Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore, Wikipedia
“Ready Player One” was one of the most enjoyable films that I have seen in a really long time. With great pacing, characters and nostalgic moments throughout the entire film, this movie is definitely worth seeing in theaters.
“Ready Player One” is an action comedy movie that seems to have something for everyone. The plot of the film takes place in the year 2045 where the world seems to be on the brink of utter chaos with no one trying to solve the world’s problems anymore.
To get away from everything, people go into what is called the Oasis. It’s basically a VR world where you can play games that also acts like a hub for all people using it. When the creator of the game dies and reveals an Easter egg granting control over the virtual world, players all over the world race to find it.
When our main character, Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) enters the contest everything seems to change, and he has to deal with puzzles, monsters and a massive company with endless resources to find the Easter egg. Watts is only equipped with the help of a few friends and his own knowledge to win.
Throughout the film the main characters enter in and out of the Oasis often as the dangers they face are in the real world as well as in the game. The way they transition between the two worlds is performed amazingly with what feels like a good amount of time in both worlds with most of it being in the game as that’s where the contest takes place.
The first thing that everyone notices about this movie is the massive amounts of nostalgic references within it. On the other side, there are many people have been criticizing that there are too many nostalgic and pop culture references in the film.
However, the strategic way that they reveal their references occur in two different ways.
One is through all the player’s avatars which can be made into any character. The other is through old games, movies and shows that are referenced to help solve the clues given to them for the contest. With this all the references feel more enjoyable and fun rather then forced references placed there just to get people to watch the movie.
The other great aspect of the film is its pacing. None of the film feels forced, rushed or unexplained like many films that have come out in recent years. Instead, every aspect of the film is explained very well within the universe it takes place in as well as everything feeling like it’s going at a very smooth pace from the romantic subplot to the overall contest as a whole.
Overall, this movie was another successful film for Steven Spielberg with a perfect blend of both comedy and action all throughout the film. This is definitely one of this year’s must see movies, and for everyone who goes to see it you can leave at the end as there is no after credit scene in the movie.
jkirstei@ramapo.edu
