March 30th marked one of the most anticipated movie releases of 2018: “Ready Player One”. “Ready Player One” is a science fiction adventure film directed
by none other than Steven Spielberg, based on the best-selling novel “Ready Player One” by Ernest Cline. “Ready Player One” takes place in the year 2045, where the real world is a harsh place. The only time Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) truly feels alive is when he escapes to the OASIS, an immersive virtual universe where most of humanity spends their days. In the OASIS, you can go anywhere, do anything, be anyone-the only limits are your own imagination. The OASIS was created by the brilliant and eccentric James Halliday (Mark Rylance), who left his immense fortune and total control of the Oasis to the winner of a three-part contest he designed to find a worthy heir. When Wade conquers the first challenge of the reality-bending treasure hunt, he and his friends-aka the High Five-are hurled into a fantastical universe of discovery and danger to save the OASIS.
Now, I have yet to read the book, so I am unable to compare the book to the movie. However, I am able to give you my own personal opinion of the movie. Before you go any farther, I am warning you NOW that SPOILERS ARE INCLUDED!! If you haven’t seen the movie yet, I advise you to now close this tab
and come back after you have seen the movie. Going into the movie, I was so excited. I couldn’t wait to see the story that I heard so much about from friends to come alive on screen. I was so nervous that the CGI would be bad and that it would ruin the whole movie experience for me (like Justice League!! I literally couldn’t concentrate on anything except Henry Cavill’s aka Superman’s lips for the whole movie). However, I was so amazed and so shocked to see the CGI of “Ready Player One”. It was amazing. Every scene, every character and every detail seemed to be looked over to perfection. The virtual world was so fascinating, with so many creative planets and characters. So the digital part of the movie was for sure 10/10.
Now, on to the storyline. The beginning and the middle of the movie was great – lots of progression and funny scenes. However, the end ruined it all for me. The end was SO anti-climatic. From the beginning towards the end, anticipation was formed for the final, magnificent third contest. There were car races and haunted houses inspired by “The Shining” to lead up to the big finale. But when the finale came, I was so disappointed. All the action led up to just 5 minutes of the main character – Parzival – playing the arcade game “adventure”. SO BORING. Even more, after he won the contest, another 10 minutes was spent on him having a virtual talk with the game’s creator – James Halliday. DOUBLE BORING.
Overall, I would rate this movie a NAY. I know some of y’all will try to fight me about my decision, but IT IS FINAL. Even if the graphics and the CGI were amazing, it ain’t nothing without a good storyline. And in this movie, the anti-climatic ending really ruined the whole movie for me. By the way, have you ever wondered how much does movie theater popcorn cost? Do you guys agree? Or will someone fight me about my opinions in the comments?
