Cinephile No. 710 “Ready Player One”

“The Movie of My Childhood”

A Review of "Ready Player One” by Nathan H. Box

Directors: Steven Spielberg, Writers: Zak Penn, Ernest Cline, Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn

Rating: 4 Stars, SHOWTIME

The Plot

When the creator of a virtual reality world called the OASIS dies, he releases a video in which he challenges all OASIS users to find his Easter Egg, which will give the finder his fortune.

My Critique

As a child of the 80’s, no director had a bigger impact on my imagination than Steven Spielberg. With movies like “E.T.,” “Indiana Jones,” “Hook,” “Jaws” and “Jurassic Park,” Mr. Spielberg’s creativity was a bedrock of my youth and its relationship to pop culture. As I found myself mesmerized by his films, I fell deeply in love with video games; an affection that still lasts. I remember getting my first Nintendo Entertainment System. I was immersed in the worlds of Mario, Link, and Samus. I daydreamed of a world where we could fight side by side.

Then time got a hold of me and my imagination. Life forced me to retire silly ideas. School, work, bills, and the realities of life made me look elsewhere. All the while, in the background, the lines between reality and our imaginations began blurring together. Virtual Reality is now in my living room. The online versions of ourselves are becoming more meaningful. Adults fill theatre after theatre watching men in tights fight cosmic villains. Despite the realities of adulthood, more and more of us are dreaming again.

Then a book like “Ready Player One” by Ernest Cline comes along. It screams, “Hey, adults! Here is everything you loved from your childhood! I put it in a nice neat little package for you.” The book falls into the hands of Steven Spielberg and the pages come alive in an incredibly imaginative, visually stunning, escape.

As a reader of the book, you hit the theater with high hopes. You exercise caution though because you know nothing is as fantastic as your imagination. This is one man’s interpretation of a pop culture video game bound world. It may be different than yours.

As a million worlds blend together into one, you are treated to a tale of real-world consequences for our oncoming digital reality. The mixture slowly stews together as a decent representation of everything you loved about your childhood. Is this film perfect? No! Still, it makes you remember your youth and simpler times. With all that’s going on in our world, 2 hours and 20 minutes to reflect on those movies and moments that helped define you are welcome and an experience I will cherish every single time I walk into my local cinema.

Be good to each other,

-Nathan

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