Ready Player One (a reference to the movies, series & games)
by sandervanderheide | created - 17 Feb 2018 | updated - 17 Feb 2018 | PublicA reference list to the movies, series & games mentioned in the book by Ernest Cline.
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1. Ghostbusters (1984)
PG | 105 min | Action, Comedy, Fantasy
Three parapsychologists forced out of their university funding set up shop as a unique ghost removal service in New York City, attracting frightened yet skeptical customers.
Director: Ivan Reitman | Stars: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis
Votes: 425,971 | Gross: $238.63M
2. Space Invaders (1978 Video Game)
K-A | Action, Sci-Fi
The object of the game is to shoot the alien invaders and keep them off the ground.
Votes: 883
3. The Muppet Show (1976–1981)
TV-G | 30 min | Comedy, Family, Music
Kermit the Frog and his fellow Muppets put on a vaudeville show at their theatre, bringing in a famous celebrity to help out for each episode.
Stars: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz
Votes: 25,359
4. Adventure (1979 Video Game)
Adventure
An evil magician steals an enchanted chalice from the yellow castle. And you have to retrieve it.
Votes: 89
5. Heathers (1988)
R | 103 min | Comedy, Crime
At Westerburg High where cliques rule, jocks dominate and all the popular girls are named Heather, it's going to take a Veronica and mysterious new kid to give teen angst a body count.
Director: Michael Lehmann | Stars: Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty, Lisanne Falk
Votes: 109,205 | Gross: $1.11M
7. Defender (1981 Video Game)
Unrated | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Defend the human population from swarms of attacking aliens.
Votes: 182
9. Robotron: 2084 (1982 Video Game)
Unrated | Action, Sci-Fi
It is the year 2084, the world we all once knew is now overrun by robots. The majority of mankind was eliminated by the robots during a cybernetic revolt. As the player, you must rescue the... See full summary »
Votes: 95
10. Family Ties (1982–1989)
TV-G | 30 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Chronicles liberal ex-hippies Steven and Elyse Keaton, their conservative son Alex, daughters Mallory and Jennifer, and later, youngest child Andrew.
Stars: Michael J. Fox, Michael Gross, Meredith Baxter, Justine Bateman
Votes: 19,201
11. Sesame Street (1969– )
TV-Y | 55 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
On a special inner city street, the inhabitants, human and muppet, teach preschool subjects with comedy, cartoons, games, and songs.
Stars: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Caroll Spinney, Jerry Nelson
Votes: 14,585
12. Cosmos (1980)
TV-PG | 780 min | Documentary
Astronomer Carl Sagan leads us on an engaging guided tour of the various elements and cosmological theories of the universe.
Stars: Carl Sagan, JaromÃr HanzlÃk, Jonathan Fahn, Jean Charney
Votes: 42,192
13. Donkey Kong (1981 Video Game)
E | Action
Jumpman must save Pauline from the giant ape Donkey Kong.
Director: Shigeru Miyamoto
Votes: 2,049
14. BurgerTime (1982 Video Game)
Action, Family
Classic arcade game where the player as Chef Peter Pepper must run around platforms placing hamburger ingredients together as fast as possible while avoiding enemy ingredients like Mr. Hot Dog, Mr. Pickle and Mr. Egg.
Votes: 130
15. Pitfall! (1982 Video Game)
Adventure
Pitfall Harry must collect treasures while dodging obstacles in a South American jungle.
Votes: 318
16. Star Trek: The Original Series (1966–1969)
TV-PG | 50 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.
Stars: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols
Votes: 87,709
17. The Last Starfighter (1984)
PG | 101 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
High schooler Alex Rogan conquers the Starfighter video game, only to find out it was just a test, and is transported to another planet. He has been recruited to join a team of the best starfighters to defend their world from the attack.
Director: Nick Castle | Stars: Lance Guest, Robert Preston, Kay E. Kuter, Dan Mason
Votes: 44,111 | Gross: $28.73M
18. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
PG | 121 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader.
Director: George Lucas | Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness
Votes: 1,394,418 | Gross: $322.74M
One Movie from 'The Holy Trilogies' according to the book
19. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
PG | 91 min | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table embark on a surreal, low-budget search for the Holy Grail, encountering many, very silly obstacles.
Directors: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones | Stars: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam
Votes: 552,095 | Gross: $1.23M
20. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
R | 137 min | Action, Sci-Fi
A cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her 10-year old son John from an even more advanced and powerful cyborg.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick
Votes: 1,123,758 | Gross: $204.84M
21. Sixteen Candles (1984)
PG | 93 min | Comedy, Romance
A girl's "sweet" sixteenth birthday is anything but special: her family forgets about it, and she suffers from every embarrassment possible.
Director: John Hughes | Stars: Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Justin Henry, Michael Schoeffling
Votes: 120,756 | Gross: $23.69M
Part of the Dorky Girl Fantasies Trilogy
22. Pretty in Pink (1986)
PG-13 | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A poor girl must choose between the affections of dating her childhood sweetheart or a rich but sensitive playboy.
Director: Howard Deutch | Stars: Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer, Harry Dean Stanton, Annie Potts
Votes: 85,007 | Gross: $40.47M
Part of the Dorky Girl Fantasies Trilogy
23. Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)
PG-13 | 95 min | Drama, Romance
When Keith goes out with Amanda, the girl of his dreams, Amanda's ex-boyfriend plans to get back at Keith. Meanwhile, Keith's best friend, tomboy Watts, realizes she has feelings for Keith.
Director: Howard Deutch | Stars: Eric Stoltz, Mary Stuart Masterson, Lea Thompson, Craig Sheffer
Votes: 32,990 | Gross: $18.55M
Part of the Dorky Girl Fantasies Trilogy
24. The Breakfast Club (1985)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Drama
Five high school students meet in Saturday detention and discover how they have a great deal more in common than they thought.
Director: John Hughes | Stars: Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy
Votes: 414,334 | Gross: $45.88M
Part of the Dorky Boy Fantasies Trilogy
25. Weird Science (1985)
PG-13 | 94 min | Comedy, Romance, Sci-Fi
Two high-school nerds use a computer program to literally create the perfect woman, who promptly turns their lives upside-down.
Director: John Hughes | Stars: Anthony Michael Hall, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, Kelly LeBrock, Bill Paxton
Votes: 93,117 | Gross: $23.83M
Part of the Dorky Boy Fantasies Trilogy
26. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
PG-13 | 103 min | Comedy
A high school wise guy is determined to have a day off from school, despite what the Principal thinks of that.
Director: John Hughes | Stars: Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jeffrey Jones
Votes: 369,819 | Gross: $70.14M
Part of the Dorky Boy Fantasies Trilogy
27. Contra (1987 Video Game)
E10+ | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A terrorist organization named Red Falcon declares war on humanity and tries to take over the Earth. Two soldiers, Bill Rizer and Lance Bean, are sent to stop the Earth's destruction.
Director: Koji Hiroshita
Votes: 1,574
28. Golden Axe (1989 Video Game)
Unrated | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Three heroes try to overthrow the evil rule of Death-Adder, who kidnapped and imprisoned the King and his daughter and stole the legendary Golden Axe.
Votes: 1,084
29. Heavy Barrel (1987 Video Game)
Not Rated | Action, Adventure
A top-down, vertically scrolling shoot-em-up.
Votes: 28
31. Ikari Warriors (1986 Video Game)
Not Rated | 80 min | Action, Adventure
Play as Ralf Jones and Clark Steel and battle through hordes of enemies to reach the jungle village of Ikari.
Director: Dustin Hawkins
Votes: 110
32. TRON: Deadly Disks (1982 Video Game)
Action
Destroy your enemies with flying disks. The object is just to survive battle after battle.
Votes: 31
33. Ladyhawke (1985)
PG-13 | 121 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
The thief Gaston escapes the dungeon of medieval Aquila through the latrine. Soldiers are about to kill him when Navarre saves him. Navarre, traveling with his spirited hawk, plans to kill the bishop of Aquila with help from Gaston.
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Leo McKern
Votes: 49,039 | Gross: $18.43M
34. Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985 TV Movie)
TV-G | 94 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Marauders raid the Ewok village and steal a power supply they believe to be magical. Wicket helps Cindel escape the evil witch Charal, and they befriend a hermit who may help them save the village.
Directors: Jim Wheat, Ken Wheat | Stars: Wilford Brimley, Warwick Davis, Aubree Miller, Siân Phillips
Votes: 10,340
35. The Ewok Adventure (1984 TV Movie)
TV-G | 96 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Wicket the Ewok and his friends agree to help two shipwrecked human children, Mace and Cindel, on a quest to find their parents.
Director: John Korty | Stars: Eric Walker, Warwick Davis, Fionnula Flanagan, Guy Boyd
Votes: 12,063
36. Airplane! (1980)
PG | 88 min | Comedy
After the crew becomes sick with food poisoning, a neurotic ex-fighter pilot must land a commercial airplane full of passengers safely.
Directors: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker | Stars: Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Leslie Nielsen, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Votes: 248,791 | Gross: $83.40M
37. Howard the Duck (1986)
PG | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A sarcastic humanoid duck is pulled from his homeworld to Earth where he must stop an alien invasion with the help of a nerdy scientist and a struggling female rock singer.
Director: Willard Huyck | Stars: Lea Thompson, Jeffrey Jones, Tim Robbins, Ed Gale
Votes: 49,007 | Gross: $16.30M
38. Krull (1983)
PG | 121 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A prince and a fellowship of companions set out to rescue his bride from a fortress of alien invaders who have arrived on their home planet.
Director: Peter Yates | Stars: Ken Marshall, Lysette Anthony, Freddie Jones, Francesca Annis
Votes: 34,861 | Gross: $16.52M
39. Highlander II: The Quickening (1991)
R | 91 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
In the future, Highlander Connor MacLeod must prevent the destruction of Earth under an anti-ozone shield.
Director: Russell Mulcahy | Stars: Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Virginia Madsen, Michael Ironside
Votes: 46,971 | Gross: $15.56M
40. Blade Runner (1982)
R | 117 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
A blade runner must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their creator.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos
Votes: 788,402 | Gross: $32.87M
41. WarGames (1983)
PG | 114 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
A young man finds a back door into a military central computer in which reality is confused with game-playing, possibly starting World War III.
Director: John Badham | Stars: Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy, John Wood, Dabney Coleman
Votes: 104,482 | Gross: $79.57M
42. The Goonies (1985)
PG | 114 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
A group of young misfits called The Goonies discover an ancient map and set out on an adventure to find a legendary pirate's long-lost treasure.
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen, Corey Feldman
Votes: 285,115 | Gross: $61.50M
43. Superman (1978)
PG | 143 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
An alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where he grows up to become his adoptive home's first and greatest superhero.
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman, Marlon Brando
Votes: 180,733 | Gross: $134.22M
44. Legend (1985)
PG | 94 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Romance
A young man must stop the Lord of Darkness from destroying daylight and marrying the woman he loves.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Tom Cruise, Mia Sara, Tim Curry, David Bennent
Votes: 69,032 | Gross: $15.50M
45. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
PG | 131 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy