Story and characters play the largest part of how much a viewer enjoys a movie, but Easter
Eggs only add to the fun. Giving viewers something else to watch out for while watching a movie,
the best nods or trivia can even warrant mediocre films a second viewing to catch them all.
Here are Screen Rant�s 10 Great Easter Eggs in Movies.
On Her Majesty�s Secret Service
The Bond franchise isn�t known for its continuity, passing from one star actor to the next, but
On Her Majesty�s Secret Service is one of the few exceptions. In George Lazenby�s
first and only appearance as 007, Bond rescues a femme fatale from evil henchmen in the movie�s
opening sequence. When the woman then flees instead of staying with Bond, Lazenby quips
that �This never happened to the other fellow,� making reference to Sean Connery, star of
the first five films that Lazenby replaced.
The Departed
Based on its title, you�d expect plenty of bloodshed in Martin Scorsese�s Boston
crime drama. But eagle eyed viewers could actually predict who was going to make it
out alive. Throughout the film, the letter �X� is used to foreshadow an upcoming
death. The characters played by Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson are all hit
with �the X� by the end of the film, but Mark Wahlberg�s character never is � leaving
him alive to bring the film�s story to a close.
Pulp Fiction
In Quentin Tarantino�s tale of connected short stories, Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace
share a memorable chat about Mia�s acting career. Specifically, a TV pilot titled Fox
Force Five, starring a team of five badass ladies specializing in different fields. Fast
forward to Kill Bill, and Mia�s descriptions fit the film�s Deadly Viper Assassination
Squad surprisingly well. Since Kill Bill takes place in Tarantino�s shared universe, it
could be Mia Wallace � not actress Uma Thurman - playing The Bride. How�s that for a mind-bender?
Fight Club
In this famous twist ending, Ed Norton�s Narrator escapes his mundane existence by
creating an alternate personality named Tyler Durden, who�s everything he�s not. But
the film might also reveal how he came up with Durden�s look to begin with. The movie
includes a brief shot of a movie theater marquee advertising Seven Years in Tibet, which also
starred actor Brad Pitt. While nobody says it outright, the implication is that the Narrator
may have modeled Durden after the actor. Every modern movie fan wishes to live a life like
the movie star � he just made it happen.
The Social Network
Directors are often known to make references to their earlier films, and David Fincher
did just that with his tale of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. During the film, Mark �cheats�
on his art exam by building a fake Facebook profile to get students� opinions on various
pieces of art. What name does Mark use? None other than Tyler Durden. Apparently, Tyler�s
imaginary life is so luxurious that even soon-to-be billionaires wish to be him. Either that,
or Zuckerberg is a fan of Fincher�s thriller.
Predator 2
Shared movie universe are all the rage in Hollywood these days, but Fox beat Marvel
and DC to the punch with this cool reference to Alien in Predator 2. On the Predator�s
ship, a trophy room decorated with the skulls of the killer�s past game is shown. One
of the most prominent is that of a xenomorph � the title villains of the Alien franchise.
This nod confirmed that both franchises took place in the same cinematic world, teasing
fans with the possibility of a crossover film one day. This Easter egg may be more memorable
than some of the Alien/Predator crossovers to come, but it�s still a fun one to watch
out for.
Toy Story
Pixar is known for its at-times adult humor or references, but throughout the Toy Story
trilogy, there are numerous references made to one of cinema�s most terrifying films:
Stanley Kubrick�s The Shining. The carpet in infamous bully Sid�s house is identical
to that of the Overlook Hotel, and everything from license plates to online chat user names
in Toy Story 3 feature the number �237,� a nod to the horrifying contents of Room 237
in the same hotel. The toys have been put through some terrible situations, so these
Easter eggs are either fun nods to Kubrick or subtle foreshadowing for older moviegoers.
The Phantom Menace
One of the funniest moments in Steven Spielberg�s classic ET: The Extra-terrestrial is when
the loveable alien recognizes a young trick-or-treater in a Yoda costume as a sign from �home.�
Director George Lucas returned the favor in Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, placing creatures
that strongly resemble ET in one of the Republic�s Senate sequences. Only visible for a brief
moment, it�s a sign that ET really IS from the galaxy far, far away. We can only imagine
what went through his mind watching Elliot show off his Star Wars toy collection, having
seen the galactic conflict firsthand.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
The alien visitors of Close Encounters wish to make peaceful communication with human
beings, and that apparently extends to consuming our pop culture. As the two species communicate
via light and sound in the film�s finale, part of the musical medley the alien ship
plays is taken from the theme of Jaws, which was also a Steven Spielberg/John Williams
collaboration. The movie and score were so popular, it must have extended beyond the
stars, which might explain why the aliens were so interested in taking Roy Neary along
with them, given his resemblance to Jaws star Richard Dreyfus�
Fight Club
A running theme in Fight Club is its satire on consumerism and how mankind has become
overrun by corporations, constantly buying things that they don�t need. As a way of
hammering this home, David Fincher decided to include a Starbucks coffee cup in nearly
every scene of the finished film, a little in-joke he included for showcasing too much
of a good thing. It was commentary on how we as a society purchase the same things without
thinking twice and illustrated the monotony of everyday life. Starbucks was even aware
of this and read the script, meaning the coffee giant is able to poke some fun at themselves.
Sometimes.
Those are our favorite movie Easter eggs. Are there any we missed? Let us know in the
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