Ready Player One (2018) - Review
by Bryan Mero Ready Player One (2018) is based off the book of the same name. I have not read the book so hold your comments on how it was not faithful to the source material. Apparently the movie is quite different and I'm OK with that. Now I can look forward to reading the book since I liked the world that was created by legendary film maker Steven Spielberg.

In the year 2045, life in the real world is pretty bad. Overpopulation, pollution, droughts, etc. have caused the people of the world to look inward, to a virtual world, instead of outward. In the 'Oasis' virtual world, you can be anybody you want, do anything you want and not worry about the troubles outside. We follow Wade, a teen living in 'the stacks' of Colombus who is one of millions of players who are looking for a special Easter Egg that will give him control of the entire Oasis.

Ok, that that's all the information you need going into this movie. Things seem so bad in the outside world that nostalgia and anything retro is now what's cool. It shows in the avatars that they choose, the vehicles they drive and things they make. So any references to pop culture in the 60's, 70's or 80's is always intentional. You will probably see things you totally forgot about. I'll need to buy the blu ray just to hit the pause button and see all the characters I missed watching it in the theaters.

Most of the acting happens within the Oasis. I was afraid that's we'd be stuck watching video game footage for most of the movie but instead it was done is such a way that you fall into the virtual world just like Wade does. It's believable and could be our eventual future in gaming. Overall the acting was fine and I found myself wanting to stay in the virtual world. That's where all the real fun seems to be in the movie.

Talking about stuff from the 80's, Steven Spielberg was at the forefront of making fun, feel good movies like E.T., Back the Future and Indiana Jones just to mention a few. This movie is also a throwback to this type of movie and story telling. This is not some deep philosophical tale. This is about a character and his friends beating impossible odds to save the virtual world. Spielberg borrows heavily from his own movies of the past and I'm ok with that. The amount of copyrights that must have been approved for this movie must have been a nightmare but so incredible to see on the big screen.

There's not much more to say. This is ‘Goonies’ trying to find the pirate's treasure. It's E.T. trying to find his way home. It's Marty McFly trying to get his parents together...it's the eternal struggle of overcoming an impossible challenge and winning. The formula works for a reason and it does here too. This is not be be looked at like some high drama or subliminal allegory for the world today...it's a striaght up, no nonsense, non-apologetic feel good movie. I'm not saying it's a perfect movie but it's a movie that pulls at your nostalgic heartstrings and doesn't let go until the end credits.

Parental Note: Parents of small children should be warned that there is one particular swear word that is used at least half a dozen times and then one big "F" word, which is allowed in a PG-13 film when used as a reaction, not as a physical act. There are also some zombie type creatures and other scary elements in the film that may not be appropriate for younger children.

 

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