MovieChat Forums > Ready Player One (2018) Discussion > Why would the kids of 2045 be interested...

Why would the kids of 2045 be interested in the pop culture of the '80s?

posted 6 years ago by AngularTurnip (3334)
49 replies | jump to latest

When was the last time you met a millennial, or someone younger, interested in the pop culture of the '50s? It seems the kids of today would rather jump out of a plane without a parachute than binge-watch "Gunsmoke," biblical epics, and "The Danny Thomas Show." Does the book explain why the kids of 2045 inexplicably find the '80s endearing? Or, is the fact that the author likely grew up in the '80s the reason why the kids of tomorrow find it so fascinating .... even though in reality they would probably rather study cartography than immerse themselves in a sixty-year-old decade?

[–] Renovatio (2990) 6 years ago

The guy who made the video game was old and liked 80s pop culture... The gamers are lemmings and accept and adopt the culture of the video game uncritically, as they always have done and they alsp nerd out on it obsessively...

[–] gcarras (2737) 6 years ago

So..I'm even Older and love 60s pop culture..

[–] Wint3rFir3 (6931) 6 years ago

Absolutely agree with the OP - but is wasn't a problem in the film because it's explained.

I agree with other posters here that it's because of the Oasis creator, but it's much more to do with the fact that the 80s is popular right now (Stranger Things being a prime example of this). This more than anything else is why this book was adapted for screen - not because the author loved the 80s, and not even so much because the Oasis creator loved the 80s. Viewers are loving the 80s. And I can see that the 90s is becoming a lot more popular also - I feel like more people are into TV show Friends now than when the show aired originally. So I would say look out for movies where people in the 3000s are watching Friends and The Matrix - coz popularity.

However, it would have been nice if there had been some 'current' aka 2045 specific references via music, TV and even fashion. The main character at the beginning dresses like a kid of any era between 1990-2018, which doesn't make sense.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

Because it's aimed at people who can't let go of the 80s.

[–] atarofker (307) 6 years ago

They won't be. The author just couldn't be more wrong. I even couldn't finish the book because of that

[–] moviefanman (17) 6 years ago

[–] TiberiusRobert (229) 2 months ago
Because it's aimed at people who can't let go of the 80s.

One of the heroes of the film is the robot The Iron Giant. The Iron Giant was made in 1999, not in the 1980s. Not sure why Halliday or Wade or Aech would be into a movie from 1999. It was cool to see the character in the movie but it was contextually out of place.

[–] Strazdas (2328) 6 years ago

The Iron Giant is based on the 1968 novel The Iron Man by Ted Hughes (which was published in the United States as The Iron Giant)

[–] not_a_virus.exe (1267) 6 years ago

Why wouldn't they be? They 80's had the best cartoons, the best music, the best movies, the best everything. 80's pop culture has transcended all and will stand the test of time for decades to come.

[–] kathykato (97) 6 years ago

I work with kids aged 12-18 and none of the have any interest in or knowledge of movies or music prior to the 21st century. They have never watched any of the classics like Wizard of Oz, Heidi, Ben Hur, have never seen Fred Astaire dance with Ginger Rogers, never watched Back to the Future, have not listened to classic rock from the 70's. They have no interest in anything that pre-dates them and their present culture. It's kind of sad. When I was growing up I had a wide range of interest in movies and music from different time periods The internet and cell phones didn't exist back then so I had the time to learn about different things.

[–] not_a_virus.exe (1267) 6 years ago

That's depressing as fuck. I can't imagine what a childhood would be like not watching anything from the past. Even if they don't like them, I could only imagine that things like Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, Wizard of Oz, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and The Goonies would be mandatory childhood viewings. I mean no STAR WARS?! Man they've been completely robbed of everything.

[–] bond998 (1206) 6 years ago

Frankly consider how fucking awesome the 80's were. I wouldn't be surprised.

[–] Burk48917 (11117) 6 years ago

Because Stranger Things was huge. This movie had it's issues, and this is a big one.

[–] Mattc164 (609) 6 years ago

Very poor compassion for your argument. A lot of people love 50s culture and think fondly on the decade.