Ready Player One

Ready Player One

Starring Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Rylance

Directed by Steven Spielberg

The Story:
In Columbus in 2045, overpopulation has reduced society to living in stories-tall mobile homes, and there's literally nothing to do in the real world.  Years earlier, James Halliday (Mark Rylance) and his partner Ogden Morrow (Simon Pegg) create the OASIS - a virtual world where you can be anything and anyone you want, explore the most glorious worlds, engage in the most fierce battles, and basically escape from the mediocrity of reality.

When Halliday dies, he leaves an Easter Egg in the OASIS - anyone who finds the three keys will inherit the company and basically have complete control.  Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) and his friends attempt to find the keys, but so does Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn), the CEO of another company who wants complete control over OASIS as well.

The Synopsis:
The 1980s was the decade of Steven Spielberg, and he's left an indelible print in cinema.  From directing films like "Raiders of the Lost Ark" to producing classics like "Back to the Future," the 80s wouldn't have been the same without him, and neither would cinema as a whole.  It's no wonder why he's this generation's most decorated, honored, and esteemed directors.

So when he adapted the novel "Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline, it came as no surprise: the book is filled to the brim with pop culture references that often reference Spielberg's own work.  While watching the film, it seemed that it all came from Spielberg's mind and not Cline, as if he inhaled hundreds of pop culture references and blew them out on the screen.  Although that sounds like a negative image, the film is the total opposite - it's a love letter to those who grew up in the 80s, and brought Spielberg back to a film where you felt like you were watching his 80s work.

The story is one we've heard before (most notably "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"): a reclusive billionaire leaves his business for someone of special significance, a nobody who rises among the ranks and becomes a hero for all.  What makes "Ready Player One" so great isn't the Oscar-caliber story or acting, but rather the beautifully visual effects and references.  You can watch the film several times and each time you'll find a new reference you missed before, and each time you'll still be entertained.

After the 80s, Spielberg turned to a more serious tone with his films ("Saving Private Ryan," "Schindler's List," "Bridge of Spies"), so "Ready Player One" is a refreshing look back to his earlier work, where the nostalgia is there both on screen and through the mind of the viewer.  Even though the effects are bigger and better, there's no doubt you're watching Spielberg at his 80s glory.

What makes the film interesting is that this is something that, realistically, could happen in the near future.  Society has nothing to do in the real world, so everyone retreats to the OASIS - an online gaming community as large as your imagination, where you can be anyone, do anything, and live a rich, full life - online.  There's already people out there who spend more time in the virtual world than the real one, and with how fast technology is progressing, I wouldn't be surprised if a program of this caliber is released in the next ten years or so.

Tye Sheridan ("X-Men: Apocalypse," "Mud") stars as Wade Watts (Parzival in the online world), the everyman of the story, who wants to win the quest and earn the rights to the OASIS so he can leave his lower class life.  To me, Sheridan reminds me of Ansel Elgort from "Baby Driver" - both actors I don't necessarily think are great, and even though they're the main stars, they are the weakest part of their respective films.  Here he takes the Matt Damon role (basically how Damon also likes to take the role of the everyman in films that don't have the name "Bourne" attached to it) where he just wants a better life, and manages to correlate a base around him, despite being totally inept and not the smartest tool in the shed in most situations.

Wade's antagonist is Nolan Sorrento, played by the ever-villainous Ben Mendelsohn.  Nolan is the quintessential 80s bad guy - a hard-nosed businessman who seeks power and wealth above all else.  He doesn't offer more than this, but it's also not required him to do so.  Unlike other villains, we don't need to know his complete backstory to know he's a complete d-bag - he just is.  

The supporting cast are more interesting than Sheridan, and it's a shame they're not more fully flushed out.  Olivia Cooke stars as Wade's love interest Samantha (also known as Art3mis), who's a no-nonsense, wise-cracking, highly intelligent girl who seeks to control OASIS to keep it out of the hands of Nolan Sorrento for personal reasons, and she gets some standout scenes where she proves she's more than just a simple love interest.  Lena Waithe plays Helen (Aech), who's Wade's best friend online and is the wise-cracking sidekick who is fluent with fixing things and also creates the Iron Giant in the game, and she has some commanding performances in the real world as well.

Speaking of the Iron Giant, what makes the film so visually stunning is the events that take place in the OASIS.  The big car chase scene is impeccable and glorious, as cars (including Parzival's Delorean) crash into each other at high speeds, and if that wasn't enough, they're also chased around the city streets by the T-Rex from "Jurassic Park" and King Kong in such tense ways it's like that ride you take at Universal, and Spielberg makes you feel like you're in the midst of the race as well.

Then there's an entire section dedicated to Stephen King's "The Shining" that's a nerdest's dream, along with a final battle that includes a vendible who's who in pop culture - you see the soldiers from Halo, the Iron Giant, Chucky, Gremlins, and so many more of your favorite movie and video game characters fighting together it's absolutely mind-boggling in the best way possible.

Then there's the music, which is a beautiful addition to the 80s motif.  Songs like "We're Not Gonna Take It," "Jump," and "I Hate Myself for Loving You" play at the most important parts of the film, and New Order's "Blue Monday" is absolutely perfect at the club scene. 

Sure, the film isn't perfect - it could've been shortened down a bit, I wonder why there's so much emphasis of 80s pop culture in a film set sixty years after the fact - but the minor problems are eclipsed by the visual wonder that I beheld.  When Spielberg himself says this film was the third hardest film he's ever made, that's saying something for a man of his pedigree.

I tend to not talk at the movie during the movie, and I found myself getting so engrossed in the story that I was literally talking to the movie - something I always made fun of people doing, and there I was doing the thing I always hated.  That's how invested I was in the story, that it was able to keep my attention and draw me in so completely I lost myself in the tale. 

The Summary:
You want to see a visionary wonder filled to the brim with your biggest pop culture references growing up directed by one of the world's most acclaimed directors returning to his 80s prime, "Ready Player One" is the film for you.

The Score: A+