Steven Spielberg makes a huge return with Ready Player One in a movie celebrating 20 years of pop culture in gaming. From the trailer to the movie, those who had been gaming for the past 20 years will definitely feel at home with this latest showing by Spielberg, and we went to a special screening to give you a spoiler-free review on this new blockbuster based on the novel by the same name by Ernest Cline.
The Story
The world of Ready Player One sees one of the possible dystopian futures our parents imagine for us, as well as an alternate future whereby Oculus Rim owns the world. In this ecosystem, everyone is plugged into their VR set which allows them to play a game which comprises of everything called the Oasis. The Protagonist is your average otaku gamer who spends most of his time making friends, playing in a group inside the Oasis. The plot revolves around a contest made by the game creator whereby upon his deathbed he hid three keys which have to be unlocked by completing his challenges and within the game world, upon which the winner will earn the right to his company, Willy Wonka style.
In order to find these eggs, players would have to find out everything they can about the game creator in order to find these Easter eggs, which in itself is an easter egg for us gamers.
Huge battles with iconic characters like the Iron Giant is just the tip of the iceberg
The ResultReady Player One is a movie that not only takes you on a nostalgia trip of the ages, but it is also a testament to the mastery of the art that is Steven Spielberg. Every scene has cameo appearances by some form of character you had either played or watched within pop culture lore.
The visuals do not let you down as well, with immersive VR-like worlds to the many different levels that the players have to go through, it is filled with so much content that we would probably have to rewatch this movie a few times just to spot all the Easter Eggs.
Talking about Easter eggs…
One of the most interesting factors in the movie is how they portray modern MMO culture which has clans, sub-cultures, slang and even its unique behaviours. Whereas most video game live adaptation has failed, a movie about gamers playing in a world full of the games we play has done the impossible which is to flesh out exactly what we gamers like to see, and that is interactivity.
Conclusion
All in all, Ready Player One is a conglomeration of nostalgia and pop culture, whereby those born in the 90’s, 00’s and 2010 onwards can find something they relate to in this movie.