"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."
If I had to pick a favorite director, it would probably be Steven Spielberg since he has done so many different types of films (I believe Jurassic Park and Schindler's List came out the same year) and most of them end up being excellent. And even though some of his recent real life films like Lincoln have been really good, many film fans have missed the 70's and 80's Spielberg that gave us classic blockbusters like Jaws, E.T., Close Encounters, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, etc. Well I can tell you that with Ready Player One, that Spielberg is back.
I'll admit that I haven't read the book that this film is based on, but this film rocks in my opinion. The biggest positive I can say about this film is that it captures adventure really well. Many films can have great sci fi and action, but not all of them have that pure adventure feel. Spielberg is the master of adventure films (Raiders Of The Lost Ark is the best one IMO) and manages to bring that feel to this film along with the great sci fi, VFX, and action.
All of the performances in this film are really good. Tye Sheridan as Wade is a likable lead does a good job carrying this film. Olivia Cooke is also very strong as the female lead Sam and she and Wade have really good/believable chemistry on screen. Mark Rylance as Halliday was excellent as expected (Third time working with Spielberg after Bridge Of Spies and BFG) and even though Ben Mendelsohn is playing the cliched "evil corporate overlord", his performance works and you can tell he's having fun with it.
While the trailers looked pretty cool, many people were concerned about how many pop culture references/cameos would be in this film and if it would become Emoji Movie like pandering. Thankfully it's not like that. Most of the cameos and references feel natural (Which makes them more cool and special) other than maybe one or two of them, and some of the iconic characters like Iron Giant (Hope this film gets more people to watch Iron Giant) and King Kong actually do serve a purpose in the story.
The film also has a good moral/commentary about how sometimes people can get too caught up in the virtual world and forget about important/great stuff in the real world. It leads to some funny moments about how literately ANYBODY could be your friend in an online game. And the message doesn't feel forced or like they're beating you over the head. Felt perfectly natural to me.
John Williams was originally going to compose the film, but instead worked on Spielberg's The Post and Alan Silvestri took over. I was kind of disappointed to hear about this since I consider Williams the greatest composer of all time, but man did Silvestri kill it. His score is exciting and very retro. I might even put it on par with his Predator and Avengers themes.
Overall, Ready Player One is a fantastic and fun sci fi film with a great sense of adventure, likable characters, good commentary on our society, and nostalgia that doesn't feel forced. Please go and see it. This film deserves better box office than it's getting.
4/5
What do you think of the film? Comment and let me know. And thanks for reading. :0)
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