That Jurassic World Rebirth is the seventh film in a franchise started by Steven Spielberg should make at least one thing obvious. The film’s existence alone is a tribute to the iconic director. And while previous iterations have honored the filmmaker’s work in other ways, Rebirth takes things to a whole other level.

“In reading the script, there are scenes [and] descriptions where they’re in a boat chasing a giant creature through the water. They’re leaning forward at the front with a rifle. There’s a giant fin. And you’re like, ‘This reminds me of another movie.’ I don’t know if you guys have ever seen this thing called Jaws.” That’s director Gareth Edwards talking to io9 about the film’s homages to the director of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T., Hook, and so many more. It was clear to Edwards early on that David Koepp had written a script with multiple direct references to Spielberg’s work, so he took things a bit further.

“I started to play this game of, like, ‘Well, I guess then it’s like open season a little bit,’” Edwards said. “Why not have a bit of Raiders in there? And so to me, it felt semi-sacrilegious, but I justified it by going, ‘This is my big love letter to Steven Spielberg.’ And so whenever there was a little vacuum or a little idea that was added, I always felt like, ‘What’s the Spielbergian way?’ And I would never, ever, ever compare myself. He’s the master. But how I got through this was because it was such an intimidating thing knowing you’re in the shadow of those masterpieces, my way through it was to just consider this a love letter full of Easter eggs for other fans of his films.”

And so there are the nods to the original Jurassic Park, Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, etc. Films Edwards grew up watching and loving. But it wasn’t only watching Spielberg movies that helped the director make Rebirth into a self-fulfilled prophecy.

“There’s a strange thing; it happened on Star Wars, and it happened on this movie as well, which is when you’re a little kid, and you grew up playing with dinosaurs and spaceships, and then you learn that the world is not really built that way, and it’s all a lie called cinema,” Edwards said. “You end up quite disappointed, driving to work, doing tax returns, a bit frustrated that they lied to you. And then one day you’re really lucky, and you end up in the middle of a jungle with dinosaurs, and you’re like, ‘Finally, what they promised in the first place.’ And so [making this movie] felt very comforting. It felt like becoming a child again, like having a comfort blanket. So it sort of compensates for any anxiety you might have about doing a giant movie [because] it is suddenly this world that you just feel familiar with as a kid.”

From playing in the backyard to watching Spielberg movies, Jurassic World Rebirth is a movie Edwards had been prepping for his whole life. It’s now in theaters.

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