Ready Player One
3.5/4
Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Lena Waithe, T.J. Miller, Simon Pegg, Mark Rylance
Rated PG-13 for Sequences of Sci-Fi Action Violence, Bloody Images, Some Suggestive Material, Partial Nudity and Langauge
"Ready Player One" is a haven for geeks and other pop culture nerds. It knows fandom and rather seeing it as a cynical cash grab like Marvel Studios, it honors it. This is a celebration of the loving impulse that has put superheroes, video games and other media into the fabric of human history.
Welcome to the OASIS. It's a virtual reality simulator where the only limits are your imagination. Want to walk around looking like Freddy Krueger? You can do that. Or do you want to be a badass ninja that can swing swords and hurl magic at people in massive battles? You can do that too. The OASIS is so popular that it has overtaken just about every part of life. And it's all the brainchild of James Halliday (Rylance), a genius developer. After his death, he left a treasure hunt where the winner will receive not only a lot of money, but complete control of the OASIS. Naturally everyone wanted it, but now only the die-hards like Parzival (Sheridan) are still trying. He's got a lot of competition, including a monster in a suit named Sorrento (Mendelsohn), who will do anything (including committing felonies like kidnapping and murder) to get there first.
Steven Spielberg is the perfect choice to direct this material. Okay, he's the only choice. Spielberg is the visionary who produced in some capacity the most essential films of the past 30 years. "E.T.", The Indiana Jones movies, "Jurassic Park," the list goes on. But Spielberg has always been a filmmaker possessed with a gigantic heart, and that's what makes this film work. The creative impulse here is love and the triumph of the human spirit, not marketing and money (I hope you're listening, Kevin Feige). That said, there are far too many homages and references to list here. Everything from "Star Wars" to "Akira," "Halo" to Atari. As caught up as I was in the film, I couldn't help feeling sorry for the lawyers involved. Licensing issues must have sent a few to the local insane asylum. Particularly at the end, where Spielberg goes all out in a massive final battle that is thrilling to watch. It's impossible to see every reference and homage on even the third time through.
Spielberg has brought together a solid cast to bring his vision to the screen. Tye Sheridan has always been an underrated actor, but while he was stiff in his performance as Cyclops, here he's back on his game and gives one of his best performances. He's the traditional Spielberg hero: smart, plucky and has a huge heart. Up and coming starlet Olivia Cooke mixes spunk and vulnerability in a way that was tailor mad for a Spielberg flick. Simon Pegg (who is a massive pop culture nerd himself) and Makr Rylance are practically unrecognizable in small but important roles. The only one who doesn't work is Ben Mendelsohn. Mendelsohn is a fine actor and wears a sneer with the best of them, but he seems miscast. Someone less quirky would have been better.
"Ready Player One" knows its audience, yes, but it loves them. That's what elevates this movie. As entertaining as "Kick-Ass" and "Deadpool" (plus their sequels) are, they are laced with so much irony and sarcastic bite that it pushes the heart out of the way. That's not what happens here. It's a love letter to pop culture and what makes those popular movies mean so much to their fans.
Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Lena Waithe, T.J. Miller, Simon Pegg, Mark Rylance
Rated PG-13 for Sequences of Sci-Fi Action Violence, Bloody Images, Some Suggestive Material, Partial Nudity and Langauge
"Ready Player One" is a haven for geeks and other pop culture nerds. It knows fandom and rather seeing it as a cynical cash grab like Marvel Studios, it honors it. This is a celebration of the loving impulse that has put superheroes, video games and other media into the fabric of human history.
Welcome to the OASIS. It's a virtual reality simulator where the only limits are your imagination. Want to walk around looking like Freddy Krueger? You can do that. Or do you want to be a badass ninja that can swing swords and hurl magic at people in massive battles? You can do that too. The OASIS is so popular that it has overtaken just about every part of life. And it's all the brainchild of James Halliday (Rylance), a genius developer. After his death, he left a treasure hunt where the winner will receive not only a lot of money, but complete control of the OASIS. Naturally everyone wanted it, but now only the die-hards like Parzival (Sheridan) are still trying. He's got a lot of competition, including a monster in a suit named Sorrento (Mendelsohn), who will do anything (including committing felonies like kidnapping and murder) to get there first.
Steven Spielberg is the perfect choice to direct this material. Okay, he's the only choice. Spielberg is the visionary who produced in some capacity the most essential films of the past 30 years. "E.T.", The Indiana Jones movies, "Jurassic Park," the list goes on. But Spielberg has always been a filmmaker possessed with a gigantic heart, and that's what makes this film work. The creative impulse here is love and the triumph of the human spirit, not marketing and money (I hope you're listening, Kevin Feige). That said, there are far too many homages and references to list here. Everything from "Star Wars" to "Akira," "Halo" to Atari. As caught up as I was in the film, I couldn't help feeling sorry for the lawyers involved. Licensing issues must have sent a few to the local insane asylum. Particularly at the end, where Spielberg goes all out in a massive final battle that is thrilling to watch. It's impossible to see every reference and homage on even the third time through.
Spielberg has brought together a solid cast to bring his vision to the screen. Tye Sheridan has always been an underrated actor, but while he was stiff in his performance as Cyclops, here he's back on his game and gives one of his best performances. He's the traditional Spielberg hero: smart, plucky and has a huge heart. Up and coming starlet Olivia Cooke mixes spunk and vulnerability in a way that was tailor mad for a Spielberg flick. Simon Pegg (who is a massive pop culture nerd himself) and Makr Rylance are practically unrecognizable in small but important roles. The only one who doesn't work is Ben Mendelsohn. Mendelsohn is a fine actor and wears a sneer with the best of them, but he seems miscast. Someone less quirky would have been better.
"Ready Player One" knows its audience, yes, but it loves them. That's what elevates this movie. As entertaining as "Kick-Ass" and "Deadpool" (plus their sequels) are, they are laced with so much irony and sarcastic bite that it pushes the heart out of the way. That's not what happens here. It's a love letter to pop culture and what makes those popular movies mean so much to their fans.
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