Anyone who derided Ready Player One for being too nostalgia heavy is a heartless soul who is devoid of joy in their life! That joy you get when you hear that first galactic video game sound in Lupe Fiasco’s “Daydreamin’”, or the flip of the comic book at the beginning of the next Marvel Movie, or that first note from the celesta in “Hedwig’s Theme” from Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone. Maybe those aren’t the references that gets your nerd senses tingling. Just insert whatever makes the kid (or grown ass kid) in you smile from ear-to-ear. Ready Player One has all the ingredients to a nerdgasm of cataclysmic proportions and is the most fun in a movie theater since EVERY movie that was ever the most fun in a movie theater.
Ready Player One, based off the Ernest Cline novel of the same name, tells the story of Wade Watts, one of millions of people living out their lives in a virtual reality world called The OASIS. When the creator of the virtual world dies, he leaves behind a challenge to find an Easter egg which will bestow upon its discoverer his fortune and control of The OASIS.
This movie is a love letter to pop culture in every sense of the word. It encapsulates what pop culture geeks love about music, movies, video games, television, books and sports. Not just the fantasy worlds and imaginary (or “untouchable”) people you want to befriend, but also the connections and communities that are created through a shared love of one, or a collection of many singular things. The themes explored speak on how out-of-touch with reality the digital age can make us, but also how much it creates imagination, courage, love, and friendship. It dialogues on the benefits and downsides of a cyber society without preaching that one side of the argument is better than the other. The nostalgia that popular culture generates can fashion memories that shape who you are through a lifetime, and this movie focuses on how that CULTURE generates a seamless balance of the virtual and realistic through those memories that are created with others.
Ready Player One has its faults. During the first 3rd of the movie, the real world was far less interesting than The OASIS. The virtual reality was fast paced and fun (that amazing racing scene from the trailer lives here) while the real world felt sluggish and cliché, creating choppy pacing early on. Luckily, as the movie progressed the pacing of the real world caught up to its counterpart and the back and forth between both realities fit like two sides of the same coin. There are also some way-too-convenient plot points that push the characters forward without a proper explanation. These faults were fairly consistent throughout the film, but they were easy to look past because you are having too much fun with everything that goes right with the film.
The visuals make you want to go see this more than twice, not only for the astonishing digital world and the gutturally beautiful real world, but to also catch any of the millions of Easter Eggs you may have missed the first time. The 80s score was the perfect sounding board to propel the nostalgia to new heights. Weirdly, there were some scenes that looked and sounded as if it was off of an old VHS tape. Whether that was purposeful or because this movie is MEANT to be seen in IMAX (which I did not do for some dumb reason), it actually fit in with the nostalgic vibe.
That fun, smile-inducing, nostalgia-is-life vibe is primarily generated by the great ensemble cast. Tye Sheridan’s performance as Wade Watts was two-fold. It had a warm and jovial childlike quality inside the OASIS, and carried a desperate longing to escape outside of it. But it suffered from the same early problems as the real world’s pacing. His first scenes in reality felt like a rehashed version of 8 Mile-like escapism tropes (I swore it was Kim Basinger the first time i saw Wade's aunt). But his character development over the course of the plot proved that his initially annoying naivety was an essential beginning to an arc that made the finale way more satisfying. That development was vastly shaped by vibrant supporting characters.
Artemis (Olivia Cooke) was enthralling and grounded. The villainous Sorrento and F’Nale (Ben Mendelsohn and Hannah John-Kamen) were unique versions of the age-old businessman and henchwoman. They were flawed, fearful, and dependent on others, allowing them to be fun antagonists that could still deal the heroes damage. Lena Waithe and Mark Rylance were the movie’s scene stealers. Waithe’s Aech, Wade’s best friend, was relatable, intelligent, hilarious and lovably cocky (yet insecure) both inside and outside The OASIS. Rylance’s Halliday, the OASIS’ creator, was relatable, intelligent, hilarious, and awkwardly insecure (yet cocky) both before and after his death. The entire casts’ rapport is the vehicle that drives everything that makes the film all kinds of enjoyable.
Spielberg is back at his blockbuster best with Ready Player One. When his big epics hit, they hit massively. He is capable of capturing grand scope and awe while connecting to the minute character details that magnify the wonder that has captivated audiences for generations. It's been a long time since he has done this so masterfully. I have to wonder if this is what it felt like when Jurassic Park first came out. Collider Video, creators of the Movie Trivia Schmoedown (I wrote a post about them back in September), is currently airing a Top 10 Spielberg Movies Countdown on YouTube. Ready Player One will live on to be a bottom-half of the list Spielberg classic. I give it 9/10 Easter eggs that I would love to spoil right now but don’t want to dampen your experience while watching the film yourself.