Today’s quick review: Ready Player One. Decades in the future, Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), a high school student living in poverty, takes refuge in the OASIS, a massive virtual reality world. Together with his best friend Aech, Wade spends his days searching for Halliday’s Egg, a treasure hidden in the OASIS by its founder. Wade catches his first break when he meets Art3mis (Olivia Cooke), a fellow hunter who inspires him to try a new approach.
Ready Player One is a sci-fi action adventure based on the novel by Ernest Cline and directed by Steven Spielberg. The movie depicts a future where virtual reality has become the main form of entertainment. Ready Player One boasts top-notch special effects, a rich setting, a fast-paced plot, and a light tone. However, its mediocre leads, blunt pop culture references, and patchwork world make it hit-or-miss.
The plot revolves around the hunt for Halliday’s Egg, an Easter egg worth a fortune left in the OASIS by its eccentric founder James Halliday (Mark Rylance). Wade, Aech, and a dwindling group of Halliday fans pore over the clues he left behind in hopes of discovering the Egg’s location. Their efforts are opposed by Innovative Online Industries, an enormous corporation that intends to use its nigh-unlimited resources to claim the Egg for itself.
Ready Player One is a pop culture fever dream fueled by nerd culture and 80s nostalgia. Halliday’s tastes in movies and video games are reflected in the clues leading to the Egg and the OASIS as a whole. The virtual reality world lets the film indulge in everything from brief references to entire sequences that riff on other games and movies. The result is an enthusiastic but eclectic mosaic of homages, in-jokes, and product placement.
As for its story, Ready Player One is a pure teen adventure. The movie spends its time on action, comedy, and plot in roughly equal measure. Wade and his friends have all the enthusiasm of youth, and their personal drama never gets too heavy. The video game-inspired action sequences take advantage of the freeform nature of the OASIS and the film’s own enormous special effects budget. The plot, although somewhat lengthy, gets moving quickly.
However, Ready Player One has a few core weaknesses that hurt its watchability. Wade makes for an indifferent protagonist, and his clumsiness around Art3mis is more awkward than endearing. The characters’ CGI avatars straddle the line between fantasy and realism; where the supporting cast’s more cartoonish avatars work just fine, Wade and Art3mis have more detailed models that get caught squarely in the Uncanny Valley.
More generally, Ready Player One mashes together pieces that don’t necessarily fit. Every now and then the film evokes fannish glee at the appearance of a beloved character or vehicle, but each new cameo deals a blow to the film’s immersion. Ready Player One puts in the time and effort to flesh out its setting and its characters, but they often end up competing for attention against the barrage of references.
The result is an ambitious but uneven movie that gets mixed results. For younger viewers and those willing to overlook the rough spots, Ready Player One is an exciting adventure and a far-reaching tribute to video games. For those hoping for great characters or a smooth ride, Ready Player One may come as a disappointment. For a punchy action comedy with video game influences and a more distinctive style, check out Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
7.8 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for an inventive premise, solid action, and high production values held back by its middling characters and sheer variety; your score will vary.