Ready Player One | March 29, 2018 | Spielberg directing | No untagged spoilers allowed

[MCKillswitch123]

5 minutes ago, Jessie said:

How is Michael Bay sexist? Because he used attractive women in his movies? Thats not sexist

"First of all, it's pretty damn sexist and shamelessly stereotypical. Like, Michael Bay levels of shameless."

 

Didn't call him sexist at all. I called him someone who likes to handle shameless stereotypes. And.... he kinda is. The Transformers sequels being your main and ultimate evidence, Your Highness.

 

But I can see where the confusion would come from, so my bad as well.

Edited March 13, 2018 by MCKillswitch123

[Goffe]

38 minutes ago, Arlborn said:

I'm not sure I'll ever get people wanting an inoffensive blockbuster to fail; they're literally made to offend as little as possible and just offer a fun escape so while I get(but strongly disagree with) people who tends to be dismissive towards them I don't get people who have a hate boner towards one or more of them. I really don't.

 

 

 

movie looks trash and is trash apparently.

 

simple concept, really.

[75Live]

 

39 minutes ago, Arlborn said:

I'm not sure I'll ever get people wanting an inoffensive blockbuster to fail; they're literally made to offend as little as possible and just offer a fun escape so while I get(but strongly disagree with) people who tends to be dismissive towards them I don't get people who have a hate boner towards one or more of them. I really don't.

 

 

 

 I hear you.

 

I'm guessing someone people just don't like that the main character realizes that everything he thought about the world and his views in the beginning were actually wrong.  I guess some wanted the fanboyism to be right    I won't say much more than that since it can go into spoilers.

[Arlborn]

16 minutes ago, MCKillswitch123 said:

The problem is that the book itself actually kinda IS insulting. And this is coming from someone who kinda enjoyed it when I 1st read it a couple of years ago, but the more I think about it, the less I like it. And I'm not even just talking about obvious surface-level flaws like unlikeable characters, poor development and lack of story in a fucking fictional novel. First of all, it's pretty damn sexist and shamelessly stereotypical. Like, Michael Bay levels of shameless. It even has some hints of homophobia in there. And on top of that, it takes the stance that toxic fanboyism is acceptable and that you're only cool if you like a certain type of pop culture elements. Basically, it kinda passes the idea that you're a hater or a noob if you dislike the things that the lead characters enjoy. In the world of RPO, it's okay to let angry fanboy fury out if, say, critics dislike your movie of preference. That, to me, is a numbing representation of being unwilling to accept other people's opinions, almost in a political/religious-style stubborn way. And you may think "that's not a big deal", but... it kinda is. Because it's that kind of angry gatekeeping and acceptance of the "correct opinion" only that has led the way for the extremely hostile internet fan culture that we see today around a ton of franchises (particularly Star Wars, Marvel and DC, but a bunch of others as well).

 

I don't want the movie to fail IF it's better than the book. I accept the idea of a cheesy young adult adventure centered around pop culture fanboyism. Hell, I think that idea has potential. But, as far as the book is concerned, I hate the notion of "only one type of fanboyism is good, yours that's different sucks", I hate how arrogant and self-masturbatory to his own geekyness the main character seems to be, I hate how close minded the book's identity clearly is, and I hate how it hides behind pop culture references to not answer the charges of lack of true story or true character. I can't really judge the movie - especially since, tbh, I didn't even hate the trailers that much. They give me the impression that the story is probably more better realized visually than on text, with paragraphs and paragraphs dedicated to useless pop culture exposition. And it's a Spielberg movie, for God's sake. But I'm not overly confident either.

I read it too long ago and I am too tired to go over point by point with you but I am getting the distinct impression that you are only seeing what you choose to see in there. Which is fine I guess since it's actually natural that we have the tendency to project our own views into the works of fiction we consume but, truly, you just seem to be over-thinking a shamelessly disposable work of fiction a tad too much.

 

 

 

[Arlborn]

5 minutes ago, Goffe said:

movie looks trash and is trash apparently.

 

simple concept, really.

That's just dismissing it rather than hating it though, isn't it?

 

[MCKillswitch123]

10 minutes ago, 75Live said:

 

 I hear you.

 

I'm guessing someone people just don't like that the main character realizes that everything he thought about the world and his views in the beginning were actually wrong.  I guess some wanted the fanboyism to be right    I won't say much more than that since it can go into spoilers.

Are you talking about the book or the movie?

 

Because I disagree a pretty big lot w/that impression of the main character's ending in the book, mate 

 

@Arlborn Disposable work of fiction doesn't give it an excuse to not be criticized. And I found a lot of things that really irked me. And for the record, I was pretty excited about reading the book after hearing about its concept and how much of a big deal it became - although you may have more of a point than I think in me choosing stuff to dislike in there, since there's an early part of the book that pissed me off pretty badly, and from that point on, I couldn't get really back on board with it, despite the fun nature of the references mashup. But... I don't find CLEAR hints of those things I pointed out to be overthinking at all. But again, that was the book, and the movie could and probably should be better.

Edited March 13, 2018 by MCKillswitch123

[Arlborn]

5 minutes ago, 75Live said:

 

 I hear you.

 

I'm guessing someone people just don't like that the main character realizes that everything he thought about the world and his views in the beginning were actually wrong.  I guess some wanted the fanboyism to be right    I won't say much more than that since it can go into spoilers.

That's how I remember the book as well but that idea seems to go completely against what @MCKillswitch123is saying so I thought maybe I was remembering it wrong since it's been a couple of years...

 

I thought this was just the basic hero's journey material.

[Jessie]

5 minutes ago, MCKillswitch123 said:

"First of all, it's pretty damn sexist and shamelessly stereotypical. Like, Michael Bay levels of shameless."

 

Didn't call him sexist at all. I called him someone who likes to handle shameless stereotypes. And.... he kinda is. The Transformers sequels being your main and ultimate evidence, Your Highness.

 

But I can see where the confusion would come from, so my bad as well.

Well i havent read the book but im going to assume you are wrong because Michael Bay is hardly sexist. He just knows sex sells and if you are an attractive star, you'll want to be in his movie

[75Live]

1 minute ago, Arlborn said:

That's how I remember the book as well but that idea seems to go completely against what @MCKillswitch123is saying so I thought maybe I was remembering it wrong since it's been a couple of years...

 

I thought this was just the basic hero's journey material.

 

no you remembered right.  I'm reading it again to be sure and it's what happens.

[Arlborn]

4 minutes ago, MCKillswitch123 said:

Are you talking about the book or the movie?

 

Because I disagree a pretty big lot w/that impression of the main character's ending in the book, mate 

 

@Arlborn Disposable work of fiction doesn't give it an excuse to not be criticized. And I found a lot of things that really irked me. Maybe you have a point that I was already against it to begin with (there's an early part of the book that pissed me off pretty badly, and from that point on, I couldn't get really back on board with it, despite the fun nature of the references mashup), but... I don't find CLEAR hints of those things I pointed out to be overthinking at all. But again, that was the book, and the movie could and probably should be better.

 

I sincerely got a very different impression from the book than you did then... My basic and aged lasting impression from the book is that he had to let go of a whole lot of silly obsessions and misconceptions about the world to get what he wanted in the end and isn't that just how most hero journeys go?

 

I guess we just really got different things out of the same material based on our own personal experiences after all.

[Premium George]

6 minutes ago, Jessie said:

Well i havent read the book but im going to assume you are wrong because Michael Bay is hardly sexist. He just knows sex sells and if you are an attractive star, you'll want to be in his movie

He just told you that he didn't call him sexist but that his movie characters are shamelessly stereotypical. Read first, then reply. 

[Jessie]

4 minutes ago, Premium George said:

He just told you that he didn't call him sexist but that his movie characters are shamelessly stereotypical. Read first, then reply. 

He then followed up with 'he kinda is'

 

Read first, then reply 😉

Edited March 13, 2018 by Jessie

[Arlborn]

 

28 minutes ago, MCKillswitch123 said:

"First of all, it's pretty damn sexist and shamelessly stereotypical. Like, Michael Bay levels of shameless."

 

Didn't call him sexist at all. I called him someone who likes to handle shameless stereotypes. And.... he kinda is. The Transformers sequels being your main and ultimate evidence, Your Highness.

 

But I can see where the confusion would come from, so my bad as well.

1 minute ago, Jessie said:

He then followed up with 'he kinda is'

 

Read first, then reply 😉

I think you misread it. He said he "kinda is" someone who likes to handle shameless stereotypes. The implication here being that he does it for the money rather than cause he's sexist or anything like that.

[MCKillswitch123]

5 minutes ago, Jessie said:

Well i havent read the book but im going to assume you are wrong because Michael Bay is hardly sexist. He just knows sex sells and if you are an attractive star, you'll want to be in his movie

..............but I already said that I didn't call Michael Bay sexist. I said that the stereotypes he puts in his movies are shameless.

 

And how can you assume that I'm wrong about the book being sexist and stereotypical if you haven't read it? Where's your argument for that, anyway? The book IS sexist, from my perception. Michael Bay may not be, but I wasn't comparing the book to Bay for sexism, I was comparing the book to Bay for the induction of shameless stereotypes.

4 minutes ago, 75Live said:

 

no you remembered right.  I'm reading it again to be sure and it's what happens.

1 minute ago, Arlborn said:

 

I sincerely got a very different impression from the book than you did then... My basic and aged lasting impression from the book is that he had to let go of a whole lot of silly obsessions and misconceptions about the world to get what he wanted in the end and isn't that just how most hero journeys go?

 

I guess we just really got different things out of the same material based on our own personal experiences after all.

When I read it the 1st time, the 1st impression I got was that one that I am reporting. Never really struck me as if he had to let go of misconceptions or things that he was fanboying about; if anything, my impression was that he wanted to protect them. As a matter of fact, his knowledge of those things was beneficial to him if anything. Only a couple of things threw him off, but they weren't even treated w/that much relevance. Which leads to what I already pointed as the issue of the hero having pretty much no character arc as far as I can recall. He started and ended the same way: a know-it-all, arrogant asshole. He played a game, a lot of people died because of him but he wasn't all that up and arms about it, he completed the game and then he met a couple of people. That's about it.

 

But I will admit this: it's been a while since I read the book, and I only read it once (w/a 2nd "flip the page" kinda thing more recently after the Comic-Con teaser reveal), w/my distaste for the book coming out bigger and bigger overtime. Maybe I am in fact overthinking it, or maybe I just didn't get the right impression of it originally.

 

And for what's worth, I still am hopeful, if skeptical, about the movie.

[Jessie]

7 minutes ago, Arlborn said:

 

 

 

I think you misread it. He said he "kinda is" someone who likes to handle shameless stereotypes. The implication here being that he does it for the money rather than cause he's sexist or anything like that.

That is fair. I Just think the term sexist gets thrown around far too casually as of late. Bay makes films for teenage boys, he simply knows his target audience, just like Magic Mike has its target audience

Edited March 13, 2018 by Jessie

[grim22]

2 minutes ago, MCKillswitch123 said:

But I will admit this: it's been a while since I read the book, and I only read it once (w/a 2nd "flip the page" kinda thing more recently after the Comic-Con teaser reveal), w/my distaste for the book coming out bigger and bigger overtime. Maybe I am in fact overthinking it, or maybe I just didn't get the right impression of it originally.

 

Yes, yes you are.

[75Live]

3 minutes ago, MCKillswitch123 said:

 

 

But I will admit this: it's been a while since I read the book, and I only read it once (w/a 2nd "flip the page" kinda thing more recently after the Comic-Con teaser reveal), w/my distaste for the book coming out bigger and bigger overtime. Maybe I am in fact overthinking it, or maybe I just didn't get the right impression of it originally.

 

And for what's worth, I still am hopeful, if skeptical, about the movie.

 

 

I wasn't ignoring your post, just if that's what you took out of it, I won't argue.  We all take what we take.  I may disagree with your take about the book, but that's how it goes sometimes

 

I'm guessing all the stuff you may not like about the book probably won't be in the movie so that may help your hopefullness 

[MCKillswitch123]

12 minutes ago, 75Live said:

 

 

I wasn't ignoring your post, just if that's what you took out of it, I won't argue.  We all take what we take.  I may disagree with your take about the book, but that's how it goes sometimes

 

I'm guessing all the stuff you may not like about the book probably won't be in the movie so that may help your hopefullness 

Yeah, maybe if I read it again, I'd get a different opinion this time around. And I do believe that Spielberg has made sure that some of these things that irked me have been fixed. Not all of them, but at least some. And hey, the pop culture action setpieces stuff probably works a lot better through a visual medium than a written one.

[75Live]

1 minute ago, MCKillswitch123 said:

Yeah, maybe if I read it again, I'd get a different opinion this time around. And I do believe that Spielberg has made sure that some of these things that irked me have been fixed. Not all of them, but at least some. And hey, the pop culture action setpieces stuff probably works a lot better through a visual medium than a written one.

 

yeah at the very worst, even though people say the story is good in the movie, the action and visuals should be worth the watch.  

 

I just hope I like the film since there isn't much else to look forward to this month    so putting all my eggs into one basket here (pun not intended but I'll take it)

[MCKillswitch123]

5 minutes ago, 75Live said:

 

yeah at the very worst, even though people say the story is good in the movie, the action and visuals should be worth the watch.  

 

I just hope I like the film since there isn't much else to look forward to this month    so putting all my eggs into one basket here (pun not intended but I'll take it)

Tomb Raider is apparently a decent watch, so there's that.

 

And yeah, for all of the problems that I fear having (hopefully not) w/the story and w/the characters, I have read some vague mentions of action setpieces in RPO that sound really, REALLY awesome. So at least from a purely visual standpoint, the movie will probably be noteworthy.

Edited March 13, 2018 by MCKillswitch123