Year: 2018
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Lena Waithe, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Rylance, and Simon Pegg
Tagline: A better reality awaits
Synopsis: Wade Watts spends most of his time in the virtual reality world of the OASIS. When ownership of the world is threatened, Wade and his friends unite to uncover a hidden Easter Egg that will save the OASIS for everyone.
Tagline: A better reality awaits
Synopsis: Wade Watts spends most of his time in the virtual reality world of the OASIS. When ownership of the world is threatened, Wade and his friends unite to uncover a hidden Easter Egg that will save the OASIS for everyone.
Review
Nope, I haven't read the book. So I can't make any comparisons.
This is kind of a difficult review to write. On the one hand, I enjoyed Ready Player One and had a good time watching it. But on the other hand, I was still disappointed when I left the theater.
The story is that in the year 2045, most people live their lives in the virtual reality world of the OASIS. When Halliday, the creator of the OASIS, dies, he leaves a treasure hunt of sorts. There are three keys each with three clues. These will eventually lead you to a hidden Easter Egg within the OASIS. Find the egg and you inherit Halliday's fortune and full control of the OASIS (i.e., you become an instant trillionaire and one of the most powerful people on the planet). The nefarious company IOI (Innovative Online Industries) of course wants to find the egg so they can basically rule the world. The are headed by money-grubbing, generally-no-fun Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn). Average twenty-something Wade Watts (aka Parzival) wants to find the keys in order to save the OASIS from IOI.
With me still? It's a treasure hunt. Let's stick with that. And it is a clever one at that. The story is fun and kept me invested the entire time. The writing is sharp too, with numerous lines that made me smile.
Ready Player One also offers an immersive trip inside the OASIS. It's a world where anything is possible and people can be anyone or anything they want. Spielberg does a terrific job creating that world and sharing it with us. It's beautiful. (Although I'd have liked a bit more color in the palette.)
Apparently, the book is a nonstop series of references to the 1980s. The movie version broadens that to include references to the 1990s and even later. Put it this way, there's a scene with the Delorean from Back to the Future being chased down by a Tyrannosaurus Rex from Jurassic Park and King Kong. There's also another sequence that takes place in the world of a well-known horror movie (I won't spoil which).
As enjoyable as the world and story are, the characters are a bit of a letdown. They are likable. But they are also flat. Even when we are with them in the real world, they never feel real. Their backgrounds are each summed up in a one minute backstory. It's easy to root for them, but hard to think they would be suited to become the most powerful people in the world. The film's villain and his requisite henchman, while interesting, are also flat.
The film is rated PG-13, and the reasons for that are also disappointing. The level of violence is about the same as, say, a superhero movie. But there is a lot of swearing. Or at least it felt that way to me. Instead of ever using a word like "stuff" or "things," pretty much all the characters used the S word instead. And it is prevalent. There is also one use of the F word (in what is meant to be a humorous context). The movie also has a naked woman, but the scene is carefully edited too not be revealing (this is in the virtual reality / CGI world). There is also a suggestive dance scene between two characters. Oh, and there are zombies. Basically, it's PG-13 for good reason. I wouldn't call it scandalous, but it's not for kiddos.
Ready Player One is indeed a fun and enjoyable film. It's crafted by a master storyteller who clearly loves movies. But the film isn't perfect. It hearkens back to some of Spielberg's classic blockbuster films ... but it doesn't attain their level. If you love nostalgic movies and video games, by all means, go enjoy the film. I was entertained and am glad I saw it.
*** Spoiler Section ***
Who leaves important passwords on a sticky note in plain sight? Seriously?
I don't know the book, but I feel like there were elements about Ogden Morrow's life and story that were left out. I kept wanting to hear more from him and why he left and how he viewed the OASIS he helped create but then had reservations about. What he was doing in the real world might have grounded the movie more.
For a movie about how reality is better than virtual reality, we didn't get much time in the real world. It was hard to tell how salvageable things are or aren't. I was actually surprised when police showed up. It had seemed like law and order had disappeared and resided only with IOI.
This is kind of a difficult review to write. On the one hand, I enjoyed Ready Player One and had a good time watching it. But on the other hand, I was still disappointed when I left the theater.
The story is that in the year 2045, most people live their lives in the virtual reality world of the OASIS. When Halliday, the creator of the OASIS, dies, he leaves a treasure hunt of sorts. There are three keys each with three clues. These will eventually lead you to a hidden Easter Egg within the OASIS. Find the egg and you inherit Halliday's fortune and full control of the OASIS (i.e., you become an instant trillionaire and one of the most powerful people on the planet). The nefarious company IOI (Innovative Online Industries) of course wants to find the egg so they can basically rule the world. The are headed by money-grubbing, generally-no-fun Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn). Average twenty-something Wade Watts (aka Parzival) wants to find the keys in order to save the OASIS from IOI.
With me still? It's a treasure hunt. Let's stick with that. And it is a clever one at that. The story is fun and kept me invested the entire time. The writing is sharp too, with numerous lines that made me smile.
Ready Player One also offers an immersive trip inside the OASIS. It's a world where anything is possible and people can be anyone or anything they want. Spielberg does a terrific job creating that world and sharing it with us. It's beautiful. (Although I'd have liked a bit more color in the palette.)
Apparently, the book is a nonstop series of references to the 1980s. The movie version broadens that to include references to the 1990s and even later. Put it this way, there's a scene with the Delorean from Back to the Future being chased down by a Tyrannosaurus Rex from Jurassic Park and King Kong. There's also another sequence that takes place in the world of a well-known horror movie (I won't spoil which).
As enjoyable as the world and story are, the characters are a bit of a letdown. They are likable. But they are also flat. Even when we are with them in the real world, they never feel real. Their backgrounds are each summed up in a one minute backstory. It's easy to root for them, but hard to think they would be suited to become the most powerful people in the world. The film's villain and his requisite henchman, while interesting, are also flat.
The film is rated PG-13, and the reasons for that are also disappointing. The level of violence is about the same as, say, a superhero movie. But there is a lot of swearing. Or at least it felt that way to me. Instead of ever using a word like "stuff" or "things," pretty much all the characters used the S word instead. And it is prevalent. There is also one use of the F word (in what is meant to be a humorous context). The movie also has a naked woman, but the scene is carefully edited too not be revealing (this is in the virtual reality / CGI world). There is also a suggestive dance scene between two characters. Oh, and there are zombies. Basically, it's PG-13 for good reason. I wouldn't call it scandalous, but it's not for kiddos.
Ready Player One is indeed a fun and enjoyable film. It's crafted by a master storyteller who clearly loves movies. But the film isn't perfect. It hearkens back to some of Spielberg's classic blockbuster films ... but it doesn't attain their level. If you love nostalgic movies and video games, by all means, go enjoy the film. I was entertained and am glad I saw it.
*** Spoiler Section ***
Who leaves important passwords on a sticky note in plain sight? Seriously?
I don't know the book, but I feel like there were elements about Ogden Morrow's life and story that were left out. I kept wanting to hear more from him and why he left and how he viewed the OASIS he helped create but then had reservations about. What he was doing in the real world might have grounded the movie more.
For a movie about how reality is better than virtual reality, we didn't get much time in the real world. It was hard to tell how salvageable things are or aren't. I was actually surprised when police showed up. It had seemed like law and order had disappeared and resided only with IOI.
Quotable Quotes
- "She wanted to go dancing. So we watched a movie." -- Halliday (regarding his first and last date with a woman)
- "People come to the OASIS for all they can do. But they stay for all the things they can be." -- Parzival (aka Wade)
- "You can climb Mount Everest ... with Batman." -- Parzival
- "Try not to destroy everything on your first day." -- Halliday to Parzival about almost accidentally pushing the big red button
- "Is that the holy hand grenade?" "Yep." "How much did that cost you?" "Not as much as it's going to cost them." -- Sho and Parzival
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