Film of the Week: Ready Player One

Steven Spielberg recent range of films have shown how embracive he is of technology and how best to use it for maximum effect. Virtual reality has opened many opportunities, so it was only a matter of time before a film was centred around that particular piece of technology.

Characters immersing themselves in another world, be it virtual or not has been explored many times, but this marks one of those few times where the film isn’t elaborating on what could be, but instead expanding on what already is.

From what appeared in the trailer, it was clear Ready Player One would pay homage to cultural classics. I was intrigued how those references would be included whether just as passing elements or strongly influencing the story, or both.

In actuality, it’s nerd heaven. Ready Player One is packed full of references expanding many eras and generations of popular culture: Games, Movies, Books. The incredible detail put into including a universal range of characters is staggering, and I’m sure there are a few deliberately obscure references to include those people who followed and are big fans of those references.

That’s not all that had a mind-blowing amount of detail – the animation was beyond anything I’ve ever seen in a film – easily rivalling that of anything Pixar has ever produced. There are a few times where the animated characters are interacting with the real world, and even my brain, which is used to seeing technology grow and expand was blown away by how utterly awe inspiring everything was.

Ready Player One isn’t completely perfect as much as the nerd in me wants to say it is. The side characters aren’t fully explored and sometimes other stuff gets in the way of the main protagonist’s character arc, which in of itself, doesn’t really start anywhere, and whilst there is an apparent lack of development, but the destination they’re all fighting toward certainly feels earnt.

However, the nerd in me doesn’t care about any of that. He wants to focus on the references hidden throughout – wants to sit down and re-watch it over and over again just to make sure he’s gotten them all. The nonstop and perfectly choreographed action is thrilling, exciting, with plenty of moments where you’re on the edge of your seat, especially right at the very end of the climactic battle. It has been a while before I held my breath with shock about what just happened and how the character, Parzival/Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) was going to pull through.

The magnitude that is Ready Player One couldn’t have been possible without the skills of Steven Spielberg. He has so many unique films under his belt, this masterpiece can be added to his long list of highly successful films.

Ready Player One is a film that can be enjoyed whenever and wherever. It’s a film that is meant to be watched with a steaming hot bowl of popcorn that’s been forgotten about as you get sucked into their world. The entertainment factor massively outweighs everything else. Who cares about its flaws when you’re having fun.

Later this year, I am hoping to acquire myself the HTC Vive. There is a program called Bigscreen, which allows you to watch movies in a virtual cinema, and the screen is massive. Ready Player One is the perfect film to watch on that big screen – plus I really want to enjoy the irony.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)