For a long time, movies have had their share of blink-and-miss moments that deserve to be paused for closer viewing. Surprise cameos, hidden meanings, Easter eggs, pop culture references, there's a lot to explore with specific moments in films after pausing them. For instance, did you know there's a family of ET-like alien family in Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace or that a skull gets superimposed on Norman Bates's face for a second in Psycho?
In order to save you from precise pausing, here we count down 10 such most paused movie moments of the decade.
Man of Steel- Henry Cavill turns into Christopher Reeve
In Zack Snyder's Superman reboot Man of Steel, there is a scene where Superman (portrayed by British heartthrob Henry Cavill) is passing through a gravity beam, launching up to a Kryptonian machine. As the beam grows more intense, we see Cavil's face contorting. This continues to a point where his face almost looks like the late Christopher Reeve, the first actor to play Superman in a film franchise.
Zack Snyder has denied any claims of superimposing Reeve's face on Cavill. However, fans who have paused this scene have somehow seen a glimpse of Reeves for a split second.
Toy Story 3- RM 237
The makers of Toy Story are self-professed fans of the Stanley Kubrick horror classic The Shining (even if its author Stephen King continues to hate it passionately). This profound interest in the world of The Shining can be seen in Sid's floor in the first Toy Story film; the honeycomb-like pattern clearly resembles the flooring of the Overlook Hotel in the horror film.
Similarly, if you pause the scene where Lotso, the villainous purple Teddy bear is thrown into a garbage truck, pay attention to the number plate. It reads "RM237". Now that's a clear nod to the ominous Room 237, a room in the Overlook Hotel that no one is advised to enter. Now the question arises. Is Toy Story a part of The Shining universe, or vice versa?
Moana- Maui evolves into the reindeer from Frozen
Coming back to animated films, Moana features a Samoan demigod called Maui (voiced by another Samoan demigod whom we know as Dwayne Johnson). Apart from singing catchy hooks in songs, Maui also owns a magical hook.
This hook allows him to take the shape of any animal. The various animals he changes to keep flitting and changing in the scene when the 'Shiny' song plays. But if one pauses it at the right moment, one can see that one of these animal forms is that of Sven, the reindeer. Sven appears as a companion of Kristoff in the Frozen films. This adds to the fact of how Disney and Pixar love creating shared universes in their films; a whole other list can be made on this.
The Mummy- The Book of the Dead from the Original
The epitome of self-confidence is the 2019 reboot of The Mummy, starring Tom Cruise. The movie very promisingly set up a "Dark Universe" for Universal Studios, which would feature classic creatures from vintage novels and B-movies like Frankenstein's monster, werewolves, and Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde. Russel Crowe plays Dr. Jekyll in The Mummy and for those who have a vague idea of the character before through literature, would know that he has a Hulk-like persona, transforming into the ghastly Mr. Hyde.
Hyde grasps Cruise's character Nick tightly in one scene. Cruise is eventually let go off as Jennifer (played by Anabelle Wallis) strikes Hyde's head with a book. On closer observation, you'll see that this archaic book with its Egyptian iconography and the insignia of a beetle, is the same Book Of The Dead (the Book of Amun Ra) which played a significant role in the 1999 original.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters- The Real Stars of the Film
Godzilla: King of the Monsters drew a mixed response but it did catch the eye of many viewers for featuring intense fight scenes between Godzilla and a slew of other classic Toho monsters like King Ghidorah, Mothra, and Rodan.
While obviously it's the VFX team that needs to be praised to bring these monsters to life, the film gives credit to these monsters too! As the acting credits roll in the end, you can pause and see all these monsters being credited too for playing themselves!
6 Underground- Ryan Reynolds's Insta Post in the background
While shooting for 6 Underground, an over-the-top Netflix film by Michael Bay, actor Ryan Reynolds posted a hilarious video on his Instagram. He says in a calm tone that what likes about Michael Bay's films is that they are very "quiet". And right then in a twist of irony, a car flips over and explodes in the background!
The crazy thing about this is that this post somehow made its way in the actual movie (although in the background). Pause the prolonged, large scale car chase in the opening, and you'll find Reynolds leaning against the wall in the background. That's the real-time footage of his Insta post!
Avengers: Endgame- Howard The Duck's Surprise Cameo
In the final showdown of Avengers: Endgame when all our Marvel heroes gang up on Thanos, Doctor Strange and Wong open multiple portals to introduce all these costumed fighters in style. And, then Captain America says the iconic words, "Avengers, Assemble"!
On first viewing, it's natural for the audience to not pay much attention to the details and just get goosebumps feeling the intensity of the scene. But on a second and paused viewing, you can see a moment when even Howard The Duck can be spotted, with a blaster in hand and a determined look on his face. The hot-headed, anthropomorphic duck from Marvel comics also appears briefly in the Guardians Of The Galaxy movies.
Furious 7: Han Solo, Han Seoul-Oh
Han has been one of the most beloved characters of the Fast and Furious franchise. A calm, snack-munching drift expert, he's introduced in Tokyo Drift and eventually joins Dominic Torretto's crew. His death came as a shocker in Fast and Furious 6 but then as the latest installment's trailer shows us, Han is alive!
In a fun blink-and-miss moment from Furious 7, we see Han's file with his full name shown as Han Seoul-Oh. This very much sounds like Han Solo, the classic Star Wars character played by Harrison Ford. This seems fitting as both the Hans are charming criminals in the end. However, director Justin Lin clarified that this is a fake name used by Han.
Suicide Squad- Robin Death Confirmed
The DCEU loves throwing references, its movies filled with tons of pause-worthy moments. In Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice you can see Robin's costume in the Batcave, defaced with graffiti reading "Ha Ha Ha. The joke's on you, Batman". This is a possible allusion to the time when ex-Robin Jason Todd was tortured by Joker and Harley Quinn in the comics. Director Zack Snyder, however, said that he wanted this costume as a reference to Dick Grayson.
Suicide Squad confirms that this Robin was indeed killed by Joker and Harley. Each main character of the Suicide Squad is introduced with a rap sheet, detailing their strengths, weaknesses, and crimes. When Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn is introduced, a close observation would show you the subtitle "accomplice to the murder of Robin".
Deadpool 2- Is that Brad Pitt??
It is clear that a large chunk of the finest paused movie moments in recent times comes from comic book films. In Deadpool 2, our favorite trash-talking mercenary hires a team of various superhumans calling them "X Force" (rather than a sexist name like X-Men!). One of these members is the Vanisher who is basically an invisible man.
In a dark yet hilarious scene, Vanisher and the others jump off an airplane with parachutes but most of them die before reaching the surface. Vanisher's parachute gets entangled in some wires as he gets electrocuted. It is then when we see Vanisher's actual form for a second. It is revealed that this invisible being was none another than Brad Pitt!