Ready Player One (2018)

Ready Player One is exactly what I expected. And that is a very good thing.

Steven Spielberg is more or less the one who created movies like this one, and he proves once again here that he can helm a big blockbuster film in ways that few others can. There is attention to detail in the direction; there is a firm command of the power of scale; there is excitement and fun and some emotion. This is probably the most fun I’ve had watching a movie so far this year, and it is all because the man who created the template for great escapist filmmaking is back doing his thing.

Of course, Ready Player One’s escapist nature does make it suffer a tad in some areas that would seem very important like character development and a possession of deeper themes, and I know some will complain about that. While I understand how some might see this film as shallow and meaningless, there is a very good story at its core that makes me feel. It doesn’t have the emotional punch of an Oscar-nominated drama, but what it does possess is a subtle sentimental slant that makes the audience root for the protagonists in a way few other directors can create. Spielberg also does a good job highlighting the not-so-obvious dystopian themes in Ready Player One what with how the main characters are fighting for the preservation of the Oasis, the escape from their destitute reality. It’s a small element of the film, but it does offer a bit of commentary on technology and how our society relates with it.

The standout of the film, though, is its special effects. I don’t know why, but as much as I knew I was watching entire shots that were made in a computer I just couldn’t bring myself to notice. Part of this is undoubtedly because a majority of the story is set in the Oasis, a virtual reality world that is obviously meant to look a bit artificial; the other half of it, though, is that these effects are meticulous and detailed. The film feels like a video game in the truest sense; the rendering of the landscapes and objects is superb, while the motion of the human avatars has that slightly off feeling that most games have. It might seem weird to give a film praise for quirky humanoid motion, but it really does help immerse you in the film’s virtual reality setting.

The one thing that will make or break the enjoyability of Ready Player One for you, though, is whether you appreciate its references. This thing definitely pushes all the nostalgia buttons, referencing classic blockbuster entertainment from King Kong to Jurassic Park to The Iron Giant. If you aren’t familiar with major hallmarks of pop culture over the past few decades, then I can guarantee that you will not appreciate this film as much as someone like me. That being said, I appreciated how the film often used pop culture in the right way; the references are often crucial to the story, especially the sequence based around The Shining – my favorite sequence of the entire film due to both my sincere appreciation for Kubrick’s film and the quite unique way it weaves different elements of it into the challenge presented to the protagonists.

It may get a little too bogged down in its references for some, but if you don’t mind the assault of nostalgia then Ready Player One could be a very fun and relatively lightweight time at the movies. It doesn’t operate solely on a knowledge of pop culture but instead reminds me of all the excitement of classic blockbusters – some of which were even directed by Spielberg himself. Even after delving so far into the world of mature dramas, the man still has an uncanny ability to make the best kind of escapist entertainment, with a technical mastery of the craft that few others can muster.

My recommendation: See it – in a theater if you can.

My grade: 81/100