhere.
13A Captain’s Announcement - Hook (1991)
Hook, the sequel to Peter Pan, puts audiences in the middle of a family drama. Peter Banning, who used to be Peter Pan during the childhood he doesn’t remember, has grown distant from his children, especially his son, Jack. He misses the little league games and doesn’t really represent the father figure he’s expected to be. It’s what later makes him confront his own son when he gets kidnapped and bonds with the evil Captain Hook.
The Inevitable About to Happen
In a sequence after Banning fails to attend Jack’s game, he’s featured on a plane flight with his family. The turbulence is terrible, and everyone’s trying to eat. As his wife scolds him, Peter looks desperate. Perhaps what viewers fail to notice is that the pilot is making an announcement, trying to calm everybody. The voice of that pilot is none other than Dustin Hoffman’s, the actor who plays Captain Hook.
Many would think it’s a coincidence and nothing more, but isn’t it interesting to think that perhaps Peter has already fallen under Hook’s grip? It’s a great sequencefeaturing Robin Williams as Banning, trying to reconnect with his son while being scared out of his wits because of the turbulence.
Watch a clip ofHookhere.
12The Kids Go for a Ride - The Fabelmans (2022)
The Fabelmans
Spielberg’s highly-acclaimed biographical film,The Fabelmans, tells the story of Sammy Fabelman, a boy living with his Jewish parents and his sisters. Early in his life, Sammy becomes fascinated with moving pictures, and ever since he got his hands on a camera, he hasn’t stopped rolling. Inspired by the greatest filmmakers of his era, Sammy realizes he has a knack for making movies, but it all crumbles down when he realizes his family is not exactly ideal. Love isn’t exactly unconditional, and Sammy feels it in his bones.
A Wink in a Film that Could, But Does Not Have a Lot of Them
The film’s modeled after Tony Kushner and Spielberg’s screenplay, which follows Sammy’s inspiration being almost stained by the conflicts inside his family. But the film’s tonally friendly, never taking a dark turn and showing a tragic side to the situation. We don’t know exactlywhat is true and what is not, but what we do know is that Spielberg acknowledges the audience’s need for connection.
It is why that sequence with boy scouts riding bikes feels so emotional: A very important decision is made while Sammy rides with his friends, and who’s to say this isn’t a connection toE.T. The Extra-Terrestrial?you may streamThe Fabelmanson Showtime.
Watch a trailer forThe Fabelmanshere.
11The Seat Belt - Jurassic Park (1993)
One of the important aspects of the originalJurassic Parkfilm is that it addresses the ethically divisive aspects of technology and cloning. Early on, Dr. Ian Malcolm mentions the chaos theory and the lack of control in the presence of too many variants. Also, a very important question is asked at some point: how will they control the reproduction of these ancient creatures if they’re loose in some parts of the island? The scientists simply reply that it’s impossible because all cloned creatures are female.
Life Finds a Way
Spielberg also replies in a very interesting manner, and he does so without being too technical about a film that already raises some questions because ofits dino-cloning science. When the helicopter carrying the team of specialists arrives at Isla Nublar, there’s some turbulence going on. Hammond indicates that everything will be fine, and the rest look kind of nervous and start fastening their seat belts.
However, Dr. Alan Grant has no way to fasten his because there are two buckle ends and no tongue. Everyone tries to help him, and just as the helicopter is about to land, he decides to make a simple knot, solving his matter of safety and exclaiming very subtly that “life will find a way” in this place.you’re able to streamJurassic Parkon Netflix.
