Ready Player One - Delightfully Boring

I should preface this review with an important disclaimer: I have not read the book this movie is based on. While I have had conversations with many friends who have read the book, almost all of whom share a similar disdain for the book, I will not be factoring anything about the book into this review. As always, this will be a review of the movie alone and its own merits.

Now, let's get on with the review.

Based on the book of the same title by Ernest Cline, the story takes place in the future where society has turned to complete garbage. Every single person on Earth opts to escape the dreary hardships of reality by retreating into The OASIS, a virtual universe that's basically the largest and most advanced video game. In that, you can go on adventures and gain wealth and power through your talent and skill, as well as your own level of nerd knowledge. This advanced digital paradise was created by a technological genius named Halliday (Mark Rylance), who, upon his death, left a series of clues spread throughout The OASIS for players to seek out. Whoever solves the clues wins the grand prize of real world wealth and total control of The OASIS. Our hero is a young man named Wade (Tye Sheridan) who has figured out the first of three clues and, with the help of his friends, just might be the first player in years to solve the mystery. Standing in his way is a massive and stereotypically evil corporate overlord named Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn) who wants control of The OASIS for by the numbers evil corporate stuff with advertisements and microtransactions and so on. Now, it's a race to the finish line to win the prize and determine the fate of the virtual world.

If there is one way to describe this film overall, it would be one-dimensional. Every single thing about this movie, from the characters to the general story and plot, are just too streamline to be in anyway engaging. Most of the character development, if any, is told to us either through voice-over narration or with characters blatantly blurting it out. I find it underwhelming and disappointing that a film with the most advanced technology at its beck and call could not find a way to visualize something as essential as character growth.

The protagonist especially suffers the most. He has nothing about him that makes him sympathetic. He's not a jerk or anything like that, he's just bland. We are given reason to empathize with him upon learning of his troubled living situation and family issues, but that's not enough to make a compelling character. All we ever learn about this kid is that he's incredible in The OASIS, he's super knowledgeable of 80s nostalgia and of Halliday's life story, and, worst of all, he doesn't really have anything even resembling a satisfying arc. He is just an audience proxy with no real personality or texture. In other words, he is an Avatar without a player.

The rest of the characters don't really fair much better. The only supporting character who is even remotely interesting is Samantha (Olivia Cooke) as she actually has a potentially exciting backstory and a more compelling motivation for winning the game. I think I would have preferred it if she was the real protagonist.

The visual effects are just too damn crowded. While incredibly well made and beautifully designed, it's all just trying to do too much. When it's not bombarding you with references to 80s nostalgia, it's overly stimulating your senses with excessive movement, unengaging action scenes, and jokes about video games that were funny ten years ago.

The film was directed by Steven Spielberg (I know, I feel that way too). A real living legend of Cinema responsible for timeless classics such as E.T., Saving Private Ryan, and Catch Me If You Can. A director who has made such an impact in the Cinema landscape and set the modern standards for the Hollywood Blockbuster, it's almost impossible to think he could ever produce something as dull and as one-dimensional as this. Sadly, that is precisely the case. It's hard to tell if this is due to apathy or ignorance of nerd culture, or if it's due to his continual loss of faith in the Hollywood system, this may very well be the first major film he's done on autopilot. His trademark spectacle is sort of there, but his ability to elevate the material is not.

And yet, despite all of that, there are still some things about this movie I did kind of like. The animation for the virtual world looked terrific at times, I liked how it explored the deeper meanings of Avatars in gaming and nerd culture, and I really appreciated how it had the positive message to occasionally unplug and do something fun in the real world. Even though that message wasn't as strong as I feel it should have been, I appreciated it being there nonetheless.

Ready Player One is not really a dumpster fire, but more like a mediocre fireworks display that overstays its welcome by going on for too long. It is a missed opportunity for a film and may very well be the first significant disappointment from the legendary Spielberg. It has been said that this book was impossible to put to film. Maybe they should not have even tried. Some things are best left on paper.

Is this movie worth seeing?
No.

Is it worth seeing in theaters?
No.

Why?
It's dull, one-dimensional, lacks any kind of texture, and overstays its welcome. Just skip this one and go see Black Panther again.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you all for reading.