Ready Player One
{3.5/5} “Yeah, try… try not to accidentally erase the whole of the Oasis on your first day.”
Ready Player One, released in 2018
In 2045 everybody hangs out in the Oasis, a virtual reality where anything is possible. The creator of the Oasis left a game behind when he died — whoever wins the game will then have control over the Oasis. Wade goes by the name of Parzival in the Oasis. He knows more about the creator than anyone, so he might just win.
I liked the character of I-R0k, a hitman with a sense of humour.
It’s a bit reminiscent of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle in tone, and I had a similar reaction: it’s OK, but I wanted it to be better.
I didn’t connect with it the way I thought I would, but if you’re in the mood for some good guys vs. bad guys you might like it better. It’s like watching someone play a game — if you like watching people play games, you might like it more than I did.
The characters aren’t very interesting. There are a lot of Easter eggs, many more than I spotted — but just because a movie calls back to a movie or game that you’re fond of doesn’t mean this movie is great.
Simon Pegg has a small but important part.
Stars Tye Sheridan and Olivia Cooke. Directed by Steven Spielberg (The Terminal). The music by Alan Silvestri is reminiscent of his Back to the Future scores.