“I created The Oasis because I never felt at home in the real world.”
Based on the novel by Ernest Cline, Ready Player One tells the story of a young man, Wade, who immerses himself in the world of The Oasis. When Halliday, one of the inventors of The Oasis passes away, he leaves the company up for grabs to whomever passes a series of three games. Wade, through his avatar Parzival, races against fellow Oasis members, and the evil IOI corporation, in order to receive Halliday’s shares of the company. Thus, teaming up with fellow do gooders in order to take control of Oasis before IOI can use it for harmful experiments.
Now, before I get into my review, I want to talk about my personal opinions involving the genius Steven Spielberg. I haven’t truly LOVED any of Spielberg’s films since the early 2000s. I’ve been critical, not publically, of the films that he directs. So with the exception of a few movies here and there, in my eyes, Spielberg has lost his rhythm. So I went into this movie, with a feeling of excitement, but more so the want to see another good Spielberg film. So with that being said, I must admit Ready Player One truly lived up to my expectations.
Ready Player One is a stunning movie to watch. Spielberg has said that this movie was one of the hardest to film, and you can see why. 
The visual effects are so well done with the filming of the action scenes (the epic car race is crazy), and The Oasis atmosphere, it makes for spellbinding filmmaking. But what I loved most about this movie are the many nostalgic throwbacks to 80s movies and music. This film got a little bit of flack when the marketing team released a series of 80s movie posters but with the cast and title of Ready Player One, replacing the iconic characters. That being said, audience members weren’t too friendly in criticizing the bold marketing ploy. But I will say that those nostalgic throwbacks in the film are really meant as an ode to 80s filmmaking.
The characters of the film are your average characters, and for the most part, the plot of the film is a little predictable. But the characters, especially Parzival, played by Tye Sheridan, and Art3mis, played by Olivia Cooke, really add that edge to the film. As for Aech, played by Lena Waithe, I can only say that the character of Aech really had me laughing through the homage to a famous 80s horror movie. These young actors do well in portraying their characters in The Oasis, and the struggles of their real life situations.
Ready Player One is one of those films that is just pure fun. You will have a great time watching this movie and seeing the homage to 80s culture laid out right before your eyes. Though there were some missteps in the storytelling, it’s hard not to go and see this visually stunning movie.
Ready Player One
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Lena Waithe, and Ben Mendelsohn
Rating:
Little Movie Reviews 