Read Negative User Reviews for Ready Player One

2

ExistentialmanMar 29, 2018

I enjoyed reading the Ready Player One novel and listening to the audio book. Unfortunately the movie was a huge disappointment. The tone of movie is inconsistent, sometimes it's very real and at other times it's completely contrived andI enjoyed reading the Ready Player One novel and listening to the audio book. Unfortunately the movie was a huge disappointment. The tone of movie is inconsistent, sometimes it's very real and at other times it's completely contrived and fairy tale. In the end it seems like it was targeted for 12 year olds. Some of the scenes work and others fall flat. The humor never really connects and feels forced. It doesn't feel like an adaptation of the novel, instead it feels like an adaption of a video game based on the novel.… Expand

21 of 49 users found this helpful2128

All this user's reviews

0

BzoneOct 6, 2021

The dude gave the challenge to the entire player base, but without the 1st key there's no hint on obtaining the rest of the keys. Just too many "wtf" and "why" moments.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

All this user's reviews

2

ApproximatelyApr 3, 2018

Imagine if you'd just read the book 'The Matrix' and though, wow! The film is just four weeks away! And then in the film, half of what Neo does is done by Trinity and in a disappointingly not very cool / dumbed-down fashion.

This film isImagine if you'd just read the book 'The Matrix' and though, wow! The film is just four weeks away! And then in the film, half of what Neo does is done by Trinity and in a disappointingly not very cool / dumbed-down fashion.

This film is sometimes fun in a splashy sort of way. What is annoying is that the changes seem intended to give Artemis a kick-ass girl-power role. What the director seems to have missed is that she already was kick-ass in the book in a more subtle way. In making these changes, Parsival became a shadow of the character he should be.

I tried hard to like it.… Expand

9 of 15 users found this helpful96

All this user's reviews

1

naxiloApr 3, 2018

Didn't really stay true to the novel nor much of the 80's culture that was the theme of much of the story. Wouldn't of been much of an issue for the movie going its own route if the novel wasn't just a far superior story over all. The movieDidn't really stay true to the novel nor much of the 80's culture that was the theme of much of the story. Wouldn't of been much of an issue for the movie going its own route if the novel wasn't just a far superior story over all. The movie just feels like the typical boy meets girl with a sprinkle of virtual reality thrown in and cameos all over the place. If you didn't read the book, you'll probably like the movie. It's a pretty simple weekend flick. Otherwise don't go in with a lot of expectations. Spielberg has to stop making movies.… Expand

10 of 17 users found this helpful107

All this user's reviews

2

BuggynelsonApr 1, 2018

Where do I start with this piece of garbage. How you could turn a great book into an average movie, only Spielberg knows. An exciting story has been traded for flashy cgi scenes and cringe worthy acting from all cast members. If you are a fanWhere do I start with this piece of garbage. How you could turn a great book into an average movie, only Spielberg knows. An exciting story has been traded for flashy cgi scenes and cringe worthy acting from all cast members. If you are a fan of the novel you will likely leave disappointed or indifferent at best.… Expand

11 of 19 users found this helpful118

All this user's reviews

1

ellipsis01Apr 12, 2018

Unfortunately I read the book before seeing the movie. The movie was so bad compared to the book. A huge disappointment.

8 of 14 users found this helpful86

All this user's reviews

0

SwittersMar 30, 2018

Not a fan. At all. Wooden acting, lack of character development, and loses all of the spirit that made the book a best seller. Even if I had never read the book, I would have thought it was a mess of a movie. Such a wasted opportunity.

14 of 26 users found this helpful1412

All this user's reviews

0

fzlevyMar 29, 2018

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Just a shame! If you've read the book, do not waste your time or your money on it. It has the same title, and perhaps the same beginning and end (except for Z's encounter with Art3mis), but an entirely different story. For example, how do they find the first key in the movie? In a car race? What the **** And neither the characters nor the story are well explored or developed. Just a shame...… Expand

14 of 26 users found this helpful1412

All this user's reviews

2

inopinatusMar 30, 2018

The director abandons the source material early on in favour of a nauseating litany of pop-culture references, overblown action sequences and cliched plot devices. Ironically, given the storyline, Mr Spielberg's artistic repertoire has notThe director abandons the source material early on in favour of a nauseating litany of pop-culture references, overblown action sequences and cliched plot devices. Ironically, given the storyline, Mr Spielberg's artistic repertoire has not significantly advanced since the 1980s, and this is obvious in the appallingly stereotyped portrayal of the Bad Guy and of the Girl Interest - but most clearly thrown into shade by the cinematic quotations from the far more sophisticated Stanley Kubrick. The actors are never given space to breathe, the character development is paper-thin, and every performance is therefore hackneyed to the point of cringeworthiness. If you have read the book, this film will appall you, and if you have not read the book, there is no reason to see this film.… Expand

9 of 17 users found this helpful98

All this user's reviews

1

thingamajigglyMar 29, 2018

Wow. What a massive disappointment. If you read the book Ready Player One for the love of God don't see the movie. It's a train wreck. I mean, I know that things get cut and storylines can change when they make a movie from a book, butWow. What a massive disappointment. If you read the book Ready Player One for the love of God don't see the movie. It's a train wreck. I mean, I know that things get cut and storylines can change when they make a movie from a book, but there is no excuse for this monstrosity. Barely any references to anything in the book: no Dungeons and Dragons, no Max Headroom, barely any 80's music or references to 80's movies, no Joust, no Ferris Beuller, no Monty Python, no Blade Runner, barely any old school video games... The quests all changed, the hints changed, the locations all changed. Ugh. Ernest Cline should be ashamed of what he helped create in this screenplay. He sold out.… Expand

14 of 27 users found this helpful1413

All this user's reviews

3

SEROJApr 16, 2018

Even though it was really well accepted by the major audience. Personally i was annoyed by the acting, the average plot and probably one of the worst movies from Spielberg FOR ME. Such a predictable and pathetic story.. as a gamer i wasEven though it was really well accepted by the major audience. Personally i was annoyed by the acting, the average plot and probably one of the worst movies from Spielberg FOR ME. Such a predictable and pathetic story.. as a gamer i was really disappointed. I was also really offended from the Iron Giant representation, because i'm a huge fan and i think they totally ruined it!… Expand

6 of 12 users found this helpful66

All this user's reviews

0

egoBorderDec 31, 2019

This isn't really a movie, it's like an intelligence test. The more you like it, the dumber you are. Seriously just go spend an hour on DeviantArt and you'll be just as stimulated.

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

All this user's reviews

2

JennyKat570Mar 29, 2018

Just really lame and goofy. The whole point was just to cash in on pop culture references to better stuff from years ago instead of trying to create a compelling story of its own. The visuals are impressive but chaotic, like they just threwJust really lame and goofy. The whole point was just to cash in on pop culture references to better stuff from years ago instead of trying to create a compelling story of its own. The visuals are impressive but chaotic, like they just threw everything they had onscreen instead in hopes of overwhelming you instead of trying to craft something distinct and precise.

I'm also getting pretty tired of stories about escaping into virtual worlds, I think that reflects a rather unhealthy attitude in this age of widespread video game and smartphone addiction.… Expand

12 of 26 users found this helpful1214

All this user's reviews

1

shoulderoforionMar 29, 2018

The entire premise of the original work was the the main protagonist was a fat unattractive nerd, not a teen heartthrob with an internet connection. It's the whole point of the work.

11 of 24 users found this helpful1113

All this user's reviews

3

HTGamerApr 14, 2018

Ready Player One is a giant MMO virtual reality game presented in a movie format. This movie's got the same spirit like ET, The Goonies and other classic kid fantasy movies, but despite Steven Spielberg's direction it's not great. ReadyReady Player One is a giant MMO virtual reality game presented in a movie format. This movie's got the same spirit like ET, The Goonies and other classic kid fantasy movies, but despite Steven Spielberg's direction it's not great. Ready Player One is by far the worst Spielberg film I've ever watched.

Ready Player One's story, plot, dialogue and characters are absolute trash and cheesy AF. It's a chaotic mess of some random teenagers who save the virtual world, mixed with tons of even more random pop culture references that don't make any sense. Garbage films such as "2012" did a far better job in those departments. The final part of the movie can only be described as a big, lame and messy "raid", according to the established MMORPG terms.

Ready Player One's production values are astonishingly high, and the exploration of videogame concepts such as Easter Eggs, Exploits, Glitches, Power-Ups and Extra Life was a nice surprise for me. But ultimately Ready Player One is a bad CGI movie where the physical actors aren't even shown for 90% of the running time. Steven Spielberg may be Hollywood's greatest ever fairy tale cinematographer, but with this one he missed the target.… Expand

3 of 7 users found this helpful34

All this user's reviews

3

The3AcademySinsAug 7, 2018

I legitimately fell asleep while watching this movie. It's inconsistent, boring, flashy, and completely lacking in substance. I can't believe that Steven Spielberg dropped the ball so hard on this one.

2 of 5 users found this helpful23

All this user's reviews

1

RubenHopeMar 29, 2018

This film was **** awful. From the first minute on screen all we saw was product placement and references to other, better art. I was stunned to discover that Spielberg actually directed this. The dialogue was laughably poor throughout, theThis film was **** awful. From the first minute on screen all we saw was product placement and references to other, better art. I was stunned to discover that Spielberg actually directed this. The dialogue was laughably poor throughout, the plot was abundantly clear to even a **** idiot, which i'm assuming was Steven's target demographic. This film was designed to get nerds dicks hard. If that doesn't sound like a good way to spend TWO AND A HALF **** HOURS of your life, don't watch this. To be clear I like geek culture alot but Jesus Christ this film was a 2 and a half hour fanfiction, filled with unfunny jokes, retarded two dimensional cardboard character's and plot that took itself far too seriously one minute, and shat on it's artistic integrity the next. There is not a speck of originality iThis film was **** awful. From the first minute on screen all we saw was product placement and references to other, better art. I was stunned to discover that Spielberg actually directed this. The dialogue was laughably poor throughout, the plot was abundantly clear to even a **** idiot, which i'm assuming was Steven's target demographic. This film was designed to get nerds dicks hard. If that doesn't sound like a good way to spend TWO AND A HALF **** HOURS of your life, don't watch this. To be clear I like geek culture alot but Jesus Christ this film was a 2 and a half hour fanfiction, filled with unfunny jokes, retarded two dimensional cardboard character's and plot that took itself far too seriously one minute, and shat on it's artistic integrity the next. There is not a speck of originality in this film, just tired cliche's and dick sucking of geek culture. n this film, just tired cliche's and dick sucking of geek culture. Don't watch this movie.… Expand

10 of 26 users found this helpful1016

All this user's reviews

1

nhladkyApr 1, 2018

Spielberg took the plot line for each character from the book, popped it in a blender and pulled them from a hat. If you've read the book, or listened to the audio book, get ready, this is a major disappointment. If you have not been exposedSpielberg took the plot line for each character from the book, popped it in a blender and pulled them from a hat. If you've read the book, or listened to the audio book, get ready, this is a major disappointment. If you have not been exposed to the book in any form - you'll probably love it. The story line is the same general premise, but the gates don't reflect anything in the book, how they unlock the keys don't reflect anything in the book, and how the protagonist and antagonist interact is maimed by flipping character plot lines to different characters as mentioned before. IF you can get past those things and don't sit shaking your head in disbelief that this book was fodder for Spielberg to basically completely re-write, then you may enjoy this movie. If you can put those things behind, you will find that Spielberg created a video game of modern era out of older era games, but then changed all of those too. He managed to leave "Adventure" alone, and even managed to give Warren Robinette his due, though he literally murdered every other reference in the book. The animation was beautifully mastered to look like a video game, rather than real life. But the book makes it clear that the Oasis draws a new reality onto your retinas that is of such high quality, the real world seemed washed out. Spielberg failed to duplicate this as he decided to make all but a couple of scenes completely animated. Story lines. Had this movie followed the book, the final product would have not only had more socio-political impact, but he could have made something FAR greater than what I'm going to end by calling, garbage. No thank you Spielberg. Just because you can ruin a good book, doesn't mean you should use your creative license to do so. My final review is 3/10 because he gets about 3/10ths of the original content into the movie.. even though he murders it all the way through. Do yourself a favor - if you are going to watch this movie - promise yourself to never read the book - because you'll never see Spielberg in the same light again.… Expand

3 of 8 users found this helpful35

All this user's reviews

1

KenmeiApr 6, 2018

For anyone who's actually read the book, be warned that this movie is SUCH a departure from the book that it's a brand new story with the same characters from the book. And even those characters are dramatically changed in certain aspects toFor anyone who's actually read the book, be warned that this movie is SUCH a departure from the book that it's a brand new story with the same characters from the book. And even those characters are dramatically changed in certain aspects to fit the movie flow, that being the best way to describe it. Clearly the story had to change up a bit to fit the way a movie works but fundamental things for the book are nowhere in sight here and the dramatic shift from the beginning of this movie to the beginning of the book really dropped the ball for me. Frankly, the movie seemed to say "how can we get the most recognizable characters from modern pop culture onto the screen and how many of them can we fit at one time" for every single scene in the movie. That was it's most important goal seemingly, to get the most references into one single movie as possible. Yes the visuals are nice and the CGI for this movie is very well done. I would definitely recommend to the people who go see this to read the book after they get done watching it. It's much different and much more dynamic then this turned out to be. I'm actually surprised Earnest Cline would allow this much to have been changed to fit the movie. Because I certainly did not like it because it was nothing like the book.… Expand

2 of 6 users found this helpful24

All this user's reviews

1

GinaKApr 5, 2018

If you love being trapped in a video game for more than two hours, this is the movie for you! The only human presence (and actor) in the movie is Mark Rylance, who is excellent as the creator of the game. OK, technically there are a few otherIf you love being trapped in a video game for more than two hours, this is the movie for you! The only human presence (and actor) in the movie is Mark Rylance, who is excellent as the creator of the game. OK, technically there are a few other humans, but they spend most of their time as one-dimension humans and/or characters in the game. I had read that the movie had spectacular graphics, but frankly there was nothing I hadn’t seen before. A major disappointment.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

All this user's reviews

3

LegitSaltApr 8, 2018

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This movie was, at best, just another Spielberg Film, but for the most part, it looked and felt as well executed as your run of the mill PS2 game. The story was very predictable, and the universe was contradictory in its inner workings. There were a few scenes that I enjoyed, don't get me wrong, but it felt like it had all been done before and better. For those looking for an entertaining pop culture exposure, you would be better off heading to twitch, and for those seeking the retro vibes, there has been a recent influx of easily consumable media pertaining to the 80's. The main character was boring, and his family felt like a cookie cutter "mean dad who moved in with mom who can't get rid of him, and don't fully understand child". Thankfully, this ends as they get killed in an explosion, and then, as all great plot points, never mentioned again. I also feel that the 'bad guys' were stupid, and overall the characters were not relatable, or understandable, with stupid decisions being made on both sides ad nauseam. Watch it if you want, but I certainly felt that It was a 2+ hour time period poorly spent.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

All this user's reviews

1

LaSh4wn328Mar 29, 2018

It's just a bunch of nerds doing video game fighting while making cheesy references to pop culture (basically just Scott Pilgrim, remember that dumpster fire?)

The main character is weak and poorly developed, but compared to him the restIt's just a bunch of nerds doing video game fighting while making cheesy references to pop culture (basically just Scott Pilgrim, remember that dumpster fire?)

The main character is weak and poorly developed, but compared to him the rest might as well be cardboard standees.

There are some flashy effects but every movie has that nowadays, it doesn't impress me anymore. Tons of CGI couldn't save the Star Wars prequels and it doesn't help here.… Expand

9 of 30 users found this helpful921

All this user's reviews

3

PietroHollowedApr 2, 2018

Cliche story with poorly written world, bland characters with awful dialogue, forgettable action scenes (except for maybe the first one) and almost no soundtrack. A surprisingly unfun and cringe movie. Spielberg really didn't try very hard onCliche story with poorly written world, bland characters with awful dialogue, forgettable action scenes (except for maybe the first one) and almost no soundtrack. A surprisingly unfun and cringe movie. Spielberg really didn't try very hard on this one.… Expand

3 of 10 users found this helpful37

All this user's reviews

3

donelsonApr 1, 2018

A soulless mashup of tropes and gags recycled from the 1980s without love or respect. Spielberg shows technical mastery in a dull by-the-numbers film, full of clichés. Women are presented mostly as appendages to male egos, and even theA soulless mashup of tropes and gags recycled from the 1980s without love or respect. Spielberg shows technical mastery in a dull by-the-numbers film, full of clichés. Women are presented mostly as appendages to male egos, and even the romance becomes trite. Very sad mess.… Expand

2 of 8 users found this helpful26

All this user's reviews

1

JadenFrostApr 4, 2018

Garbage. Like every bad movie based on a great book this movie feels as if it was made to be deliberately insulting. Most of the material from the book is missing and there is loads of material that was never in the book at all. (Pro tip forGarbage. Like every bad movie based on a great book this movie feels as if it was made to be deliberately insulting. Most of the material from the book is missing and there is loads of material that was never in the book at all. (Pro tip for ya guys: YOU DONT TAKE STUFF FROM THE BOOK OUT WHEN YOU CAN ADD GARBAGE THAT WAS NEVER THERE,RETARDS!) so ya, this movie bares the same name but is only the loosest adaptation, don't expect the book to have come to life. It hasn't. People seeing the movie might not even understand some things as they are explained in the book but never put in the movie. All and all a **** show of bull **** that had me shaking my head the whole time.… Expand

2 of 8 users found this helpful26

All this user's reviews

1

ChristoferApr 2, 2018

This review will not contain any spoilers because we walked out of it in 10 minutes. The visual dazzle is nauseating as another critic noted. Epitome of hyper-spectical with the worst of narration. Spielberg hit the buzzer again withThis review will not contain any spoilers because we walked out of it in 10 minutes. The visual dazzle is nauseating as another critic noted. Epitome of hyper-spectical with the worst of narration. Spielberg hit the buzzer again with sophomoric ET-like trash. Hey, we got our money back!… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

All this user's reviews

0

geistreichesMar 30, 2018

I already knew from the trailers that this won't be anything like the book, and damn how did they mess up, spielberg please just retire, you got no clue about gaming or vr, you are just a **** douche..

6 of 26 users found this helpful620

All this user's reviews

0

OlivierPielMay 15, 2018

Spielberg should have ruminated at South Park 'member berries, before laying this narcissistic piece of ode to himself: "Look at the 80's. It was me. I made America great ....first!"
This is a 60+ year old man masturbating at his own reflection.

4 of 18 users found this helpful414

All this user's reviews

3

GizilqMar 31, 2018

Господи, какое же это безыдейное гуано. Я дико надеялся что Спилберг сможет слепить из убогого первоисточника что-нибудь стоящее, но нет, все осталось таким же унылым как и в книге.
Тут нет ни сюжета, который застыл на уровне приключенческихГосподи, какое же это безыдейное гуано. Я дико надеялся что Спилберг сможет слепить из убогого первоисточника что-нибудь стоящее, но нет, все осталось таким же унылым как и в книге.
Тут нет ни сюжета, который застыл на уровне приключенческих романов для подростков 8-13 лет, ни персонажей. Зато куча отсылочек, которыми меня тыкают в лицо. Я типа должен умилиться от Делориена, черепашек ниндзя и Морриган, ага. Зато графика хороша, спору нет.
3 за CGI… Expand

2 of 9 users found this helpful27

All this user's reviews

3

preciado_101Apr 2, 2018

the first 20 minutes are good, they make you think the movie will be consistent with the VR tech exposed. Then it turns into an idolization of long forgotten "pop" culture for the sake of the plot, pushing semifamous characters on and on whenthe first 20 minutes are good, they make you think the movie will be consistent with the VR tech exposed. Then it turns into an idolization of long forgotten "pop" culture for the sake of the plot, pushing semifamous characters on and on when the setting of the movie is on 2045 it makes no sense at all. At the end the movie feels just like any other hollywood movie with a super cheesy ending. conclusion, lack of creativity in the plot and poorly executed… Expand

1 of 5 users found this helpful14

All this user's reviews

0

BOMBOMBApr 1, 2018

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ready Player One is a disgrace to cinema, pop culture and humanity as a whole! This is the first time I write a review about something ever, because how disgusting this movie is.
The plot is so linear and poorly written, that you know after 4 min into the movie what will happen and then exactly that happens with no twist and turns. Zero effort. The movie is filled to the brim with pop culture references, but massacres them by not understanding the essence of them. For example, they add a giant witch and a giant axe to the labyrinth scene in the Shining, not understanding what made the Shining scary at all. Finally they misrepresent the gaming culture as a whole only showing gaming as a medium to escape reality. Even though some people might use gaming as an escape, the majority of people play video games as a form of entertainment, while still living as social mature human beings in modern society. It is also completely laughable, that they show people running around in the city with VR headsets on. First of all, VR headsets in the future would look nothing like the ones we have today and second, everyone would bump into objects and each other when using a VR headset in the goddamn city!
This movie truly shows how arrogant, lazy and ignorant Spielberg has become and how little effort movies are allowed to make to be called a success. 0/10… Expand

7 of 39 users found this helpful732

All this user's reviews

0

paulraisedFeb 3, 2019

This reminds me of E.T., you have a bunch of people saying it's the best movie ever, but all I see is a boring, senseless bad collection of incoherent scenes. No sense, no story, awful cast. Wasted Hannah John-Kamen horribly, when she isThis reminds me of E.T., you have a bunch of people saying it's the best movie ever, but all I see is a boring, senseless bad collection of incoherent scenes. No sense, no story, awful cast. Wasted Hannah John-Kamen horribly, when she is clearly lead role material. You have to know you're off when your lead is the star of boy scouts vs zombies. Plain garbage.… Expand

1 of 6 users found this helpful15

All this user's reviews

3

stgrunuMar 30, 2018

Awful movie with and awful plot and awful special effects but that wasn't the worst part of it.
The worst part was the non-stop references that didn't even made sense at times.
Michael Bay could've done better than Steven Spielberg.

1 of 7 users found this helpful16

All this user's reviews

0

flabbygumsJun 19, 2018

There is no way Spielberg himself read this book. Now that I think about it, born in 1946, he wouldn't have got a tenth of the references if he did read it. No way he played Zork, Adventure, Joust when he was 42 or understood what it was likeThere is no way Spielberg himself read this book. Now that I think about it, born in 1946, he wouldn't have got a tenth of the references if he did read it. No way he played Zork, Adventure, Joust when he was 42 or understood what it was like to grow up in the 80s. No wonder it was utter crap. Just made money off a fantastic book for the sake of money. Shame on him and the studio.… Expand

2 of 15 users found this helpful213

All this user's reviews

3

NikolayGAug 18, 2018

I was looking forward to this movie, but I could not watch it for more than about 15 minutes. The setup was extremely basic. Find 3 keys, pass 3 trials. I expect movies to be more sophisticated than a game of Doom. The mindless overdone CGII was looking forward to this movie, but I could not watch it for more than about 15 minutes. The setup was extremely basic. Find 3 keys, pass 3 trials. I expect movies to be more sophisticated than a game of Doom. The mindless overdone CGI in the "virtual" world was just overdone for the sake of overdoing it. King Kong roams about, but who cares? None of it meant a thing. It was all gratuitous nonsense. And this whole idea that VR enables some kind of a magical transportation to another world falls flat. I actually had VR in the mid 1990s (it was called VFX1 and VFX3D), and now I have PS4 VR. It's not magical transportation to anywhere. You have to make sure you don't step on the cord, that you don't step on your cat, that you don't trip over the sofa. And the "world" is just basically a TV screen pushed up against your face. It's fun but it's not exactly transporting. This kind of sci-fi fantasy would have been more interesting and convincing years ago before so many became familiar with VR; the simplistic setup to this story was not interesting and the reality of VR makes the story hard to accept.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

All this user's reviews

3

dpaudiophileApr 28, 2018

This is one of those movies where you can't trust the user reviews, people are going to rate it highly because they saw some reference that makes them nostalgic. That's what this movie is, a nostalgic dump-fest of references, hip to be squareThis is one of those movies where you can't trust the user reviews, people are going to rate it highly because they saw some reference that makes them nostalgic. That's what this movie is, a nostalgic dump-fest of references, hip to be square bs, lots of meta humor, "held together" by a screenplay that was a safe and underwhelming adaptation of the book.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

All this user's reviews

3

TrevorsViewApr 5, 2018

Twenty-seven years from today, a major corporation creates a new video game setup showing VR possibilities where only the sky limits places of potential excursion. Appropriately enough, Ready Player One is a giant Easter egg full of smallerTwenty-seven years from today, a major corporation creates a new video game setup showing VR possibilities where only the sky limits places of potential excursion. Appropriately enough, Ready Player One is a giant Easter egg full of smaller Easter eggs on Easter weekend, starting with a Minecraft level as just one relatively small section of a huge digital game called, the “Oasis.”

Coming from Hollywood legend Steven Spielberg, the adaptation from Ernest Cline’s novel indeed becomes “Spielbergified,” since he appropriately met his popularity height throughout the seventies and eighties, which most influences the culture of Cline’s written Oasis. Inside Spielberg’s cinematic roller coaster, MTV music sucks you in right away, leading into the first few shots that travel across the homes’ windows of 2045 Columbus, Ohio to visualize living situations in what resembles a single continuous take, a term unique to his work dubbed a “oner.”

Columbus’s “stacks” build up this future suburb with trailers stacked upon one another, perhaps topping six stories in homes; most of the inhabitants sleeping on washing machine beds. The square shapes suggest imprisonment, unexpectedly absent of red or green hues, since nobody living here can win or lose in the video game corporation’s alternate competitive materiality. Spielberg makes everything huge in scale as you fly through the immersive 3D excitement; pure CGI permits a car race to Central Park, just one of three challenges to obtain one of three keys the Oasis’ creator has hidden.

Hitherto, nobody ever found a key, so those competitors, driving in instantly recognizable automobiles including a DeLorean and Adam West Batman’s Batmobile, must face a racetrack overrun by a T-Rex and King Kong. Honestly, this may be our future of gaming: the player walks on an omnidirectorial treadmill while their customized avatar roams the Oasis. Because humans gave up on solving problems, the Oasis lets players do anything, go anywhere; until watching the players fight against nonexistent problems disturbs you.

However, once the nostalgic surplus is forgotten, you must watch selfish individuals throw in random Marvel-style humor. Consequently, the political structure allows kids to somehow outsmart government authorities because apparently, adolescent empowerment tops priority above plot authenticity. Instead, an anti-Marxist piece enforces itself by blasting, “We’re Not Gonna Take It” to the volume of “Fight the Power” in Do the Right Thing.Despite uses of a clever Clark Kent disguise, these amateur players seldom prepare themselves in a sympathetic manner—one says he never saw The Shining, an important detail for when it gets said, and is played more for laughs than to make these guys seem like they’re equipped to overthrow the authorities.

The book’s author who adapted it, alongside Zak Penn (The Avengers), saw an excuse to throw Halo soldiers into a The Lord of the Rings climax but gave no characters a gradually learnt knowledge across the film’s runtime. Three of them, including the protagonist’s almost absent aunt, felt completely useless— some even sputtered Shia Labeouf’s “nononononono” on numerous occasions. Hence, several deus ex machinas extinguish a disco dance’s full visual impact midway through, a weak buildup due also to the whole first five minutes being pure voiceover narration. Since the most memorable scenes were in the trailer, teenage boys might see little rewatch value in such an ego-stroking Atari love-letter, ultimately set to deliver only whatever bland predictability was built up before frame number one.

Though Simon Pegg gives a brief yet decent performance, none of the other actors display a sense of urgency in the eyes, including one twelve-year-old kid who acts just like any other child in a huge movie. Highly doubtful anyone his age could notice the R-rated feature cameos anyway, like Chuckie and Robocop, proving why this feature should have just aimed strictly for adult viewers.

Rather than contemplate on how nostalgia halts our humane evolution, most young audiences will instead think, “OMG! The Millennium Falcon! Look! A huge castle! I wanna go there myself!” Especially since plot coincidences blur realism and digitalism, home seems dulled down, unlike the infinite technological possibilities. Why would Spielberg expect credibility in his message if his virtual universe here appears ultimately more fascinating than reality? That explains why youth culture for the most part approves of Ready Player One: it tells them to live inside an illusion, compels them with a misleading “moral,” then runs off with the theatergoer’s gullible gold coins in hand.… Expand

0 of 4 users found this helpful04

All this user's reviews

2

Iserlohn14May 21, 2018

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have to laugh thinking of whatever poor schlub had the job of adapting Cline's turgid fanfiction into a screenplay. This unknown hero faced at least 3 huge problems:

- Major story climaxes involve people doing unfilmably dull things like playing a 10-hour perfect game of Pac-Man, or reciting all of Monty Python's Holy Grail from memory

- Wade spends almost the whole story by himself, and the paper-thin secondary characters are entirely defined by their relationships to him

- The story is overflowing with references to real-world entertainment media, and there's no way a studio could afford to license all of them to put them in a movie

Our nameless martyr managed to wallpaper over all of these and make it work, more or less, though the result is a very loose adaptation indeed. Don't get me wrong, the result is still cheesy, puerile, full of plot holes, and boils down to a more cynically commercial remake of Tron, but it avoids the biggest pitfalls of Cline's mess of a story.

I give them a little credit for the ending, where Wade gains control of the game world and decides to shut it down for 2 days a week to force people to attend to their real lives. But it's pretty weak sauce after everything that comes before.

Also, it had some of the worst uncanny valley animation I've seen in a long time.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

All this user's reviews

1

JimmyJamsApr 26, 2018

I wanted this movie to be good, but instead I got a boring predictable story with forgettable cardboard characters with cool yet claustrophobic visuals. Deliberately (and poorly) pandering to a half-baked idea of what gamers are by justI wanted this movie to be good, but instead I got a boring predictable story with forgettable cardboard characters with cool yet claustrophobic visuals. Deliberately (and poorly) pandering to a half-baked idea of what gamers are by just carelessly chucking avatars from popular games into the background. It felt like a money grab that was trying to ride VR hype train... Humor was boring the tiny amount of times they attempted. Half the things in the movie didn't even make the slightest logical sense; they invent this omni-directional treadmill thing so people don't die while VRing only to show people strapped into VR headsets running down the street in unison while the battle the big bad guy... The whole thing is just mind blowingly low effort.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

All this user's reviews

2

markymarkJul 7, 2018

Really, really, really disappointing. Usually I cope well with film adaptations - changes are necessary and a film needs to have its own vision. But everything that made the book great has been stripped away leaving nothing but someReally, really, really disappointing. Usually I cope well with film adaptations - changes are necessary and a film needs to have its own vision. But everything that made the book great has been stripped away leaving nothing but some interesting visual effects (hence the 2 marks). The hikikomori theme (or the Western version of it) was the emotional heart of the book. Massive missed opportunity.… Expand