[tribulant_slideshow gallery_id="302"] |
As summer is steadily approaching, the box office is heating up with myriad movies with enthralling soundtracks and even more compelling plots. “Ready Player One” is one of many of the films leading up to summer and it aims to please.
The film stars Tye Sheridan (“X-Men Apocalypse” (2016)) as the main protagonist Wade Watts/Parzival, a young man in a dystopian Planet Earth that have thrown themselves into a virtual reality world called the Oasis. The movie is adapted from the book of the same name written by Ernest Cline, published in 2011. Sheridan is complimented onscreen by Olivia Cooke (“Katie Says Goodbye” (2016) and “Ouija” (2014)) who plays the role of Artemis (Art3mis). Cookes’ performance shines as a strong female lead as she is intelligent, independent and commands attention whenever she is on screen.
The primary antagonists are Ben Mendelsohn (“Star Wars: Rogue One”) who portrays Nolan Sorrento, a corporate figure who tries to gain control over the Oasis for his selfish gains, along with his mercenary partner T.J. Miller (“Deadpool”) who portrays i-Rok. The duo provides slight comic relief as they parallel many villains or antiheroes in Saturday morning specials who are bumbling and maniacal.
The dystopian world revealed in this plot revolves around the current, real-world crisis of climate change in tandem with the economic instability of societies and the resultant overpopulation. The harsh realities drive the world to exist in a virtual reality simulation where they can be anyone and do anything. The drive to become more than they are is due to the generation of the time being called “the missing.” The character Wade Watts explains that they are referred to as the missing because there was nowhere for them to go. All interactions take place virtually, with persons rarely meeting in real-life. The interactions are experienced physically by players with the use of haptic feedback suits and accessories, some more real and costly than others.
The plot is driven by the hunt for an “Easter Egg,” a proverbial key to owning the Oasis and the inheritance from the game maker James Halliday portrayed by Mark Rylance (“The BFG” and “Dunkirk” (2017)). Rylance is marvelous on screen, as he plays the role of the eccentric, yet introverted scientist flawlessly. Given the plots’ premise of a race, audiences are entreated to a fast-paced and action pack montage on screen at almost every turn, which is supplemented by equally satisfying moments of exposition and character development.
One of the reasons for the success of “Ready Player One” at the box office within its first weekend is hinged to its heavy play on the nostalgia of its viewers. The movie employs the incorporation of characters, sounds and myriad other totems from movies and television shows from the 1980s. Several characters dawn the screen subtly such as Harley Quinn, The Iron Giant and Chucky with the majority appearing as avatars for real persons, while a small fraction act as special characters giving aide in times of distress. Similarly, the light cycle from “Tron,” The Delorian from “Back to the Future” and the referenced Millennium Falcon from “Star Wars” served as alternative modes of transportation for persons within the Oasis.
The cinematography is stunning as the director Stephen Spielberg and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski have taken several liberties to provide a fully immersive environment. The duo is not new to the collaborations as they have worked on several projects together including but not limited to “Saving Private Ryan,” “Amistad” and “Schindler’s List.”
Another reason the film works well and should resonate with audiences is the fact that Steven Spielberg stuck close to the archetypes from the novel. These archetypes, while common, were fleshed out in a way that reminds audiences of better and simpler times, where plots were driven and motivated by characters with a value. These simple archetypes such as the hero, mentor shapeshifter, allies and tricksters present themselves in “Ready Player One” in a way that solicits strong buy-in from moviegoers.
The score was produced by Alan Silvestri who is known for his work with the “Back to the Future” trilogy, “Lilo and Stitch” and the upcoming “Avengers: Infinity War” film. Strategically, the combination of Spielberg, Silvestri and Kaminski provided more clout to the films’ reception. The rare component in this movie is the seamless migration from paper to the silver screen with this adaptation increasing the worth of this franchise in gold.
Overall, “Ready Player One” provides a taste of every millennials dream, as the influence from the decades teems in every scene of this film. Critics have accepted the film and have given positive views with movie aggregates Rotten Tomatoes certifying the film fresh with a 76 percent critic score and 80 percent audience score as of April 3, 2018. The effective use of imagery coupled with a 1970s-2000s influenced soundtrack and tons of pop culture references takes audiences on a ride that won’t soon be forgotten.
