"First to the Key. First to the Egg." Ready Player One Review

Ready Player One

4.5/5

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Written by: Zak Penn and Ernest Cline

Rated: PG-13

           Wade Watts is a nobody who lives in the stacks of Columbus Ohio, but he is not limited to this life. Wade, like the rest of the world, can become anything he wants, when he enters a virtual world unlike any other, the Oasis. In the Oasis you can do anything, be anyone, if you have enough coin. Everything a human could ever want, except a decent meal, is in the Oasis, and now the Oasis' fate is in humanity's hands. James Halliday, the creator of the Oasis, is dead and with his passing he issued a challenge to the world. In the Oasis Halliday hid an Easter Egg, and the first person to find it will gain control over the Oasis and a fortune of half a trillion dollars. Wade along with everyone else on Earth, including a sinister coorperation, the IOI, are on the hunt. Who will get it first?
           Filmmaker Steven Spielberg invites audiences of all ages, backgrounds and corners of the world to embark on an adventure in a world of pure imagination. Ready Player One takes place in two worlds, the virtual world of the Oasis and the sullen real world of Columbus Ohio. Each world has its own unique personality with their own strong appeal. The virtual world is a wondrous exotic and cool galaxy comprised of top notch CGI and well designed character models. The real world features drama and distinct sets that rival the Oasis' most bizarre locations. Every moment in these worlds is meticulously crafted through Spielberg's fascinatingly exquisite direction, accented by a phenomenal musical score from Alan Silvestri. No matter how intense the film's story gets Spielberg makes sure it does not lose its comedic charm and eye popping personality. No matter how wild and expansive the Oasis becomes, it does not overwhelm or blot out the story's character driven plot.
           Like Spielberg's most famous films Ready Player One features a gripping and engaging story brought to life by a cast of real and memorable characters. Parzival (Tye Sheridan) is Wade's avatar in the Oasis and the hero of our adventure. He is a cunning and tenacious teenager whose hobbies include watching Halliday's favorite films, playing Halliday's favorite video games and being Halliday's biggest fan. Along with Parzival is his closest friend Aech (Lena Waithe) a competent modder with powerful artillery wielded by a cynical mind. On Parzival's dangerous quest for the Egg he collides with Art3mis (Olivia Cooke), another avatar whose smile could stop a heart and whose ferocity could fell a T-rex. Accompanying these top three are plenty of other great characters, such as the stalwart Daito (Win Morisaki), the swift Sho (Philip Zhao), the deadly and often dumbfounded I-R0K (T.J. Miller), the sinister and maniacally campy head of the IOI Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn) and the whimsically spaced out and dryly comedic James Halliday (Mark Rylance).
           Along with this film's characters are plenty of reasons why youth, adults, adolescents and teenagers alike will be enamored with Ready Player One. Perhaps the primary reason is this film's references. As the Oasis is a place where anyone can be whoever they want, you could disguise your avatar as  Lara Croft from Tomb Raider, Harley Quinn from the Batman franchise or dress up your personal avatar in Peter Weller's suit from Buckaroo Banzai. You can drive the DeLorean from Back to the Future or pilot Malcom Reynold's boat, Serenity, and take it out to the black. If you have enough time and talent, you could even build and control your own Iron Giant. Even though this film is flooded with these and other popular references, these references do not draw away from Ready Player One's main storyline and inspiring heroes. Because of this, viewers who know these references are in for a special treat, while viewers who are not aware of this film's references will not feel left out. Aside from a few unnecessary scenes and this film's lengthy opening exposition, Ready Player One makes for a captivatingly fun film  that should be viewed in theatres or at least on home release.

Verdict: Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One is an astonishing pop. culture experience that makes for one fun riveting adventure full of surprise, tension, drama, comedy and heart.