THE EMPIRE
Background
Ready Player One is directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the book of the same name, written in 2011 by Ernest Cline. The movie is a real slice of “geek culture”, from retro to modern gaming, old and new movie and TV show references, even anime is thrown into the mix. Older viewers will have a feeling of nostalgia, while the younger audience will get excited at seeing some of their favourite characters.
Set in 2045, humanity has started to escape the undesirable real world by logging in to the OASIS. The OASIS is a virtual-reality software, that allows people to do things they want to do and be who they want to be.
Created by a now deceased James Halliday, James left a message to the world. He had hidden three challenges within the OASIS, whoever completed all three challenges first will become the rightful owner of the OASIS and Halliday’s fortune. This kicks off the movie’s story.
A Visual Playground
Ready Player One is a well done movie, one that I can see gaining a cult classic status. It’s fun yet serious, with a David vs Goliath style. The visual effects are so stunning within the OASIS it made me feel like I was in there and the bleak, trashy environment of the real world really had me wanting to jump back to the OASIS. It was captivating.
I was compelled by the story line, it really drew me in. I was excited about what was going to happen next, what was the next challenge, how are they going to beat it. It really had me thinking along instead of just watching and waiting for the outcome.
The film has many characters involved with the story line that you might think some get cut out and forgotten. Well not quite, the protagonist, Wade Watts a.k.a Parzival, has a good amount of backstory and depth to him, he’s trying to win James Halliday’s challenge so he can leave the stacks and live a good life. The antagonist IOI (Interactive Online Industries), a large business organisation headed by Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn), use people like pawns to win the quest so they can rule the OASIS with advertisements and make cash money.
The side characters are introduced nicely and are very well used. They’re not shoved down your throat and thrown away. Aech (Lena Waithe), Daito (Win Morisaki) and Sho (Phllip Zhao) are Wade’s online friends and help him out along his way. Art3mis (Olivia Cooke) is befriended by Wade and their relationship grows to a more romantic one. I was a disappointed with how little is done in the way of their backstory and character development, however they are still enjoyable. They do add a good bit to the story, so you won’t forget about the supporting cast after you leave the cinemas.
Rating
Ready Player One was an awesome movie with minor flaws. I recommend seeing this in the theater. With a run time of two hours and twenty minutes it’s worth it. I’m sticking to what I said earlier, this movie will become a cult classic.
Ready Player One gets an 8.5/10
– Hayden
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