Let's face it, 2018 has been a great year for cinema so far, with Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One being one of its biggest surprises. Though many fans were on the fence regarding Spielberg's latest sci-fi flick, many came around after seeing the finished product, an ultimately fun and heartwarming Easter Egg-filled adventure.
One can argue that The Shining sequence, based on the Stanley Kubrick-helmed classic, is one of the highlights, if not the best scene in the film. The segment puts Parzival and the Gang right into the 1980 horror film, while also serving as an homage to Kubrick’s work. Through the screen, one can feel the passion and care Spielberg took in getting the setpiece just right. And with the homage being kept under wraps before the film’s release, audiences were in for a treat.
Here’s the heartwarming reason why Spielberg specifically chose to use The Shining for the sequence:
It was nostalgic for me because I first met Stanley Kubrick on the set that I depict in Ready Player One. The main living area with the grand fireplace in the Overlook is where I first encountered Stanley in 1979 when I went to look at the sound stages.
Following this they had dinner, eventually becoming good friends in the industry. At the time, Kubrick was already established as a generational artistic influence, while Spielberg was only in pre-production for Raiders of the Lost Ark.
The pair would later collaborate on A.I. Artificial Intelligence.