Ready Player One is the latest film by Steven Spielberg and based from the science fiction novel written by Ernest Cline. The sci-fi adventure is set in the dystopian future in Columbus, Ohio where the residents immerse themselves in a virtual reality game called The Oasis to escape the hopelessness of their own lives. There is a downside to the Oasis as players can become addicted to their virtual reality world and lose all their personal possessions or worse, become labor workers for the IOI corporation and its corrupt leader, Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn), whose objective is to remove all the names from a giant scoreboard and destroy the Oasis. Wade (Tye Sheriden) is perfectly cast as an appealing protagonist who sets out to save his beloved Oasis by finding three keys (or easter eggs) that are hidden within the game and inherit the game creator's fortune.
Ready Player One features non-stop, impressive CGI effects and at times manage to pull the audience into the immersive virtual reality world. The plot constantly references 1980s pop culture, including an extended action sequence that is a mind-bending mash up of the Stanley Kubrick film called The Shining. The more interesting aspect lies within the subplot that suggest virtual reality is not a replacement for actual real life human connection. This idea features several scenes of visual humor mocking the ridiculous body movements of those playing virtual reality games. Ready Player One is loud, fast and busy and the narrative does offer humanism amid the virtual reality CGI effects, but ultimately the film is flat with no edge of your seat thrills.
🎬🎬 (2 out of 4)
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