Back in the 1970’s when video games first started to slowly appear in living rooms the popular opinion was that they were merely a fad. It was believed that eventually they would become little more than a memory even as arcades sprang up in malls across the United States. Then, just a few years later, things came crashing down and the video games was almost as some predicted, ancient history. Thanks to Nintendo however, the market blossomed again and although the arcade would eventually fall by the wayside, home consoles have become such a huge part of our lives that many couldn’t imagine not having them around.
Ready Player One, the novel written by Ernest Cline, took video games into the literary world, not that it hadn’t been done previously, but this was the book that seemed to get a bit more attention than others. The film is set in the mid 2040’s where video games have become much more a part of life than expected. Years prior game developer James Halliday (Mark Rylance) created the OASIS, a virtual world that people now spend more time inside thant he real world. Halliday however passed away but not before leaving on final game. Within the OASIS are three keys which if found, will allow the winner to have control over his gaming company as well as the OASIS itself. This has led to a number of factions trying to solve the clues that were left behind and although the first portal has been found in the form of a race, no one has yet managed to win it to move forward.
Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) or Parzival as he is known in the OASIS has been trying along with his friend Aech (Lena Waithe) to win the race but the two friends are also just as content to explore the vast reaches of the online world and collect whatever riches they can. During another attempt to win the race Parzival meets Art3mis (Olivia Cooke) and seems to quickly develop a bond with her. This strengthens when Wade finally uncovers the secret of winning the race. His accomplishment however quickly gains the attention of IOI, a tech company who wants to take control of the OASIS themselves. Wade and his friends quickly realize that IOI is more serious than anyone had imagined and will go to any lengths to take control. This puts Wade, Art3mis, Aech and their friends Daito (Win Morisaki) and Sho (Philip Zhao) to form a clan, something that Wade himself has been against, as they continue to try and crack the code to the series of puzzles and clues that Halliday left behind.
The concept behind Ready Player One is set within the real world but dwells more heavily within that of a virtual creation. Virtual reality isn’t anything that is necessarily new and has been around for several decades. There are some who may remember or even played Nintendo’s failed Virtual Boy which was one of the first attempt to bring VR into homes. The company also attempted to take it into arcades but the machines were few and far between as well as overpriced. The last couple of years however have found VR units such as the Oculus Riff and Sony’s PlayStation VR becoming commonplace however I personally feel that we are still a few years off from VR becoming the norm in video games. Just as we’ve seen technology improve with each console that gets released, I do predict that it won’t be long before VR becomes more of a norm in gaming.
Unlike many people I know, I never read the book so I’m going into the film with a fresh perspective. Ready Player One is filled with pop culture references as the book also was I’m told. You’ll see things such as King Kong, MechaGodzilla, the LeLorean from Back to the Future, Keneda’s bike from Akira, and plenty of other references to movies, video games, and music scattered throughout the film. Much of this is simply due to the fact the Halliday himself was a pop culture nerd and these are reflections of what he enjoyed. There have been some who have criticized the heavy usage in the film but I feel that in fact it has its place. In fact, if you look up information about the book regarding pop culture references you will find that the movie adaptation doesn’t come close to including nearly as much.
The film gives you the basics of the OASIS very early on. Like current MMO’s, players can create their own avatars as a representation of themselves although it’s really more on how they would like the world to see them. This also means that you can essentially be anything you want. Since much of the “game” is based on virtual fighting, players who “die” will respawn but there’s a very big hitch to everything. Players lose everything they had. This means all money, weapons, armor; it’s all gone and unlike MMO’s that many of us play, you can’t simply find the spot where you “died” and collect it again. It goes beyond this however and players who might have things in the real world that they have purchased through the game, these things are gone as well. This makes the stakes extremely high for some players.
The thing about Ready Player One however is that the concept itself as far as being a part of a digital community isn’t really anything that is new and innovative. There have already been several anime series which have covered the same premise. These would include things such as the virtual chatrooms seen in the Ghost in the Shell series to .hack//SIGN and even Serial Experiments Lain although that particular anime takes a much, much darker approach. Ready Player One instead feels that to stand out, the pop culture references were necessary. This may play off well with American audiences although I couldn’t be certain that foreign viewers would necessary get everything or even understand it in some cases.
The overall story itself is one which is rather familiar as well. Wade is an orphan who lives with his aunt in a trailer park. He has been presented with the thing which might possibly save him from the rather destitute life that he’s currently living but he needs to find some means of making this a reality. Along comes Art3mis who he later learns is named Samantha who acts as the love interest and happens to be the person who is his rival to some extent when it comes to unlocking the meaning behind the puzzles. Then we have an evil corporation who will stop at nothing to gain control of what is thought to be one of the most precious resources in the world. They have trained mercenaries working for them, a highly organized think tank who is trying to crack the code, and even hired guns within the OASIS such as i_ROk (T.J. Miller.) Based on this alone, most should have no problem figuring out what direction the film will take and ultimately what the end is going to be. It’s a very by the numbers type of tale which doesn’t offer many huge surprises. Again, it’s much more about how many pop culture references can be shoveled into a two-hour movie and that becomes the most engaging part is trying to catch all of them. It may require a few viewings to pick out most of them.
One thing I did find interesting is that eventually Wade does meet and get the opportunity to talk with Halliday’s true avatar which is a representation of how he looked in real life. During their conversation Wade asks Halliday if he is in fact dead and he assures him that he is. The question then is what is he and his answers is merely a smile. I would suspect that the character is meant to represent a theory that many people have had over the years. Some have theorized that as technology advances we may eventually reach a point where a person can upload their consciousness into a computer where the belief is that they will continue to exist. Obviously we’ve not reached this point yet and even if we do, then it must be questioned even if it’s their consciousness, are they alive or instead is it simply a composite which is comprised of memories and parts of the personality?
Parents should be aware of a few things with the film if they are intent on having younger film buffs watch it. While this might be a Steven Spielberg film, Ready Player One does have quite a few moments where profanity is used including the f-bomb being dropped once. Originally I had thought about watching the movie with my daughter but at six, I think there might be a little too much that she doesn’t need to hear. The violence on the other hand is all put into the context of video games and I think most kids will immediately get the idea that it’s not real although honestly, they should have already had talks with their parents about the difference between what is seen in entertainment and what you see in the real world.
Ready Player One came along at a good point in cinema history, at least to a certain extent. The world of digital effects has come a long way in recent years and this is the type of movie that really does rely on having that as a necessary backdrop. The problem however is that perhaps it needs it a little too much. Watching Ready Player One at times can feel like watching someone play a video game. It’s fun for a little while, but at some point you really start getting the urge to pick up the controller and play for yourself. There really aren’t many flaws in the visual end of things but this is also the drawback; Ready Player One feels much more like a movie that wants to stun you visually and leave you a little disappointed as far as the overall story.
Bonus material found on the blu-ray includes:
- Game Changer: Cracking the Code
- Effects for a Brave New World
- Level Up: Sound for the Future
- High Score: Endgame
- Ernie & Tye’s Excellent Adventure
- The ’80’s: You’re The Inspiration
While game Changer is the longest of the extras, it’s feels far too much like it’s an EPK collection rather than really having anything substantial. Most of the other extras are shorter and focus on the more important aspects such as visual, music, and of course the 80’s since, as mentioned, they play a huge part of the pop culture references.
Ready Player One feels a little disappointing. I suppose I was hoping for something a little more thought provoking and instead this really comes across as being a very predictable movie that plays a bit too much on pop culture instead of really bringing anything truly substantial. It’s entertaining but honestly I don’t necessarily feel that it’s the type of movie that I would find myself going back to again and again to enjoy aside from trying to catch a few things in the background I may have missed. As I’ve heard, fans of the book were even more disappointed. Ready Player One might have been “ready” but as it turns out, it’s like one of those over-hyped videos games which shows so much promise and ends up falling flat of hitting the expectations.
Mike is the resident reviewer for Couponing to Disney and his own site Underland Online. He has a young daughter and is obsessed with Haunted Mansion and all things Disney. You can read Mike’s complete bio here. The product was provided by Warner Bros. Entertainment for review purposes.