From filmmaker Steven Spielberg comes the science fiction action adventure “Ready Player One,” based on Ernest Cline’s bestseller of the same name, which has become a worldwide phenomenon. The film is set in 2045, with the world on the brink of chaos and collapse. But the people have found salvation in the OASIS, an expansive virtual reality universe created by the brilliant and eccentric James Halliday (Mark Rylance). When Halliday dies, he leaves his immense fortune to the first person to find a digital Easter egg he has hidden somewhere in the OASIS, sparking a contest that grips the entire world. When an unlikely young hero named Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) decides to join the contest, he is hurled into a breakneck, reality-bending treasure hunt through a fantastical universe of mystery, discovery and danger. (1)
Review
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Hello, Movie Buffs!
Since the 70’s Steven Spielberg has given us some of the most engaging films of all time for fans both young and old. But what I enjoy most about Spielberg’s work is his ability to jump between genres. He can make serious academy award winning dramas like Saving Private Ryan (1998), War Horse (2011), and Lincoln (2012) one minute. And then he can turn around and do classic childhood films like Hook (1991), Indiana Jones, and Jurassic Park. And now with Ready Player One (2018) Spielberg has once again demonstrated that he’s still got the magic touch and knows how to connect a film with the audience both young and old.
I would first like to say that I have not read the novel on which the film is based so this review is strictly based on the film with no comparison between the different media platforms. Secondly, Warner Bros. bought the film rights in 2010, a year before the book was published, which goes to show just how committed they are to the film.
Since the success of this film relies heavily on the author’s passion it helped that Ernest Cline adapted his novel to script with the assistance of veteran screenwriter Zak Penn (The Avengers). The story is pretty simple, there are not any big twists or turns but considering that Ready Player One is the first a sci-fi novel Cline has ever written and I believe that it’s a worthy debut. There is nothing like a Mario Kart style chase for three keys and there is more than one “Easter Egg.” This film is jam-packed with classic pop-culture references, primarily from the 80’s & 90’s, that serves as the focal point of the film. Some of the references are obvious like the “Zemeckis cube" and "Chucky”, while others were not as obvious like “Marvin the Martian” racing past within the first 10 minutes and the War of Wards “Aliens” on planet Doom. There was an elaborate sequence dedicated to a tribute to a horror classic The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980), which was done with energy and nerve. The comedy is charming and while ending had a Return of the King feel it was overall very satisfying.
The visual effects are stunning. Director Spielberg has collaborated with cinematographer Janusz Kaminski on a number of films - like Schindler’s List (1993), Saving Private Ryan (1998), and War Horse (2011) – and together (along with effects department) they have created beautiful and stunning visual effects. The computer-generated world of the OASIS is the most three-dimensional part of the film and helps draw the audience in with what the characters are experiencing.
The music score by Alan Silvestri (Polar Express; Captain America, The First Avenger) is probably his most memorable yet. The nostalgia begins with Van Halen's "Jump" in the first opening scene, and from there we have songs by a-ha, Duran Duran, and others.
The cast is great and all the characters have great moments and great chemistry together. The first time I saw Tye Sheridan was when he played the young Cyclops in X-Men: Apocalypse (2016). He made a strong impression then and he does so again now both as Wade Watts and as his avatar Parzival. He easily carried the action and drama components of his role, and his friendship with Aech (Lena Waithe) is similar to friends I met on virtual school. Olivia Cooke as Samantha and her avatar Atr3mis was a genuinely magnetic character who was a bit more driven in her goals at first than Sheridan’s. The rest of the High Five team – Daito (Win Morsaki) and Shoto (Philip Zhao) – played their roles effectively. Veteran character actor Ben Mendelsohn played the main antagonist Nolan Sorrento, CEO of the IOI, perfectly. While his character was not super menacing there was enough subtle tongue-in-cheek humor to make him more wimpy than evil. Mark Rylance (Dunkirk; Bridge of Spies) was not easily recognized as James Halliday, the long-haired eccentric and timid genius but the story of his character is heartwarming. Simon Pegg as Halliday’s co-founder was a surprising albeit small role but it was done nicely different from his more usual fare. Despite having only a few scenes together they managed to have great chemistry together.
Overall, Ready Player One (2018) is a visually stunning film filled with pop-culture throwbacks from the 80’s and 90’s. The cast is solid throughout and there were even a few surprise actors that were not seen in the trailers. This film is so much fun to watch and if you are a fan of video games then I highly recommend this film for you."People come to the Oasis for all the things they can do, but they stay for all the things they can be."
- Parzival
Final Vote
Worth Seeing: 9
Worth Buying: 9
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Fifth Element, The (1997)
Matrix (1999)
Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Matrix: Revolution (2003)
Max Steel (2016)
Men in Black (1997)
Men in Black 2 (2002)
Men in Black 3 (2012)
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Star Trek 1 (2009)
Star Trek 2: Into Darkness (2013)
Star Trek 3: Beyond (2016)
Transformer 1 (2007)
Transformer 2: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
Transformer 3: Dark of the Moon (2011)
Transformer 4: Age of Extinction (2014)
Transformer 5: Last Knight (2017)
Tron (1982)
TRON: Legacy (2010)
Tomorrowland (2015)
Ultraviolet (2006)
Wrinkle in Time, A (2003)
Wrinkle in Time, A (2018)
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