With movies like E.T., the Indiana Jones franchise, Hook, and The BFG on his ridiculously impressive CV, Steven Spielberg has often been able to conjure up true family-friendly magic that can captivate any and all audiences. The iconic filmmaker’s latest venture sees him tackling Ernist Cline’s beloved Ready Player One tale, but is Spielberg still able to serve up the charm and spectacle that has served him so well over what many see as the greatest directing career in movie history?
Set in the it’ll-be-here-before-you-know-it future of 2045, Ready Player One finds a world rife with overpopulation, oversaturation, and a mankind that is far, far happier to turn off from their everyday mundanity and instead plug-in to what is known as the OASIS. A virtual world initially created by Mark Rylance’s James Halliday and Simon Pegg’s Ogden Morrow, this realm takes away the confines of said everyday life, allowing people to be who they want to be, to escape the poverty that surrounds them, and to live an exhilarating experience that sees them connect with the vast array of similar-minded folk across the globe. Of course, there’s a twist to all of this tranquillity, however. You see, Halliday has sadly passed away, leaving the world with a truly game-changing task to complete. This reclusive genius has hidden three magical keys within the OASIS, and the first person to find all three will get the proverbial keys to the kingdom and become the real-world and virtual-world owner of the OASIS itself.
The thing is, it’s been years since Halliday’s passing, and not even a single key has been found – let alone three! So, when Tye Sheridan’s Wade Watts, aka Parzival, shocks the world by working out the key to getting the, err, first key, this youngster is thrown into the spotlight as allies and foes lurk around every real and virtual corner. In this journey, Wade has to rely on his virtual buddies – all with their own unique avatars and all unknown to him in “real life” – to help make sure that Halliday’s quest is won by one of the good guys, as oppose to Ben Medelsohn’s Sorrento and his no-good plans to seize the OASIS for himself and his money-hungry IOI associates.
Ready Player One is simply a stunning piece of popcorn cinema. While some may see the picture as style over substance, boy is that style absolutely mesmerising! There are certain flags and items of deeper meaning regarding our potential future as society, mind, but this is a movie that is dripping in the sort of nostalgia that those of us who were around in the ‘80s will be salivating over. As the picture plays out, it turns in to a true Easter egg hunt, with references to so, so much of what made many a childhood great – all of which are pulled from the things loved by James Halliday. We won’t mention too many of them here, for that in itself is a fun enough game for you eagle-eyed sorts to play. There are, though, standard classics such as Back to the Future, King Kong, RoboCop, and plentiful cheesy musical beats to mention merely a few of the grin-inducing moments.
In terms of the performances on show, Tye Sheridan again showcases why he’s one of the brightest young talents in Hollywood, and similarly so, too, does Bates Motel’s Olivia Cooke. Here, Cooke plays the badass Art3mis within the OASIS; a character who often steals the show when on screen, and particularly as her own particular arc plays out. Ben Mendelsohn hams is up as the villain of the piece, devouring scenery at every turn in a way that doesn’t feel a million miles away from his performance in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Elsewhere, Lena Waithe, Philip Zhao, and Win Morisaki play their respective parts perfectly as Parzival’s online pals, and then there’s genre fave TJ Miller making the most of his minutes as a virtual assassin sent on a mission to put a halt to Parzival’s mission.
If we’re being completely honest, the film does sadly falter a tad in the final act, with the more real-world antics of Sorrento and the IOI trying to clinically put a stop to Wade and Co. proving to be a little underwhelming in comparison to the virtual shenanigans on show to this point. But still, what has come before said final act is some of the most visually jaw-dropping action to have come around in years. Truly, Ready Player One is an utter visual delight, and the 4K Ultra HD release is a must-buy for those with 4K capability. As for the bonus material included on this release, there’s so much for nostalgia hounds to enjoy, with pop culture references aplenty throughout the six featurettes that make up the overall package of this release.
Spielberg has yet again shown that he still has it when it comes to magical storytelling and visual spectacle. Granted, this isn’t a movie that’s going to stand out from the pack based on its plot and overall narrative, but this is a true gargantuan of the genre when it comes to visuals and gloss. And let’s face it, while we all love an intricate, deep, meaningful film at times, sometimes you just can’t beat a nice ‘n’ breezy popcorn flick – which is why Ready Player One is one big budget blockbuster worth immersing yourself in ASAP.
Special Features: Six featurettes
READY PLAYER ONE / CERT: 12 / DIRECTOR: STEVEN SPIELBERG / STARRING: TYE SHERIDAN, OLIVIA COOKE, BEN MENDELSOHN, LENA WAITHE, T.J. MILLER, SIMON PEGG, MARK RYLANCE / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
