Ready Player One That Is That Is Not Funny
Ready Player One: Considerably better than I expected
There seem to be two camps as far as Ready Player One is concerned, those who have read the books (Who tend to dislike the movie) and those who haven't (Who tend to like the movie). I'm in the latter group and am very thankful for this.
When the trailer came out I was unimpressed and didn't get onboard with the hype at all, yes I was impressed with all the pop culture references and characters but I figured it would be all flash and no substance.
Thankfully I couldn't have been anymore wrong, Read Player One has plenty of substance, emotion and charm and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.
Set in a near dystopian world where people use a virtual reality world called the Oasis to escape their lives it tells the story of one player and his efforts participating in a competition that with decide the fate of the entire universe (Oasis).
The plot if fantastic and very well handled, the movie looks like a billion dollars, the cast did a decent enough job and the pop culture references though thick and fast didn't overwhelm the movie like I feared they would.
From Overwatchs Tracer, Streetfighters Chun-Li & Ryu, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Iron Giant, Chucky, Freddy Kreuger, Mortal Kombats Goro, Gundam, Mech-Godzilla, King Kong, and countless more I being a big ol'nerd really appreciated this. Combined with the incredible mostly 80's soundtrack it's a sight to behold.
The movie wrapped up nicely and went in directions I didn't expect, I'm suitably impressed and would love to see more.
If it's very different than the book I understand peoples anger, for me however this was fantastic.
The Good:
Looks amazing
Solid plot and delivery
Pop culture references are charming
The Bad:
Honestly nothing springs to mind
Things I Learnt From This Movie:
I'm still not impressed with Gundam
People CAN swear in Spielberg movies
Old Simon Pegg looks like a tall hobbit
Artemis is the offspring of an elf and a porcupine
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Vintage Spielberg
I've noticed quite a few reviews here from book fans complaining that the movie wasn't true to the novel. As a fan of the book, let me just say that's true but it's fine. The overarching story is the same. The fact of the matter is with a nearly 400 page novel packed full of pop culture references, some things would have to be cut to make it onto the big screen. Partially it's an issue of length. Partially it's just the reality that the planets were never going to fully align to allow use of many of the properties from the novel. Yes, I loved the 2112, WarGames, D&D, Joust, et al references from the novel as much as the next person, but still I felt that Spielberg captured the wonder and fun and the story of the novel accurately, even if he did so using different references. The are actually some things I even think were an improvement from the book, especially the way they re-imagined I-R0k. The bottom line is, if you're a book reader, just take this movie for what it is, an alternate version of the story, written by the same person who wrote the novel.
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Relies heavily on empty nostalgia and pop-culture references but lacks engagement and a solid story of its own.
'Ready Player One (2018)' should have been called 'The Pop-Culture Movie', since it is so chock-full of blatant references and call-backs to media, from the eighties and nineties in particular. It seems as though this over-reliance on pre-existing material, along with its recognition and nostalgic value, is the driving force behind most of the narrative, being that the flick itself doesn't capture the spirit of the films it intends to ape, and so often calls out by name to cringe-worthy results, but instead shoves in reference after soulless reference in a vapid attempt to prey on its audience's ability to recognise things they've seen before. This 'nostalgia vampirism' is meant to evoke memories of better films and have those emotions transposed onto this one, though it only succeeds in the former and reminds you how much you'd rather watch any of those than this. It's evocative of the larger issues that plague the flick, those being that it doesn't have any real stakes or ability to engage on its own and also treats its audience as rather dumb and forces expository dialogue down their throats at every opportunity. The on-the-nose exposition is honesty some of the most intense and grating I've experienced in some time. The feature does have some nice visual effects and I care about the digital 'avatars' as much as any of their real-world counter-parts, though only to a certain degree, but so much is happening that it it's hard to register at times due to the odd colour palette and heavily contrasting character designs. It doesn't have a cohesive aesthetic, to say the least. It does have a good score by Alan Silvestri, though, and some of its allegorical undertones certainly ring true. It honestly doesn't entertain me, though, despite all its visual splendour and things that should appeal directly to me, and that really tells you all you need to know. For all the throw-away movie references, where is the fun of 'Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)'? Where is the wonder of 'E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)', the suspense of 'Jaws (1975)' or the excitement of 'Jurassic Park (1993)'? In other words, where is Spielberg? 4/10.
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Welcome back Spielberg
Spielberg remains to this day one of the most misunderstood film-makers of his generation. He has been labeled both a peddler of popcorn and a saccharine manipulator (Those who say the latter have clearly forgotten Alex Kitner erupting in a geyser of blood in Jaws, exploding Nazi heads, the horrors of the Holocaust in Schindler and the river of corpses in War of the Worlds).
There are two Spielbergs. There's the man who makes somber, academy award winning dramas (Empire of the Sun, Saving Private Ryan, Munich, War Horse, Lincoln etc). Then's there's the 10 year old playing in the sand box (The Indy films, Hook, Jurassic Park, Tintin etc). What I enjoy most about the 'Berg, is how he can zigzag between disparate genres. But after a stretch of SF films (A.I, Minority Report and War of the Worlds), I was looking forward to a return to the free wheeling fun with Crystal Skull. It turned out to be an uncharacteristic dud that despite the boffo box office, proved to be deeply unpopular with fans of the series.
This made me cautious about Ready Player One. Had Spielberg lost his touch? I was wrong. This may be one of the most visually amazing and effortlessly fun films I've seen in a long time. I have not read Ernest Cline's novel, so fans of the popular novel may have issues, but I rarely read the books before seeing the film.
The cast are great. Tye Sheridan are Olivia Cooke are the standouts. Mark Rylance and Simon Pegg are fun in supporting roles. Alan Silvestri's robust score is one of his most memorable. I miss John Williams, but it's still a great score. Longtime 'Berg collaborator Janusz Kaminski's cinematography is beautiful. And it's the only film where you'll see a DeLorean chasing a T-Rex on the big screen. That image alone is worth the ticket price. He never went away, but it's nice to see him back playing in the sand box.
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An Instant Classic
I honestly didn't think that Spielberg had another crowd-pleasing actioner left in him. For the last decade or so his focus has been on more realistic period dramas and character pieces. His attempts at grand action spectacle (the underrated Tintin aside) were underwhelming. But who knew he had this left in him?
This film is an absolute blast. It seamlessly combines reality and animation into one big, exciting adventure. I'm still not completely sure how it pulled it off. I was absolutely amazed at how seamlessly the film merged animation with reality (I'd say only perhaps 1/3 of the film takes place in the "real" world) and gave the obviously digital environments emotional and kinetic weight. That's a very hard balance to pull off and this movie doesn't even raise a sweat. In fact, some of the best scenes revolve around the absurd mix of online and real existence. Pretty much every scene in Sorrento's soulless corporate HQ is a riot because of the seriousness with which they take their involvement in this silly online world, made even more ridiculous by the motions they all make in their VR suits as they react to unseen perils like well-dressed mimes.
I have no doubt that this film will receive a lot of flak for its reliance on pop culture artifacts. And there's some truth to the criticism. The best scene in the movie is when one of the characters waits in an almost meditative trance during the fight scene until he cries out "form of a gundam" in Japanese and awesomeness ensues. Would this scene work as well if it hadn't been a recognizable brand? No question it wouldn't. And that goes for an infinite array of references, from the Iron Giant to the Delorean to an absolutely perfect Overlook Hotel to Chucky ("Oh God, it's f*%@ing Chucky" has got to be the second greatest line in the movie).
But to say that this is nothing but leaching off others' success is unfair. The references are there for a reason. This is a Geek movie, and for geeks this sort of referencing is how they approach the universe. It'd seem odd if there were no open pop culture references in a free-for-all online world. More to the point, the film has a lot to say about online culture and the isolating effect it has on people. The film isn't all pretty colors and film references, it deals with issues like how real the connections we form online actually are, the ever-decreasing distance between fantasy and reality, the importance of community involvement, and all sorts of identity issues that arise when we can hide behind avatars. Not that I'd call the film overly deep or anything, but it's certainly more than just a collection of pop culture references thrown together with minimal plot.
The characters are all good fun. Parzival and his mate Aech are just like a lot of friends I know online, although Parzival's shallowness gives him a good obstacle to overcome. Art3mis is a bit more driven and has goals that take her further than just being the best at a video game. Parzival has a major cyber-crush on her, which is something of a problem. Daito and Shoto are somewhat more distant online rivals. All of them have great moments, but most come after their true selves get revealed around 2/3 of the way through the film. Some of them are very surprising (don't look at the cast list) and they are all funny together. Krennic's director Sorrento is a great villain. He's so full of himself and contemptuous that his appearance in-game as a muscular brute in a business suit dealing with mystical things he cares nothing about is a blast. And when he's cornered he can be hilariously practical. His online minion i-R0k is also priceless, the sort of super badass dude living in his mom's basement that you can only find in video games. Mark Rylance steals every scene he's in as the vaguely Wozniakian creator of the game. He's a rather sad figure, one who could never handle reality with such aplomb as he does the world he designed. I was surprsed to see Simon Pegg as his co-founder, a somewhat wasted role but nicel different from his more usual fare.
And I really really didn't think Spielberg could pull this off. It's hard to write a love letter to your favorite films when you're the creator rather than consumer. I'd have been more comfortable with some younger director who grew up on these films. I mean, his works aside I can't recall Spielberg ever displaying much interest in video games or Japanese pop culture (post-Kurosawa at least). Yet this film depends on its immense love of such elements. Perhaps a lot of it comes from the screenplay by the novel's author and Kal Penn, two people eminently qualified to pull this off. But it could never have succeeded without the passion of the maestro himself, and succeed it does. I went in with low expectations and had an absolute blast. But more importantly: I understood that reference.
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An Entertaining VR Movie that Ignores Real-World Problems
If you are just looking for a fun movie with expertly directed action sequences, wow moments, and beautiful effects, this is the movie for you. If you are the type of person who cannot help but analyze every movie you see, Ready Player One will cause you some problems.
Spielberg is a master of wow moments. He knows how to capture characters in moments of awe, and he knows how to make the audiences respond with dropped jaws and bewildered expressions. That's why the guy is one of the most financially successful filmmakers of all time. Watching this particular film of his makes it easy to see, even if you weren't already aware of his reputation, that Spielberg works the camera like few others can.
That said, this movie is not perfect.
The premise, at least on its surface, seems wonderful. A teenage boy (Tye Sheridan), named Wade Watts (because it sounds like a superhero's alter ego) in the near future plays an ultra-version of a virtual reality game to escape his grim real-world existence. Everyone in his world does. And we can see why. The VR world (The Oasis) is awesome.
Wade spends his time obsessing over a contest in The Oasis left behind by its now deceased creator. The winner of the contest claims a kajillion dollars (or something like that) and control over The Oasis. With a prize like that, Wade is obviously not the only person trying to win.
So, one day he meets a girl who uses the player name Art3mis (a charming Olivia Cooke) and joins her group. Together they try to win the contest before the evil company does and puts ads in The Oasis (which doesn't seem that bad). Then blah, blah, blah. You can imagine how this all turns out. If not, great, you'll be surprised.
This all seems fine and fun until you dissect the movie even a little bit. The message the movie sends is that this is all about friendship, which is total BS. Friendship is important, sure, but in this world, there is more at stake. Wade and much of the country live in terrible poverty, and a couple mega-businesses control the state of everything. It's a miserable reality with problems that we see today, except amplified by 100.
It's irresponsible and insulting that the movie pretends that this future world will be okay as long as The Oasis doesn't have ads. People still live in poverty. The world is still in shambles.
What I'm saying is, the movie has a problem with stakes. The stakes of this future world are enormous and dire, but the movie chooses to ignore them. That doesn't sit right with me.
One other issue, and this one is minor, is that this movie seems like it's made for kids, but it makes a bunch of 80s nostalgia references. Does that make sense? I don't think today's 14-year-olds care about Duran-Duran.
Even looking past the social blinders this movie chooses to wear and the confusing nostalgia choices, the third act drags horribly. I spaced out for a good ten minutes and didn't miss a thing.
In spite of all that, this movie has moments of ecstasy. If you are going to see, and I'm not sure if you should, see it in a theater. If you can avoid analyzing the movie and simply enjoy it from a pure entertainment standpoint, you may love it.
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Ready, set, go in the oasis
Watched 'Ready Player One' as someone who got a lot of pleasure out of the book and who loves a lot of Steven Spielberg's previous work. Despite it getting a fair share of criticism from fans of the book, that there were also enough good things said about it from critics and that many of my friends said it was worthwhile persuaded me enough to see it.
'Ready Player One' left me with a mixed view (or just slightly above). As a book adaptation 'Ready Player One' is severely wanting, having lost what made the book so special. As a film on its own, which is how it will be judged by me being a much fairer way to judge, 'Ready Player One' is quite decent though with faults. It is nowhere near being one of Spielberg's best, a distinction he has not hit for a while (though for me he has not sold out), at the same time it is not one of his misfires either. To me 'Ready Player One' is a middling effort.
Starting with its good merits, 'Ready Player One' looks incredible. One of those films where one is truly immersed in a world filled with a non-stop sense of wonder. The Oasis depiction is rich in wonder, adventure, vibrancy and imagination, the cool factor is also high. The special effects are pretty spectacular. Alan Silvestri provides the best score in a Spielberg film since 'War Horse' (and one of the best in the past fifteen years or so), providing a lot of energy and thrills.
Nostalgia is rife with inspired cameos of numerous significant cultural characters, like the 'Jurassic Park' dinosaur and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and even more numerous cultural references, highlights being the 'Back to the Future' Delorean and the Overlook Hotel from 'The Shining'. There is enough wit and intrigue in the writing and the story has many instances where it is fun and laden in thrills, the chase scenes especially. Particularly standing out is the one switching between real world and the Oasis. Spielberg delivers on the spectacle, the world building and the visual style.
Although not complex or subtle, the characters are engaging enough. Olivia Cooke is very appealing and shares charming chemistry with Tye Sheridan. Simon Pegg is great fun, while Ben Mendelssohn has a whale of a time as the villain and Mark Rylance beautifully and terrifically provides the emotion and soul that is not quite there elsewhere.
However, the story does tend to be lacking. There is just too little structurally in a very long, too long even, running time, no matter how many cultural references there are. With trying to take on a lot, character depth and development are sacrificed in favour of spectacle and nostalgia. Luckily those are done well, but one does wish that the characters were more interesting with the lead character in particular not having much growth.
This does affect somewhat Tye Sheridan's performance, shining in the chemistry with Cooke but elsewhere it's somewhat bland and cold. The script does have wit and intrigue but it can also be exposition heavy, and it is here where the writing feels rambling, unnatural and clumsy. There are aspects of Spielberg's directing that comes over well.
Unfortunately, what doesn't is the complete command of the material and giving the film enough soul and emotion (Rylance cannot bring those qualities out all on his own, no matter how well he did them). Some of the messaging is heavy-handed and the finale is far too overly-sentimental and where the sketchiness of the character development and overall depth is most betrayed.
Overall, diverting and entertaining enough but was expecting more. 6/10 Bethany Cox
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Virtually brilliant with Easter Eggs a plenty.
Of all the Spielberg films of recent years - and possibly with the exception of "The BFG" - this was the film whose trailer disconcerted me the most. It really looked dire: CGI over heart; gimmicks over substance. I was right about 'The BFG", one of my least favourite Spielberg flicks. I was definitely wrong about "Ready Player One": it's a blast.
The film is fun in continually throwing surprises at you, including those actors not included in the trailer and only on small print on the poster. So I won't spoil that here for you (you can of course look them up on imdb if you want to: but I suggest you try to see this one 'cold').
It's 2044, and the majority of the population have taken the next logical step of video gaming and virtual reality and retreated into their own headsets, living out their lives primarily as avatars within the fanciful landscapes of "The Oasis". You can "be" anyone and (subject to gaining the necessary credits) "do" anything there.
The Oasis was the brainchild of a (Steve Wozniak-like) genius called James Halliday (played in enormous style by "Actor R") and supported by his (Steve Jobs-like) business partner Ogden Morrow ("Actor P"). The two had a big falling out leaving Halliday in total control of the Oasis. But he died, and his dying "game" was to devise a devious competition that left a trail of three virtual keys in the Oasis leading to an 'easter egg': which if found would provide the finder with total ownership of the Oasis and the trillions of dollars that it is worth.
But the game is not only played by amateur "gunters" (egg-hunters) like our hero Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan, "X-Men: Apocalypse") and his in-Oasis flirting partner Samantha (Olivia Cooke, "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl"); there are big corporate game-hunters involved like IoI (that's eye-oh-eye, not one-oh-one as I assumed from the trailer) who fill warehouses with combinations of nerd-consultants and professional game players to try to find the keys before anyone else. Which hardly seems fair does it? Ruthless boss Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn, "Rogue One") and his tough-as-nails hench-woman F'Nale Zandor (Hannah John-Kamen, "Tomb Raider") really couldn't give a toss!
What follows is two-hours of high-octane game-play and eye-popping 3D (it is good in 3D by the way) that melds a baseline of "Avatar" with soupçons of "Tron", "Minority Report" and Dan Brown novels. But its a blend that works.
I was afraid as I said that CGI would squash flat any hope of character development and story, and - yes - to be sure this is 'suppressed' a bit. You never get to really know many of the 'pack' members to any great level other than Wade and Samantha. And exactly what drives the corporate protagonists, other than "corporate greed", is not particularly clear. What gives the film heart though are the performances of "Actor P" and (particularly) "Actor R", who again steals every scene he is in. For their limited screen time together, the pair bounce off each other in a delightful way.
I have to make a confession at this point that I spent the whole film thinking "Miles Teller is way too old for the part of Wade"! Tye Sheridan (who I think *does* bear a likeness!) is actually much more age appropriate, and is fine in the role. But the star performance for me, out of the youngsters at least, was Oldham's-own Olivia Cooke, who has a genuinely magnetic screen presence. She is most definitely a name to watch for the future.
Almost unrecognizable in the role is the woman of the hour Letitia Wright ("Black Panther", "Thor: Ragnarok") as Wade's inventor friend Reb.
The story, although simple and quite one-dimensional, in the main intrigues: there is nothing like a Mario-style chase for keys to entertain when it is done well (I am so old and crusty that in my day it was "Manic Miner" on a ZX-Spectrum!).
And there's not just one "Easter Egg" in this film: the film is rammed to the rafters with throwbacks to classic pop-culture icons of past decades, and particularly the 80's.... the film could have been subtitled "I Heart 80's". Some of these are subliminal (Mayor Goldie Wilson anyone?), and others are more prominent but very clever: "The Zemekis cube" and "The Holy Hand Grenade" being prime examples. This is a film that deserves buying on Blu-ray and then slo-mo-ing through! The nostalgia extends to the music by Alan Silvestri, with occasional motifs from his most famous soundtrack!
For me though, the highspot of the film though is a journey into a recreation of a classic '80's film which - while a scary sequence, earning for sure its 12A UK rating - is done with verve and chutzpah.
Although a little overlong (2 hours 20 mins) and getting rather over-blown and LOTR-esque in the finale, the ending is very satisfying - roll on Tuesdays and Thursdays!
Spielberg's recent films have been largely solid and well-constructed watches ("The Post" and "Bridge of Spies" for example) but they have been more niche than mainstream box office draws. I firmly predict that "Ready Player One" will change that: here Spielberg has a sure-fire hit on his hands and word of mouth (rather than the ho-hum trailer) should assure that.
(For the graphical review, please visit bob-the-movie-man.com or One Mann's Movies on Facebook. Thanks).
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The book might be better, but the references work better on screen
Ernest Cline's fast-moving novel was a treasure trove for pop-culture junkies, but the endless references work better on the screen.
The year is 2045; the place is Columbus, Ohio. Our hero, Wade Watts, fills in the details while climbing past his grungy homes of his town, "the stacks," where trailer parks are piled on top of each other sky-high. Things are so miserable in Wade's world, everyone escapes to play in an immersive virtual reality game known as the Oasis. Its founder, James Halliday is worshipped like a god until his death some years before. However, before he left the mortal world, the creator left behind a series of games that would reward the winner with the prize of the keys to his virtual kingdom.
The book was a fast paced adventure that took its time to geek out on all of the 80's pop culture references but the film doesn't do that. . Spielberg doesn't have Wade (the titular character) talk audiences through it, and he doesn't spell out the references, he just quickly stamps down the Delorean in the middle of a action sequence and then continues onward. Fans can pause it frame by frame and analyse it thoroughly looking for the flux capacitor on the dashboard, checking the plates, and scanning for extra bonus material. Even to people who've never seen the Back to the Future movies and aren't vibing on the connection, the car doesn't need explaining. It's just a sleek piece of visual energy, one breathless element among dozens of others. That's why the movie works better than the books in terms of visual style and nostalgia.
The thin plot and the not so well done shallow characters make the film to be just a pop culture reference filled visual treat. Several plot holes( If movement is required to move an avatar in the game, how do people play in the Oasis while standing in their living rooms?) and a non-existent character arc makes it a fun, but a tangible watch. They're all already heroes, the big bad is evil from start to finish.
The story's breakneck speed, it's never ending references, make it a fun, exciting watch.
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Captures the adventure of the book, but lacks the heart and character growth.
Warning: Spoilers
The book is better. It always will be. I think everyone knows that you cannot take a 15 hour book and condense it to a 130 minute movie without losing a lot of what made it special.
Firstly there is no after-credit scene. So dont bother waiting.
The opening title was just white text on a black screen, which is rather disapointing given the clever 'maze' logo all the marketing had.
The film gets rid of the gates, most of the real world stuff, all the school stuff, and all character development. Our heroes just have all the weapons, cars, robots that they had to earn in the book. Even before finding the first key. Wade already owns the Delorian and Aech just happens to have Iron Giant in his garage.
They make a number of dramatic changes to the main plot, some for visual storytelling (such as adding a car chase) and others to expand the role other characters worth in the plot, such as Art3mis going to IOI instead of Parzival.
My main issue was the lack of character arcs. They all strated off strong, and ended the exact same way. The heart of the book was how this normal person rose from being one of us, to the savior of the universe. The film is missing that. Wade no-longer talks to the sweet old lady at the bottom of the stacks. He no-longer fixes people's old oasis machines, instead he steals there gloves? Those real world connections are lost and he just seems like a rich spoilt kid from the start. His reasons for not joining IOI are never explained. We as audinence members have no idea why he would not have taken the money. But on that, IOI are also made out to be idiots. They dont solve any puzzles or collect any of the keys. In the book they were far more competent.
Then there is the whole rebellion side story which was not in book, hardly touched upon, was not explained, had unexplained henchmen, and ended abruptly. But the sheer fact that they had an army to fall back on in the real world weakened our connection to them for us as an audience. They were no longer the small guy going after the big corporation, now they were a small army going after what seemed to be just one man (Nolan) who was afraid of guns, and a mercenary woman who was beaten up by an eleven year old kid. The bad guys became a joke. Not to mention so stupid in that they keep there passwords written down for the world to see.
The film captures the adventure and spectacle of the book thats for sure, but is missing its heart. And they shoehorned several side characters (Rick) into the movie which really could have been left out and there screen time devoted to more puzzle solving or building the relationship.
They could have left i-Rok, Daito and Shoto out the story and it would not have changed anything. In fact, giving Nolan all of i-R0ks jobs would have helped his character.
There is almost zero world building for the real world. They show pizza delivery drones that can fly around the city and place bombs on buildings, but somehow are unable to follow a giant delivery truck featuring the worlds most wanted down the road. Ignoring speed cameras and satellite tracking as well. Again, another example of incompetency the villains demonstrate.
Perhaps I love the book so much, that its hard for me to separate the source material for this movie adaptation. But the book was not just about 80s nostalgia, it was about growth of characters as they went on this adventure together. It was about making sacrifices when needed and learning to work as a team to open the last gate. None of which was required for this movie.
I also want to mention the lack of nostalgia music. The trailers had some great songs, with Pure imagination being outstanding. None of them however are played in the movie. With the exception of jump at the start, that felt out of place as it was too fast paced for someone just walking.
Still watch it in the cinema as its an experience you have to see. But read the book, or listen to the great Will Wheaton audiobook as well, as its a very different story with more depth and love than the film portrays.
I rate it 6.5 out of 10.
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Quite worth watching...
I had very little expectations for this movie, especially since the ones I know who watched it said that it wasn't all that spectacular. Well, I got the chance to sit down and watch "Ready Player One", had the time to spare, so why not?
I must say that I was surprised with the result of this movie, because it was actually rather entertaining. Sure, it had a predictable and generic storyline, but it was still entertaining enough for what it was.
What really blew me away was the special effects and CGI. This was definitely spectacular, and there were so many details. I love the overwhelming amount of familiar characters that there were to be seen throughout the entire movie. There were so many pop culture characters and obscure characters that only true nerds of movies, gaming, comics, etc. would recognize. It was especially awesome to see Jason Voorhees and Spawn make appearances as avatars in the movie as well.
There was a good flow to the movie and it kept its upbeat pace all the way to the very end, and that made for some entertaining stuff.
I will say that the movie is worth watching again, not for the story or the special effects, but for picking out familiar characters used as Oasis avatars in the movie, that would be quite a task.
All in all, "Ready Player One" is definitely worth taking the time to sit down and watch. And it had a lovely morale as well, and that being that people need to live their lives in the real life and not in an online illusion of a world.
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Virtual Virtuosity
"Ready Player One" was first a sci-fi novel written by Ernest Cline, published in 2011. Warner Bros. saw so much potential in this novel, they bought the rights for its film version a full year before it was even published. Cline adapted his own book into a script, with the assistance of veteran screenwriter Zak Penn. With Steven Spielberg signing on to direct in 2015, this film had all the ingredients for a blockbuster film.
It is 2045. Wade Watt was an orphaned young man who lived in the "Stacks," a dystopian slum neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio. Like everyone else at that time, Wade spent his days going inside the OASIS, a virtual world where people can do anything they desire. As his avatar Parzival, Wade wanted to win the game challenge left by the late OASIS inventor James Halliday -- where anyone who can win three keys leading to an Easter Egg hidden somewhere in the OASIS will inherit full ownership of the Halliday's invention.
I first saw lead actor Tye Sheridan in 2015 in two thematically diverse films like "Scout's Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse" (MY REVIEW) and "Dark Places" (MY REVIEW). He then made a strong impression as the young Cyclops in "X-Men: Apocalypse" (2016). His role here as Wade Watts is bound to launch this young 21-year old actor into super-stardom. Although half of the time, we see him as his avatar Parzival, Sheridan ably carried the whole film on his shoulders in both the action and drama components of his role.
His group of friends in the OASIS were a diverse bunch of very skilled video game geeks. Lena Waithe played Helen Harris, whose OASIS identity Aech was a musclebound male techie and Wade's best friend. Win Morisaki and Philip Zhao play Japanese gamers Toshiro and Akihide whose avatars were samurai Daito and ninja Shoto respectively. Olivia Cooke played Samantha Cook, a rebel activist in real life and Wade's cyber crush Art3mis virtually. Although the book does not have a follow-up, it does not seem impossible if we see this group again in a future sequel for further adventures of The High Five.
Mark Rylance was not easily recognized in his unkempt long-haired geek make-up as the eccentric James Halliday, the timid genius who developed a virtual world to escape the loneliness of the real world. Simon Pegg played Halliday's only friend and business partner Ogden Morrow, who later became estranged due to their divergent philosophies.
Veteran character actor Ben Mendehlson played the main antagonist character Nolan Sorrento, CEO of the Innovative Online Industries or IOI, manufacturers of virtual reality hardware. He hired an entire army of virtual warriors in order to win Halliday's Easter Egg in order for IOI to gain control of the whole OASIS. There was so much subtle tongue-in-cheek humor in his portrayal of a ruthless character. T.J. Miller stole scenes as virtual mercenary i-R0k whom Sorrento hired to do his virtual mayhem.
This film was so much fun to watch with all the pop culture references that abound in it. You'd need repeated watching of this film to catch all those little juicy details hidden in the scenes and the dialogue. You will see King Kong, Mecha-Godzilla, Gundam, the Iron Giant in all their glory, and catch glimpses of the Batmobile, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Tony Manero's disco moves and many more.
The musical soundtrack was steeped in 1980s pop songs, beginning with Van Halen's "Jump" from the opening scene, and citations of a-ha and Duran Duran. There were rich references to 1980s movies with mentions of names like John Hughes, Ferris Bueller and Buckaroo Banzai. Parzival's car is a DeLorean from "Back to the Future." There was entire elaborate segment dedicated to a tribute to the horror classic "The Shining" (Stanley Kubrick, 1980), in what is probably the most fun part of the whole film.
Watching a film like this in 3D IMAX is very much worth the additional ticket expense. The computer-generated world of OASIS really came alive three-dimensionally for the audience as they are drawn in and immersed into what is practically what the characters were virtually seeing and experiencing in their heads.
From the 1970s all the way to the 1990s, Steven Spielberg had given us some of the most engaging adventure films of all time both by young film fans and old -- "Jaws" (1974), "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977), "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981), "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" (1982), "Jurassic Park" (1993). It is only now that Spielberg had again handled material that showed that he still had that magic touch when it comes to directing these types of films, making them connect with audiences of all generations. 10/10.
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Great movie but different from the book
Pretty good movie visually and even though the changes from the book are obvious but they don't spoil it. They are changes that have to be made so it translates well on to screen.
The comedy in the film is charming and not over the top. It fits in well with the film.
The visuals are awesome. There are so many Easter eggs and references from pop culture it's unbelievable that they managed to add so many. It'll take a long time to spot them all.
Overall I'd say this film is definitely worth a watch.
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The film equivalent of watching someone else playing a video game...
Warning: Spoilers
Steven Spielberg's latest cinematic exercise is the equivalent of watching somebody else playing a computer game: in other words, not very interesting at all. I thought he would've learnt a few lessons with his bland Tintin adaptation, but it seems not because READY PLAYER ONE feels like one of his worst-ever movies. It's a bland and soulless virtual reality adventure in which a mundane hero plays game to defeat the usual cliched big business corporate interest bad guys. Not at all predictable, then.
Spielberg fills his movie with pop culture references, which is mildly interesting I guess, but fails to make any of it entertaining for a second. The CGI animation I found to be quite shallow and insubstantial, with the same big-span battle sequences playing out over and over again that we've seen countless times in other Hollywood movies. I was longing for something more real-world and realistic and I look forward to the day that Hollywood gives up on this kind of mindless hokum. To paraphrase Jeff Goldblum in JURASSIC PARK: just because they can do these FX movies, doesn't mean they should.
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Cute but ultimately tiresome
A non stop barrage of 80s nostalgia is what holds the movie together. The characters are your basic prototypes. I'm sure there is a big audience for this but it seemed very long to me and the cutsiness backfired at times. Not terrible but not a that memorable either.
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Some of Spielberg's Best in Years,
Ready Player One is a terrific film with a very well written plot and an immensely talented cast. The film is truly like no other, establishing a very beautiful and unique spectacle from the get go, creating a virtual reality world that we get so entranced in that we often forget its fictional. The animation is truly beautiful and believable, the many references to pop culture were very entertaining, and the film's overall message is immensely heartwarming.
One thing I will say about this film that dropped from a potential nine to an eight for me was a major lack of character development. No one, even Wade, are given enough scope for us to truly care and be concerned for their well being. While I was in a complete trance at all the action sequences, that was more so because of how beautiful it looked rather than supporting the characters.
While they may be underdeveloped, the cast all still make a terrific show of their characters. Tye Sheridan is very effective as the lead, Olivia Cooke is a great love interest, Ben Mendelsohn steals every scene as a cliched video game villain, Lena Waithe is a hilarious best friend, Simon Pegg is completely transformed in to this role that is greatly different from who he is, and Mark Rylance annihilates as Halliday, a role he really immerses himself in to.
Immense fun from beginning to end. Action packed and heartwarming, Ready Player One is a solid adventure that I would recommend to anyone looking for a good Sci-Fi or family film.
A group of hardcore gamers search for clues to unlock the creator of their virtual reality world's fortune.
Best Performance: Mark Rylance
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An exercise in excess held together by soullessness
I think Spielberg's lost his way recently. This move is absolutely empty without the pop culture references it reaps upon, without an ounce of subtlety no less (If I want to watch The Shining, I'll watch The Shining. If Spielberg really wanted a highlights reel of The Shining pasted onto his movie, he should be learning to have some restraint). Hollow story, no characters, no emotion, terrible CGI that is reminiscent of current pre-rendered cutscenes (which is pretty accurate but extremely lazy. It would've been nice to see some effort and creativity), hazy and exhausting action sequences, and a hackneyed message about being a gamer and how electronics are bad and should be used in moderation. It's basically a spiritual successor to The Emoji Movie.
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Don't listen to the book critics
I personally did not read the book prior to watching this movie. I did not go into the theater with preconceived ideas or expectations. With that being said, I was not disappointed at all. Most of the negative reviews this movie is getting is from raging nerds who say it's not as good as the book (are they ever)?) This is a great and entertaining movie, I absolutely recommend ignoring the raging nerds and go watch it.
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Totally awesome movie
I should've reviewed sooner just was thrown my off from the negativity and didn't know what to say. Despite everything I love this movie for what it is maybe cause I'm a gamer, Spielberg is incredible at his craft and don't mind Ready Player One for it's flaws! The movie is awesome, I like the way it was written, the Easter eggs, Soundtrack, cinematography, and story. I didn't read the book I'm sure it's excellent too. Tye Sheridan, Mark Rylance, and Ben Mendelssohn are magnificent in my opinion! This film deserves more credit/appreciation.
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No need to say I was thrilled. But that's because I'm a VR fan myself.
Warning: Spoilers
James Halliday saw the future. And then he built it. He gave us a place to go. A place called ... THE OASIS.
Recently I got a Playstation VR set for my birthday and since then I've spent a lot of hours in different virtual worlds. So I understand very well that in films such as Ready Player One the population spends more time in this artificial environment than in the actual world. As one already suggested at the beginning, this virtual fantasy world is alluring because there's so much to experience. But also because you can be so much. Just like in "2047: Virtual Revolution", it seems as if all of humanity has lost its contact with reality and is wasting their entire fortune on digital upgrades and gadgets and spend all their free time walking around in futuristic-looking VR glasses. Unfortunately, the moral is the same as in the film. Namely, that one has to cut the virtual bonds and live back in reality. Perhaps there's an element of truth here. In today's society, the art of communicating and socializing is going to waste because we do this only in a digital way.
The story itself was a bit straightforward and simple. The day one of the designers (James Halliday) of the virtual playground OASIS drew his last breath (in reality), he reveals that he has hidden a so-called "Easter egg" in OASIS. Who finds it wins a mega top prize that gives the honest finder total control over OASIS and inherits Halliday's fortune. We, of course, get a race between two camps. On the one hand, young Wade (Tye "Joe" Sheridan) who, along with some of his online friends, eagerly starts looking for the hidden keys. Not only for the fame and fortune but also to get back at IOI (Innovative Online Industries). This company wants to win the main prize at any cost so it becomes the largest company in the world. So, Wade gets the CEO Nolan Sorrento (Ben "Mississippi Grind" Mendelsohn) as a formidable opponent whose inexhaustible source of income gives him an advantage. Needless to say who will finally get the virtual short stick.
No, the story itself is not really epic. The images and the overall atmosphere, however, are. The first assignment with the extremely difficult road race packed with obstacles was something to drool over. The fact that a T-Rex and a frantic King Kong appeared in it was perhaps slightly exaggerated. But for the rest, this part did look exquisitely and flashy. I would also like to participate in that race. Ditto for the Doom location. To experience a death match on that planet must also be extremely energetic and exciting. But mainly Ready Player One is a huge wink and nostalgic look back on the 80s. And this in all sorts of areas. The music, the film, and the game world from this era are extensively praised. So the whole film is stuffed with references to it. The DeLorean from Back to the Future, a floating dance floor with the soundtrack of the Bee Gees, the Atari games, and a Joy Division t-shirt. And a multitude of famous characters who come to act as avatars in the VR world. You can be sure that every scene contains a reference. It's as if Steven Spielberg not only sends the heroes in search of the easter egg but also assigns the audience the same task. Find as many hidden references as possible.
If you are an avid gamer, you'll be thrilled by this film since most of it is purely a graphic spectacle. The opening scene where the world of OASIS is presented is a breathtaking and impressive spectacle. For others, it may be a bit too much. It's as if you're at a friend's house looking at the tube, while he's playing a super fantastic game. A little frustrating. But, I was amused by this movie. Apart from a few issues (I don't understand how Wade could get his installation working in the back of a van in the middle of a junkyard), for me, this film was really quite wonderful. And it was pretty self-explanatory that the girl behind the avatar Art3mis (Olivia "Me and Earl and the dying girl" Cooke) also be a natural beauty in RL. I'm not really a big fan of Steven Spielberg and think some of his films are really weak, but here he succeeds again in making my film heart beat faster. And not only because I'm actually a bit hooked on the VR phenomenon (even though it hasn't yet achieved the sharpness shown here). Ready Player One is a bit like The Goonies meets Tron. But with more technological wizardry and a different kind of treasure as a reward.
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Far higher than my expectations
This movie really surprised me. Thought it might be bit young for me, I'm 46, but no , not only did I find it fun and engaging, but I loved all the references to iconic games, movies and songs of the 80's. Very well made movies that will appeal to people of all ages, yet another win for Spielberg.
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Popculture encyclopedia
Remember Mortal Kombat, Battletoads, Overwatch, Gundam, FireFly, TMNT, Night rider, Back to The Future, King Kong, Iron Giant, Mecha Godzilla, Atari, Nintendo, Goons, ET, Shining, Batman, Halo, Gears of War, Monty Python, Michael Jackson, Street Fighter, Vikings, Liches, Lara Croft, Golden Eye, Aliens, Madballs, Child's Play, Etch A Sketch, View-Master, Beastmaster, Space Invaders, Ping Pong, A-team, Batman 60's, Ryu, Monster trucks, Marvel comics, Goro, Harley Quinn, Akira, Saturday Night Fever, Say Anything, Hello Kitty, Star Trek, Star Wars, Freddy Krueger, Duke Nukem, Terminator, Final Fantasy, Robocop, Battle Star Galactica, Rubic's cube, Hal 9000, Card collecting games and Star Craft?
WE SURE DO. Well watch us to list everything over 2 hours. You'll love it.
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...
... I can't remember the last time I stopped a film before it ended! I did not care the least where this film was going and bailed after 40 minutes...
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Spielberg gets back into the game with one!
4/1/18. Saw this in the theater today in 2D and worth seeing on the big screen. If you are not a gamer or not still in your teens, then all the visuals may be a bit over-stimulating and overwhelming. Really, no wonder kids can sleep or calm down these days! Anyway, Spielberg paints a very dismal dystopia in which everyone escapes into a virtual world known as Oasis because reality is just so bad. Rylance is the creator of Oasis and upon his death he promises wealth,glory and control of Oasis to the person who can solve his puzzle and win 3 keys to his kingdom. That's the basic premise. Spielberg is back in the game with this movie. He has managed to make a movie that is appealing to the Post-Millennials and well as the Millennial and Generation X. However, Baby Boomers will definitely enjoy all the references to pop culture from the last 40 years that only people who have been around for decades can really appreciate. Worth watching and rewatching to catch all the pop references. And, don't be deceived, Spielberg is still leery about Technology, just catch the last few minutes and you'll know what I mean.
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Story and its message don't match at all
Watched this yesterday and I find myself confused at the end, the story is about some people fighting to save the virtual world, but the message of the story is about how the virtual world makes you miss the real world.
I find it hard to agree to the whole storyline, such a made up situation, not really invested with the backstory of oasis at all and yet we were force to follow along.
The guy situation with his aunt and boyfriend is weird, no resolution from there too. It's a bad movie to watch because you don't find the story match the message it tried to leave behind.
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Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1677720/reviews
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