Ready Player One review

[JasonEvans]

Saw a screening last night. At the end of the movie, virtually everyone in the audience burst out in applause. That should tell you a good bit about whether this is a fun film.

So, let's start with the good: There's plenty of action and a plot that largely holds up, something that is kinda rare for an effects-heavy action films. Spielberg does a really nice job of world building, both in the Oasis and in 2045 Earth. The mix of action and humor work really nicely and allow this to be a breezy, fun journey. The acting is fine, nothing too special. Mary Rylance, as James Halliday (the creator of the Oasis), is excellent and there is some great voice work by TJ Miller. Ben Mendelsohn is rapidly becoming a go-to bad guy (he was in Rogue One) but he is a tad too over the top in this film. The younger stars are all fine, though no one really stands out.

The best part of the movie are the moments where we dive into the memories of James Halliday in search of clues about his game. One of these moments -- about 2/3rd of the way into the film -- involves an extended sequence that is ripped from a classic 1980s movie. It is fabulous and I alternated gasping with admiration and applauding at how well it all worked. It is easily one of my favorite set of scenes I have seen in many months.

https://d13ezvd6yrslxm.cloudfront.net/wp/wp-content/images/Ready-Player-One-Oasis-700x300.jpg

But, it also reveals a potential failing of the film. You really need to know pop culture history to get everything going on in this film. I worry about my 18/21 year old sons watching this film as at least half of it is not going to resonate with them at all. The movie is full of so many pop culture Easter eggs and references, I'm sure I missed a ton of them. I would sometimes notice pictures on a wall or something small in the side of a scene and admire it, but I am sure I missed a lot of them. I don't know if that is a really bad thing, but I do think there are parts of the movie that will come off as flat or uninspiring if you do not have the proper cultural references. The movie will still make sense to you, but you may not get all the jokes or enjoy the action quite as much.

As I said earlier, the plot largely holds up, but does begin to suffer a bit late in the film. The climactic battle is hard to follow at times and the back half of the movie contains more than a few "how did that happen?" or "how do they know that?" moments. I was somewhat bothered that the good guys were too good and the bad guys are too evil. I mean, how about we give these folks a little bit of nuance? But, that is often a hallmark of a Spielberg film and this is no exception.

The more I reflect on the movie, the more bothered I am that it chose to be light and breezy while not really addressing some compelling social issues that are clearly a part of this world but just glossed over by the film. I mean, this is a world where most people don't even bother to work because they are busy playing a game and yet the film does next to nothing to meaningfully address the perils of such a lifestyle both on the individual or on society as a whole. In a film that is all about geek culture, we don't see anyone who is outwardly a "nerd" or socially awkward other than James Halliday, and he is a lovable nerd. I could go on and on, but I think the movie missed a real opportunity to make us think, at least a little bit.

But, the bottom line is that it is a ton of fun and I am certain children of the 80s who are steeped in geek culture will adore it. I look forward to seeing what the rest of you think.

http://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/ready-player-one.jpg?w=780

-Jason "of note: it would be helpful for you to have at least a passing knowledge of the following pop culture items to really enjoy this film: TMNT, Godzilla, Atari video games, Back to the Future, King Kong, The Shining, Iron Giant, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Beetlejuice, Marvin the Martian, Jurassic Park, LOTR, a whole host of 1980s video games including Joust, Defender, Asteroids and much much more!!" Evans

[left_hook_lacey]

Saw a screening last night. At the end of the movie, virtually everyone in the audience burst out in applause. That should tell you a good bit about whether this is a fun film.

So, let's start with the good: There's plenty of action and a plot that largely holds up, something that is kinda rare for an effects-heavy action films. Spielberg does a really nice job of world building, both in the Oasis and in 2045 Earth. The mix of action and humor work really nicely and allow this to be a breezy, fun journey. The acting is fine, nothing too special. Mary Rylance, as James Halliday (the creator of the Oasis), is excellent and there is some great voice work by TJ Miller. Ben Mendelsohn is rapidly becoming a go-to bad guy (he was in Rogue One) but he is a tad too over the top in this film. The younger stars are all fine, though no one really stands out.

The best part of the movie are the moments where we dive into the memories of James Halliday in search of clues about his game. One of these moments -- about 2/3rd of the way into the film -- involves an extended sequence that is ripped from a classic 1980s movie. It is fabulous and I alternated gasping with admiration and applauding at how well it all worked. It is easily one of my favorite set of scenes I have seen in many months.

https://d13ezvd6yrslxm.cloudfront.net/wp/wp-content/images/Ready-Player-One-Oasis-700x300.jpg

But, it also reveals a potential failing of the film. You really need to know pop culture history to get everything going on in this film. I worry about my 18/21 year old sons watching this film as at least half of it is not going to resonate with them at all. The movie is full of so many pop culture Easter eggs and references, I'm sure I missed a ton of them. I would sometimes notice pictures on a wall or something small in the side of a scene and admire it, but I am sure I missed a lot of them. I don't know if that is a really bad thing, but I do think there are parts of the movie that will come off as flat or uninspiring if you do not have the proper cultural references. The movie will still make sense to you, but you may not get all the jokes or enjoy the action quite as much.

As I said earlier, the plot largely holds up, but does begin to suffer a bit late in the film. The climactic battle is hard to follow at times and the back half of the movie contains more than a few "how did that happen?" or "how do they know that?" moments. I was somewhat bothered that the good guys were too good and the bad guys are too evil. I mean, how about we give these folks a little bit of nuance? But, that is often a hallmark of a Spielberg film and this is no exception.

The more I reflect on the movie, the more bothered I am that it chose to be light and breezy while not really addressing some compelling social issues that are clearly a part of this world but just glossed over by the film. I mean, this is a world where most people don't even bother to work because they are busy playing a game and yet the film does next to nothing to meaningfully address the perils of such a lifestyle both on the individual or on society as a whole. In a film that is all about geek culture, we don't see anyone who is outwardly a "nerd" or socially awkward other than James Halliday, and he is a lovable nerd. I could go on and on, but I think the movie missed a real opportunity to make us think, at least a little bit.

But, the bottom line is that it is a ton of fun and I am certain children of the 80s who are steeped in geek culture will adore it. I look forward to seeing what the rest of you think.

http://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/ready-player-one.jpg?w=780

-Jason "of note: it would be helpful for you to have at least a passing knowledge of the following pop culture items to really enjoy this film: TMNT, Godzilla, Atari video games, Back to the Future, King Kong, The Shining, Iron Giant, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Beetlejuice, Marvin the Martian, Jurassic Park, LOTR, a whole host of 1908s video games including Joust, Defender, Asteroids and much much more!!" Evans

Be still my heart.

[tbyers11]

As I said earlier, the plot largely holds up, but does begin to suffer a bit late in the film. The climactic battle is hard to follow at times and the back half of the movie contains more than a few "how did that happen?" or "how do they know that?" moments. I was somewhat bothered that the good guys were too good and the bad guys are too evil. I mean, how about we give these folks a little bit of nuance? But, that is often a hallmark of a Spielberg film and this is no exception.

The more I reflect on the movie, the more bothered I am that it chose to be light and breezy while not really addressing some compelling social issues that are clearly a part of this world but just glossed over by the film. I mean, this is a world where most people don't even bother to work because they are busy playing a game and yet the film does next to nothing to meaningfully address the perils of such a lifestyle both on the individual or on society as a whole. In a film that is all about geek culture, we don't see anyone who is outwardly a "nerd" or socially awkward other than James Halliday, and he is a lovable nerd. I could go on and on, but I think the movie missed a real opportunity to make us think, at least a little bit.

But, the bottom line is that it is a ton of fun and I am certain children of the 80s who are steeped in geek culture will adore it. I look forward to see what the rest of you think.

-Jason "of note: it would be helpful for you to have at least a passing knowledge of the following pop culture items to really enjoy this film: TMNT, Godzilla, Atari video games, Back to the Future, King Kong, The Shining, Iron Giant, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Beetlejuice, Marvin the Martian, Jurassic Park, LOTR, a whole host of 1908s video games including Joust, Defender, Asteroids and much much more!!" Evans

Thanks for the review Jason. I really liked this book and am anxious to see the film.

Have you read the book? Your point about the good guys being too good and the bad guys being too bad was one of my few negatives from the book. It may be a Spielbergian trait but he was, IMO, consistent with the source material here.

Your second point (that I bolded above) about the lack of discussion of social issues is a bit disappointing to me. In the book, many people "live" in the online Oasis because natural resources have become scarce (very few can afford a personal car and no one, beyond the uber rich, can afford a plane flight), the economy collapsed, and jobs are few and far between. In fact, Wade says in the beginning of the book that his generation (teenagers in 2045) were the first generation to grow up knowing that world was a much worse place for them than it was for their parents. As a parent myself that resonated with me.

I was going to close with a bit about the immersive sequence from the 80s movie you mentioned. I wanted to make sure it was the same movie as in the book (I know a lot things had to be changed in the movie due to licensing issues) and I came across this article (http://www.indiewire.com/2018/03/ready-player-one-differences-book-movie-1201943145/2/) that says the immersive movie sequence is totally different (along with 15 other things) in Spielberg's movie. I'm a bit bummed now. I know movies are rarely as good as the books but man this seems a lot different.

Anyway if you haven't read the book and are really into 80s pop culture, I'd recommend reading the book.

[DUKIECB]

Jason, once again I need your help in determining age appropriateness for my 9 year old son. I asked you about Black Panther and we both agreed with you and thought it was milder than some of the other in the Marvel Universe (he has seen most of those). I am mainly concerned with language and vulgarity. Thoughts?

[BD80]

Saw a screening last night. ... it would be helpful for you to have at least a passing knowledge of ... a whole host of 1908s video games ...

That was the year I started playing video games!

I remember Pong, but back then there was only one paddle. I got really good at serving ...

[JasonEvans]

Jason, once again I need your help in determining age appropriateness for my 9 year old son. I asked you about Black Panther and we both agreed with you and thought it was milder than some of the other in the Marvel Universe (he has seen most of those). I am mainly concerned with language and vulgarity. Thoughts?

To me, this is an even easier call than BP. The film is very kid friendly. There is no sex at all (I think there are 2 fairly mild kissing scenes) and certainly no nudity (there is a scene with a naked woman, but she is 100% covered up). I'm trying to recall if there were any F-bombs or other swears but I don't think there were.

The two hesitations I would have are:

1 - The extended scene I spoke about in my review as being from a classic '80s movie does have some horror elements to it (including a good bit of blood at one point). I would not quite describe it as gory, but there is blood and some real horror elements on screen. It it tinged with humor (believe it or not) and I suspect it will not bother your child, but I wanted you to be warned.

2- Obviously, my major warning about knowing pop culture characters from the '80s means many of the references in the movie are going to be completely lost on your child. I mean, Buckaroo Bonzai... no way your kid will have any idea what they are talking about. That said, I think it is a movie that can be enjoyed even if you don't get the references and just let the action wash over you. There will be plenty of scenes where you are laughing and your kid won't be, but I think the somewhat simplistic plot will work quite nicely for a younger audience.

-Jason "it is PG-13, but is a lot lot lot closer to PG than it is to R" Evans

[JasonEvans]

Your second point (that I bolded above) about the lack of discussion of social issues is a bit disappointing to me. In the book, many people "live" in the online Oasis because natural resources have become scarce (very few can afford a personal car and no one, beyond the uber rich, can afford a plane flight), the economy collapsed, and jobs are few and far between. In fact, Wade says in the beginning of the book that his generation (teenagers in 2045) were the first generation to grow up knowing that world was a much worse place for them than it was for their parents. As a parent myself that resonated with me.

Yeah, the movie only skimmed the surface of these kind of things. I don't recall any line about the world being worse than it was for their parents. As I said in my review, I was disappointed that the film did not have more heft to it. But, I think Spielberg wanted to just do something fun and action-packed. He wasn't into making another Minority Report, Munich, The Terminal, or Amistad.


I was going to close with a bit about the immersive sequence from the 80s movie you mentioned. I wanted to make sure it was the same movie as in the book (I know a lot things had to be changed in the movie due to licensing issues) and I came across this article (http://www.indiewire.com/2018/03/ready-player-one-differences-book-movie-1201943145/2/) that says the immersive movie sequence is totally different (along with 15 other things) in Spielberg's movie. I'm a bit bummed now. I know movies are rarely as good as the books but man this seems a lot different.

Anyway if you haven't read the book and are really into 80s pop culture, I'd recommend reading the book.

I took a good friend who had read the book. He enjoyed the movie a lot and said he liked and appreciated the many differences from the book. It allowed him to be surprised at how the story played out.

[rasputin]

But, it also reveals a potential failing of the film. You really need to know pop culture history to get everything going on in this film. I worry about my 18/21 year old sons watching this film as at least half of it is not going to resonate with them at all. The movie is full of so many pop culture Easter eggs and references, I'm sure I missed a ton of them. I would sometimes notice pictures on a wall or something small in the side of a scene and admire it, but I am sure I missed a lot of them. I don't know if that is a really bad thing, but I do think there are parts of the movie that will come off as flat or uninspiring if you do not have the proper cultural references. The movie will still make sense to you, but you may not get all the jokes or enjoy the action quite as much.

As I said earlier, the plot largely holds up, but does begin to suffer a bit late in the film. The climactic battle is hard to follow at times and the back half of the movie contains more than a few "how did that happen?" or "how do they know that?" moments. I was somewhat bothered that the good guys were too good and the bad guys are too evil. I mean, how about we give these folks a little bit of nuance? But, that is often a hallmark of a Spielberg film and this is no exception.

The more I reflect on the movie, the more bothered I am that it chose to be light and breezy while not really addressing some compelling social issues that are clearly a part of this world but just glossed over by the film. I mean, this is a world where most people don't even bother to work because they are busy playing a game and yet the film does next to nothing to meaningfully address the perils of such a lifestyle both on the individual or on society as a whole. In a film that is all about geek culture, we don't see anyone who is outwardly a "nerd" or socially awkward other than James Halliday, and he is a lovable nerd. I could go on and on, but I think the movie missed a real opportunity to make us think, at least a little bit.

But, the bottom line is that it is a ton of fun and I am certain children of the 80s who are steeped in geek culture will adore it. I look forward to seeing what the rest of you think.

http://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/ready-player-one.jpg?w=780

-Jason "of note: it would be helpful for you to have at least a passing knowledge of the following pop culture items to really enjoy this film: TMNT, Godzilla, Atari video games, Back to the Future, King Kong, The Shining, Iron Giant, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Beetlejuice, Marvin the Martian, Jurassic Park, LOTR, a whole host of 1908s video games including Joust, Defender, Asteroids and much much more!!" Evans

Your listing of all the pop culture stuff made me feel old.

[tbyers11]

Yeah, the movie only skimmed the surface of these kind of things. I don't recall any line about the world being worse than it was for their parents. As I said in my review, I was disappointed that the film did not have more heft to it. But, I think Spielberg wanted to just do something fun and action-packed. He wasn't into making another Minority Report, Munich, The Terminal, or Amistad.



I took a good friend who had read the book. He enjoyed the movie a lot and said he liked and appreciated the many differences from the book. It allowed him to be surprised at how the story played out.

Thanks for the review from a book reader. I definitely still want to see it.

I just liked WarGames a lot more than The Shining :D

[El_Diablo]

I read the book but thought it was pretty bad (even though I really wanted to like it, based on the subject matter). I might give the movie version a chance when it comes out on DVD though.

[Highlander]

Jason, once again I need your help in determining age appropriateness for my 9 year old son. I asked you about Black Panther and we both agreed with you and thought it was milder than some of the other in the Marvel Universe (he has seen most of those). I am mainly concerned with language and vulgarity. Thoughts?

CB - check out this website (www.kids-in-mind.com). It does a great job of breaking down any objectionable content in a film so you can review it and decide for yourself whether it is appropriate. It doesn't cover the overall "feel" or plot of the story, however, but I have found it quite useful. Here's there take on "Ready Player One"

http://www.kids-in-mind.com/r/readyplayerone.htm

[DUKIECB]

CB - check out this website (www.kids-in-mind.com). It does a great job of breaking down any objectionable content in a film so you can review it and decide for yourself whether it is appropriate. It doesn't cover the overall "feel" or plot of the story, however, but I have found it quite useful. Here's there take on "Ready Player One"

http://www.kids-in-mind.com/r/readyplayerone.htmThanks! Very helpful

[JasonEvans]

Anyone see it this weekend? I am eager to see what others think.

[juise]

CB - check out this website (www.kids-in-mind.com). It does a great job of breaking down any objectionable content in a film so you can review it and decide for yourself whether it is appropriate. It doesn't cover the overall "feel" or plot of the story, however, but I have found it quite useful. Here's there take on "Ready Player One"

http://www.kids-in-mind.com/r/readyplayerone.htm

I really like Common Sense Media (https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/ready-player-one) for this purpose as well.

[stevoflurane]

Loved it. Read the book (twice, don’t judge) , and knew it was going to be very different. But it did not disappoint. References in the movie were more mainstream than a lot in the book (for me who was born in ‘82). Really a fun movie. Would go see it again in a heartbeat.

Agree with some of the criticism about character development and social issues, but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment.

The one big disappointment (not really) was the lack of a post credit scene. I figured in a movie about Easter eggs that would be a great place to put (another) one.

[JasonEvans]

The one big disappointment (not really) was the lack of a post credit scene. I figured in a movie about Easter eggs that would be a great place to put (another) one.

You didn't get a post-credit scene? So, this is the 63rd film directed by Steven Spielberg. So, if the person sitting is row 6, seat 3 stays seated for the entire credits, the post-credit scene rolls. If that person stands up, you don't get it.

[luburch]

Caught a showing this weekend. I had low expectations going in and was pleasantly surprised. Last 20ish minutes it got a little weak, but I still enjoyed it.

[camion]

You didn't get a post-credit scene? So, this is the 63rd film directed by Steven Spielberg. So, if the person sitting is row 6, seat 3 stays seated for the entire credits, the post-credit scene rolls. If that person stands up, you don't get it.

Is that the third seat counted while facing the screen or facing the audience? And is it okay of the person stands in place rather than remaing seated? :confused:

[Highlander]

I liked it overall. I thought they were faithful to the overall theme of the story, even though several details were lacking. I disliked the insertion of the Shining over War Games during the hunt. I liked the homage to Rush 2112 with Aech's T-Shirt and the poster in Halladay's bedroom at the end.

One of the things I enjoyed about the book was how well Cline built his setting. He went to great lengths to show how anything was possible in the Oasis. Want to visit middle earth? Jump in here. Want to go to Star Wars universe? Absolutely? More of a Star Trek guy? Well, just go here. The classroom scene in the book was my favorite because of how it allowed for the characters to explore but also set limits on what they could do to maintain order. I wish they'd left it in, but certainly understand how the first task in the book wasn't nearly as exciting as how they played it out on film.

Overall it was a fun movie. I would have loved to have more 80's easter eggs, but can understand why they left them out since most of the target audience (18-30) wouldn't get them. And I'm sure licensing all that IP would have cost a pretty penny.

[JasonEvans]

It got an A- Cinemascore, which seems to indicate the folks who bought tickets really liked it. The opening weekend number is $41+ mil, which is about 5 mil more than Hollywood had been expecting. I'm betting everyone associated with this flick will be pleased by the results. It is scoring big overseas too ($128 mil so far, a great number).

-Jason "I'm betting this film hits $600+ mil in worldwide boxoffice... not bad at all for a film with no established stars" Evans

[PackMan97]

Saw it last night. Enjoyed it for the most part.

My least favorite part was the greedy corporate butthole as the bad guy. *yawn* I saw that movie it was called the Aliens series, no wait it was Tyrell Corp from Bladerunner, no way it was Omni from Robocop, no it Umbrella from Resident Evil, no it was the Resources Development Administration in Avatar, no wait it was InGen from Jurrasic Park, oh wait...definitely Soylent because people, or maybe Cyberdyne....no it's definitely Energy Corp from Rollerball, no I think it's definitely the Eco Protectorate from Solarbabies! That's it! Solarbabies!

So, that's really my biggest gripe from the movie is the lame evil corporation that wants to be a ruining ruiner to everything good and just in the world. Not to mention that lame very very end of the movie.

[BD80]

Saw RP1 over the weekend and enjoyed it immensely. Highly recommend it. I enjoyed the fact that it differed from the book, it made it more interesting.

I was traveling, and saw the film at a "Flix" franchise in Indiana, where the serve restaurant quality food and alcoholic beverages to the seats during the show.

Before the previews to the movie, they were showing clips from old movies, I thought as a filler to keep the patrons entertained while ordering or enjoying there food and beverages.

After the movie, I realized that 3 of the clips they had shown - "The Iron Giant," "Star Wars - Empire Strikes Back," and "Back to the Future" figured prominently in RP1. Were these clips shown in other cinema chains? What other clips did I miss?

[luburch]

Saw RP1 over the weekend and enjoyed it immensely. Highly recommend it. I enjoyed the fact that it differed from the book, it made it more interesting.

I was traveling, and saw the film at a "Flix" franchise in Indiana, where the serve restaurant quality food and alcoholic beverages to the seats during the show.

Before the previews to the movie, they were showing clips from old movies, I thought as a filler to keep the patrons entertained while ordering or enjoying there food and beverages.

After the movie, I realized that 3 of the clips they had shown - "The Iron Giant," "Star Wars - Empire Strikes Back," and "Back to the Future" figured prominently in RP1. Were these clips shown in other cinema chains? What other clips did I miss?

I did not get these clips before the showing at my theater.

On a side note, what did you think of Flix? I've been to the one in Carmel once. It was alright, but I wouldn't go for a movie I was thoroughly invested in.

[BD80]

I did not get these clips before the showing at my theater.

On a side note, what did you think of Flix? I've been to the one in Carmel once. It was alright, but I wouldn't go for a movie I was thoroughly invested in.

I was also at the Carmel Flix and enjoyed the experience, but agree that it isn't for all movies. An action adventure type movie is perfect, wait staff walking by is not as disruptive and you can enjoy a meal while watching the movie.