Ready Player One - Review
This review of Ready Player One is spoiler-free!
We know Hollywood as a world of remasters, remakes, and adaptations. Throughout the history of film, this has become commonplace as unique ideas are often hard to come by with 100 years of movies already out there in the wild. For many people, there's a sense of confusion and inability to take what they read in a book and accept that it will be different when it comes to life on the big or small screen. Especially true for some popular drama series like Harry Potter and Twilight, fans of the books aren't satisfied by the stories on screen. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, the book, is an ode to the 1980s and the origins of video games and pop culture. When it was announced that this reference filled novel was going to be adapted to screen, many readers of the book were concerned. Could it recreate the book in a faithful manner or would it be something entirely different? Well, I'll tell you all from the very beginning that this Ready Player One is not the book. The same basic story structure and plot are there, but nearly every detail has been recreated for the big screen and updated to fit the modern times. So, without any more waiting, let's discuss!
Ready Player One is the story of Wade Watts. Given that name, because it sounds like that of a superhero (Peter Parker, Clark Kent), Wade lives in the stacks of Columbus, Ohio in the year 2045. The world has hit its peak and the only place left to go is inside the virtual world of the OASIS. The OASIS was created to be a haven for people in a gloomy world, one of which happened to be it's creator James Halliday. You can do anything there, and be anyone you want. When Halliday died, it was announced that a contest would take place, whoever found a hidden easter egg within the OASIS would inherit total control of the virtual world, and half a trillion dollars. Upon this announcement, the world enters into a frenzy, and Wade, along with his friends the High-Five, joins the fray. The problem? There's an evil corporation who seeks to exploit the OASIS for monetary gain. So it's up to Wade and the other players in the OASIS to win the contest and keep it out of their hands.
So, there's a lot of story here that's given to you in a very short amount of time. For me, this film flew at near lightspeed, so many essential story moments felt almost like blink and you'll miss it moments. And for a movie that has a runtime nearing 2 and a half hours, that is shocking. Having read the novel, I knew that there were some very cheesy moments in the story, so I knew not everything would be to my liking on screen. I'll discuss a major one in a bit, but Spielberg does something fantastic here. He manages to essentially reimagine the world of Ready Player One with the author Ernest Cline, in a way that makes sense for the screen and still gives readers of the book a reason to smile. It's a story of excitement, but something we've seen in different forms of the years. But truthfully, Ready Player One doesn't need a groundbreaking story to be a successful and great film in its own right.
Now, what makes Ready Player One such an exciting movie is the look of everything. Having some of the absolute best visuals I've seen in film history altogether, there's so much to love here. Having the majority of the story takes place in the virtual world means that there was always going to be a heavy reliance on 3D-rendering and CGI, and Spielberg and his team make it look absolutely incredible. This is a film that deserves to be seen on the largest screen possible, it's a wash of color and excitement that you'll find yourself smiling and laughing at nearly every moment. From King Kong and a T-Rex to small details like the look of Wade's avatar Parzival, everything is handled with care. As a fan of color and brightness in film, this is a joy to watch. The OASIS is, for me at least, an achievement in what visuals can do to make a movie better.
So, finally let's take some time to talk about the characters of Ready Player One. Tye Sheridan plays our main character, Wade Watts. Sheridan gives a great performance of a conflicted but giddy young boy. He's nervous around girls, he's confident when looking into a challenging situation, and he's ready to take on the world. He's made this place his own over time, and he's used to it. Sheridan's ability to show off this confidence and arrange of emotions is great. But, we can't talk about Wade without talking about Olivia Cooke's Art3mis. A well-known hunter of the egg, ARt3mis is the object of Wade's affection throughout the movie. While their chemistry on screen is great, sometimes it felt like their emotional moments were a bit too cheesy and overextended. I understand this is a blockbuster film and it's trying to get every audience it can, but I didn't need so much hammering home of their relationship. We knew they felt for each other, it didn't need to be such a critical plot moment whenever they talked about love. Their relationship does seem to happen quickly as well, but that's a sacrifice that had to be made with the pace of this film.
So, I've talked about the standouts from the main cast, but I want to also tackle the supporting cast. Firstly, Mark Rylance's performance as Halliday is awkward, but it's meant to be so it works absolutely perfectly. Halliday is an awkward introvert of a man, and Rylance exudes anxiety when he's on screen. Another standout is T.J. Miller as i-R0k, a character who plays an entirely different role in the film adaptation. Miller is witty and has some of the best comedic moments of the entire movie. Finally, for my last positive standout, I have Nolan Sorrento, the leader of IOI. Ben Mendelsohn portrays this corporate villain, and he's excellent. He's not an over the top villain either, he manages to keep it below the surface and plays himself a bit cockier. But, I have one final standout in a negative form. Hannah John-Kamen plays IOI's real-world operations leader F'Nale Zandor. She's a bit too gimmicky and evil, she really feels like a mustache-twirling and over the top angry character, and her scenes nearly managed to throw me out of the thrillseeking the movie provided.
Wrapping up my thoughts on Ready Player One, I can safely say that this film was a complete success. Spielberg manages to adapt a story that some could consider unadaptable, and make a fun thrill ride that pays homage to its source material but doesn't commit too much to it. Sure some fans of the novel will be disappointed, but when a film isn't a perfect adaption of the book form, that doesn't make it a bad movie. Ready Player One stands on its own and creates a fun story that all audiences can enjoy. With endearing main characters and visuals that trump almost any film out today, the experience that this film provides is something few others can. Even though there are some bumps in the road with the story, I can't deny the overall fun factor this movie has. I believe its finally time you all entered the OASIS.
