Ready Player One (2018)

Ready Player One (2018)

7/10

Starring

Tye Sheridan

Olivia Cooke

Ben Mendelsohn

Lena Waithe

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Get ready for CGI at the MAX with a fantastic storyline—this sci-fi adventure film is everything you’d expect from Steven Spielberg. Spielberg didn’t just direct another masterpiece; he painted a picture. His brush was the present geeky thing the world is all about—Virtual Reality—and his paint was the next geeky thing Silicon Valley is trying to master—Artificial Intelligence.

Here’s a movie showing us a future not so far off, as it’s set in 2045, where everyone plugs into virtual reality to have a life. That virtual world was created by and is named OASIS. With a screenplay penned by Zak Penn (The Avengers, 2012) and the writer of the book the movie is based on, Ernest Cline, Spielberg took their screenplay and made a visually exciting film that you can’t watch without being amazed.

The plot of Ready Player One starts with the introduction of the lead character, Wade, who lost his parents and now lives with his aunt. They live in the year 2045, where overpopulation and environmental disasters have wrecked the world. Wade created a dock for himself outside the home so he can connect to the OASIS, a virtual world that’s also connected to the real world, where you can make money and have a life. In the OASIS, Wade made friends, and his best friend is Aech, who runs a garage in the OASIS.

The creator of the OASIS died and left behind a game within the OASIS—a game where the user must find three keys. Upon finding the keys, the person will become the owner of the OASIS and the creator’s fortune.

Wade and Aech have been trying their best to get past the first task to get the first key, and it’s during this that he meets and forms a group called the High Five, consisting of him (Parzival), Aech, Art3mis, Anorak, and Daito. These are their avatar names in the virtual world. The High Five and other users are up against a rich corporation called IOI, which wants to get the keys and own the OASIS.

The movie is based on a 2011 book of the same name, and in the film, the musical score is old-school 70s and 80s style—very soothing and fitting for the happenings on screen. The pat on the back goes to the animators, as this movie would have been hard to craft. I can’t imagine how much work went into fusing together real-life action and a game-like setting. The movie has many themes (Alien, Mortal Kombat, and more), characters, and stuff from various recognizable franchises, and it’s not afraid to throw them in your face.

Here’s a movie you’ll see and love. You’ll throw much appreciation Spielberg’s way for what he’s crafted, and in many ways, this movie will throw some enlightenment your way. Happy viewing!