Ready Player One (2018)

[Avatree]

4 minutes ago, That One Guy said:

They definitely do reference the Millennium Falcon but I didn’t catch any other references

yeah I know but it's not shown on screen, you don't need permission to mention something whereas you do to portray its likeness right?

 

 

6 minutes ago, aabattery said:

 

There are definitely a few Star Wars references in there.

Fair enough, I stand corrected, I had read that Disney said no. I don't know why anyone would refuse permission for another film to reference you, it's not like you are going to damage the value of it.

[GeneralKong]

Eh. The film certainly has its nostalgic charms, but the severely underwritten characters and rushed plotting prevent those charms from taking on greater emotional significance.

 

6/10 

[YLF]

I didnt really enjoy it. The characters were underdeveloped, all of the gamers on this massive platform happened to live in close proximity to each other? riiiiight. It had too many plot issues. My friend loved it and it seems the general consensus is that people enjoy it which is all that matters.

 

I give it a 6.5/10. C-

[holcs]

Movie was a lot of fun.  8.5/10.  Thought the acting all around was solid.  I'm a fan of tye Sheridan for sure, and I haven't seen Olivia cooke in really anything, but she was really good.  The technical side was amazing.  I think mendelsohn as a bad guy is just OK. Like I just don't feel really threatened buy him in anything.  Could've been a better casting Imo.  And geez, TJ Miller...as a villain.  No.  I don't get why just because you want a movie to be a fun adventure you have to skimp on a villain or make him/her less threatening.  

 

There's so many clever references...I loved Chucky and then all the IOIs going red, I lmao.  

No doubt the best sequence of references was Samantha as Art disguised as Goro with the Alien chestburster to give wade/parzival the f'ing clark Kent disguise.  Gold. 

 

Somehow I missed the Lara croft references....Where were they?  

 

The great thing is I def stopped looking for them because of I really was more invested in wade getting the keys.  Which just shows Spielberg is the man.  

[kaijukurt]

Man, I loved the setpieces in this. 

 

Really felt like a big summer tentpole.

 

A

Edited March 31, 2018 by kaijukurt

[Cap]

5 hours ago, holcs said:

Somehow I missed the Lara croft references....Where were they?  

Lara is tucked in the back during the battle scene. She in the shot of Tracer from Overwatch, Lady Shep from MassEffect, and Chun-Li from Street Fighter running together.

 

This highlights of one the many things that drove me crazy during RPO: WB not utilizing their IPs to the highest and best use. Lara Croft had a movie out two weeks ago, why wasn’t she featured more for some fun cross promotion? (And why am I climbing Everest with Batman instead of her, or a party of her, Nathan Drake, and Indiana Jones?)

 

Supernatural has been running since 2005, it is is STILL the WB’s most popular and profitable show on the CW.  Where was my bit where a sea of 1967 Impalas ride into the battle sequence like cavalry, blasting Carry On My Wayward Son!?  Or at least put the Impala in the road race. 

 

Wonder Woman made you 400M dollars last year and became a bona fide cultural phenomenon. You are REALLY trying to convince me there wasn’t an small army (or “clan”) of Amazons in that battle?  The only reference to her is some patches and logo stickers?

 

They 👏 Own 👏 Harry 👏 Potter 👏. No references to Dumbledore’s Army? In a scene about raising an army? The same Dumbledore with a movie coming out this November?! 

 

 

I understand that the purpose of this movie is to masturbate to the 80s. It just doesn’t work for me as a world building device. There was an interview given about why no modern pop culture reference appear in the movie, and I think it was Cline who said that once the Oasis happened everyone became so obsessed with the Oasis they stopped creating new content. 

 

First, that’s bullshit because Fan Fiction exists and will always exist. 

 

Second, in the movie the Oasis isn’t created until 2024. So why no modern references? Even the idea that everyone is obsessed with the 80s because of Halliday/The Easter Egg Hunt doesnt hold up. In the movie, it’s shown that most have moved on from the intital craze. There was plenty as ways to add in non-80s references without really veering off from the core nostalgia trip.

[75Live]

saw it again and still love it.

 

I don't care about all the references as much any more since the story can stand on its own.  

 

However, it is hard not to notice some of them

 

like I forgot to mention that I saw Doc Brown in his BttF 2 outfit, the first time.  This time I noticed there was a Goldie Wilson Mayoral poster, Robocop, the Judge Dredd lawgiver, yes verified it was a Lazer Tag gun, Lara Croft was in at least a couple scenes, pretty sure I saw Mad Max's car in the race.  Loved they put the T-rex in there too and it definitely was a Colecovision the kid was playing at the end.

 

at this showing almost everyone went ape crap about with the Shining part which isn't surprising but this time you could tell at least 90% was laughing knowing what was coming or gasping or going "uh oh"

 

 

 

 

 

[CoolioD1]

this was ok. all the setpieces are a lot of fun obviously THE BERG can't be topped there and i can't say i was ever bored but the story itself never really hooked me in a major way. the oasis is blander/uglier than it needed to be and all the main characters have much more personality in the IRL scenes like that sassy little asian kid. and i didn't like olivia cooke's character until i actually got to see her for real much more spark to that character actually seeing her get to perform it. it hurts because the oasis stuff is like 70% of the movie. mendelsohn is a lot of fun and so is rylance his "thank you for playing my game" at the end is the one sentimental beat i liked in the whole thing.

 

 

and yeah the shining scene is the best part. sitting in an audience full of 8 year olds i was thinking "ok they're not actually gonna do the blood in the elevator bit" and then when she went in 237 "ok they're not actually gonna do the rotting naked old lady" but hey they went for it.

Edited March 31, 2018 by CoolioD1

[Krissykins]

The Shining sequence!

 

and the moment of the movie was: “ITS FUCKING CHUCKY” 

 

 Audience died. Great fun!! 

 

I spotted Freddy and Jason too.

[MrPink]

Would give a B-/B. The main character (not Tye's fault) is just a little too cringe-y for me, and the references do feel overwhelming. But the setpieces and direction is strong as per usual from Spielberg and Mark Rylance is a treasure. Mendelsohn is good as corporate/director incompetent schmuck fool, can do the role in his sleep.

[CoolioD1]

a couple of the references were a bit cringe for me like the buckaroo banzai thing but there were less moments like that than i feared. Also mark rylance's character likes to play as odd job in goldeneye? what a shit i'm glad he's dead.

[MrPink]

33 minutes ago, CoolioD1 said:

a couple of the references were a bit cringe for me like the buckaroo banzai thing but there were less moments like that than i feared. Also mark rylance's character likes to play as odd job in goldeneye? what a shit i'm glad he's dead.

 

It was more like an ebb and flow, some moments felt too in my face and then it'd be fine. I didn't mind the quick visual references, but more when it became heavily baked into the dialogue, such as Buckaroo Banzai as you mentioned. Or the whole John Hughes stuff.

[CoolioD1]

2 minutes ago, MrPink said:

 

It was more like an ebb and flow, some moments felt too in my face and then it'd be fine. I didn't mind the quick visual references, but more when it became heavily baked into the dialogue, such as Buckaroo Banzai as you mentioned. Or the whole John Hughes stuff.

i didn't hate the john hughes bit because i thought the gag of a whole team of researchers feeding that info to ben mendelsohn was pretty good. 

[Webslinger]

Ready Player One meets enough of its potential to merit a recommendation, even if it doesn't necessarily clear the bar that fans of the book or Steven Spielberg aficionados might set for it. Taken on its own terms, it's an entertaining, fast-paced sci-fi romp that occasionally makes astute observations about our society's addiction to screens. The design on some sections of the virtual OASIS are breathtaking, and the presence of pop culture icons is handled so effectively that it doesn't feel as gimmicky as it could have. The major action setpieces also deliver enough thrills and laughs that they don't disappoint. However, the script makes numerous radical changes to the source material that narrow the scope of the setting to the point where many of the plot beats feel rushed, the nuances of the OASIS and the characters who inhabit it feel under-developed, it doesn't lean as far into pop culture homage as the book (somewhat understandable given licensing issues, but still a bit underwhelming), and the payoff in the climax doesn't pack as much of a punch as it should. Many of the changes from page to screen also make the film feel oddly childish in spite of the well-earned PG-13 rating. Nevertheless, despite flaws in adaptation and a clear feeling that it could have been far more special, it works as a solid piece of escapist fun.

 

B

[filmlover]

I never read the book but this was a very fun time at the movies. It feels like Spielberg's attempt to prove he still has it in him to make fun blockbuster spectacles of this scale (I saw it on a real IMAX screen and it was worth the extra money), and it works. Enjoyed all of the pop culture references and the virtual world of the OASIS, along with the cast (really dug both Tye Sheridan and Olivia Cooke here). It did feel like it was starting to drag out a bit towards the end, but it's definitely worth seeing, preferably on as big of a screen as possible. B+

[MCKillswitch123]

I hated the book. Like, HATED it. And by God, I should've loved it, because the concept + the idea seems tailor made for someone like me. But it was poorly written, bland, boring, arrogant, mean-spirited, gate-keeping and stereotypical.

 

The movie is not great by any means. But it is a massive improvement on the book. The cast is great (Olivia Cooke and Mendelsohn are the standouts imo), the characters are likeable if underdeveloped and rushed, the pacing terrific (really didn't feel like 2h and 20 mins), the action dazzling and exciting, and THE BERG proves without a shadow of a doubt that he's an absolute master at the art of crafting film. From a technical perspective, every single choice was great.... though I could've used a little less lens flares. Spielberg went full JJ Abrams w/that BS. The three grand setpieces of the movie - the race, the Overlook Hotel and the ending - were all jaw-dropping, and I lost my damn shit w/the entire Shining sequence + the Iron Giant vs. Mechagodzilla fight. FUCKING CHUCKY was an awesome moment too. For that matter, the references are well worked into the story and they're not too distracting and in-your-face, although they're there and they're cool to spot. And finally, Alan Silvestri's score is very nice on the ears, to say the least (and I admit that I kinda smiled when the BTTF theme played during Parvizal unleashing the Zemeckis Cube).

 

However, I still have a billion problems w/this movie, that I don't really even know where to begin:

• I still think that the way that Parzival crushes on Art3mis early on is so rushed that it borders on delusional and creepy, even if they make the correction to actually have them meet in person early on during the story, thus actually creating a feasible relationship. And in this interpretation, I also found it easier to understand that this probably reflects more than anything on Parzival suffering from a serious case of social exclusion, infatuating himself w/the 1st girl in God knows how long that actually talks to him, and even then, it's a girl whose face he didn't even know or had seen before. Still jarring nonetheless.
• While I praised the pacing of the movie, it does drag a couple of times. Particularly when they focus on the evil corporation that wants to take over the OASIS. The ending after Parzival finds the egg also felt like it went on a little too long.
• Needless to say that everyone has touched on the total lack of character development, including the rushed backstories that were just a side distraction for a few minutes. This is something that carries on from the book, and sure enough, it's still untouched. Granted, the characters in the movie were actually likeable, and Parzival kiiiiinda went through an actual arc that changed him a little bit from beggining to end, but still, there's zero character development as a whole. Matt Atchity from What The Flick? and a couple of book purists have said that the movie does away w/the character development from the book altogether, and I'm just sitting here like "what character development are you fucking talking about? The movie doesn't change anything from the book in that aspect".
• Speaking of character issues.... stereotypes. They're still a thing here. While nowhere near as laughable as in the book, you couldn't paint "Asian stereotype" on the two Japanese kids and "gamer stereotype" on James Halliday any harder if you had tried. Now, you can kinda side this as a nitpick, but as a film/game fan and an aspiring screenwriter, it got on my nerves.
• The dialogue is, for the most part, harmlessly cheesy and silly imo, but sometimes it can get dangerously gate-keeping and cringeworthy... "A fanboy knows a hater"? "Reality.... is real"? Ugh.
• Plotholes and/or unanswered questions....... too many to count. How the hell did some of those people move in the OASIS, like that Asian guy sitting down in his office? Why are people taking the OASIS so seriously when it's nothing more than a distraction, and it doesn't seem to help real life at all (apart from one mention from the abusive boyfriend that claimed that "this artifact was gonna pay the house"... and if OASIS cash or conquests do account for real life currency, why doesn't Parzival leave that house and go live on his own, where he can make a living off of his OASIS work)? Parzival is a teenager, but why do we never see him go to school? It's not like public school requires a lot of money to support, and if Columbus was "the fastest growing city on Earth", then there would absolutely be at least one open school. How the bloody fuck wouldn't anyone - nevermind gamers, who are some of the most hardcore secret/treasure hunters in the world - think of going backwards in the race at least once during 5 YEARS? Why didn't Parzival and Art3mis just unplug themselves from the game when they were being attacked in the nightclub? Why doesn't everyone just build an Iron Giant or a Mechagodzilla for themselves, and they'd rather roam around in Hello Kitty and Marvin The Martian suits? On that matter, how come there seems to be only one variant of each character in the world; you'd think there would be a lot more big boobed Chun-Lis and big muscled Master Chiefs? And so on, and so on, and so.... on. I imagine I forgot a lot of them as time went by, but there's a ton.

So, yeah, it's a very problematic movie. Wouldn't expect anything less from a Ready Player One adaptation co-penned by Ernest Cline himself. But overall, it's a fun movie w/great action and great performances. I'd watch it again on TV to try to spot some other easter eggs + to rewatch the amazing action sequences once more, I'd guess. But it's definitely low tier Spielberg for me. At best "low-middle" tier. And I wouldn't put it past me to feel about it the same way I felt about the book: I enjoyed it at 1st, but the more thought I put into it, the more I hated it. Though for now, I found it a middling but entertaining ride.

 

C+ / B-

[CoolioD1]

i was considering mentioning this. felt kinda like self reflection to me why i said the rylance scene at the end was the one sentimental moment i liked

 

 

[K1stpierre]

Saw this last night at the big screen, the IMAX3D screen in Providence, which is a rare treat as I hardly ever go to providence. I mean wow though, this film was MADE to be seen on the big screen. The graphics are unreal, and the race/fight scenes are absolutely phenomenal. It really is a treat, and even though we saw some of the scenes in the trailer I don't think it takes away the awe factor as there was still a whole a lot more they put in for your jaw to drop. I thought that given this takes place in a game that the CGI characters would of taken me out of the film, but I actually thought Speilberg did a great job with balancing the CGI world and the real world so that they both coexisted and felt like the same characters. 

 

The cast for this was really good. I loved the main character Wade and the girl Artemis (Samantha), I found their friendship very genuine and the buildup very nice. And his friend H was funny! Loved his character, and I think I loved the quote or whatever it was that was said in the movie that "despite not knowing what they look like or who they are at all, he's my very best friend", I really felt and loved that line as in a way I'm sure that's how some of us feel like on here. I've been on here for years and I've come (although I know I haven't been as active as I would like given my new position at my work with more responsibility) to know this place like my family. I don't know, it was just a line that stuck with me. 

 

I think the weakest point in this movie for me, was the 'villain'. I never really bought his character as one that was ever really "intimidating" or hell would ever be charge of a billion dollar business as he seemed pretty weak and not sure what to do. And I mean, let's just talk about the level of security of this place. I guess apparently EVERYONE can just enter this guy's room as Sam just waltzed right in.....I mean really? No passcode? No lock?.....I mean that just seems so silly to me. And even how they got Sam out, like I was watching her unhook herself and leaving that pod thing and I'm just thinking like, wouldn't an company doing shady shit like this make their security a bit tighter? Like, how about if someone is opening their pod from the inside an alarm shoots out? I mean.....cause that's like an OBVIOUS common sense thing to think of. Nope. She just gets out and walks in line with the others. Also, Wade lost a family member at one point with the house exploding and like.......literally the next scene he's just making googly eyes with Samantha? It just seemed like Wade was just like, "Just lost my Aunt? eh......but like.....I've got a pretty girl here who is just basically a stranger to me....so yeah I'm good".

 

That would probably be my weak points. I will say, I was NEVER bored with this movie. This film's pacing is superb, because this film is not short at all as it's almost 2.5 hours. It's hard to make a film that's over 2 hours long (just personal opinion) to have good pacing throughout. I never glanced at my phone, and when the movie was over it didn't feel that long at all. I think my favorite scene in this movie was by far the whole sequence with The Shining. Super funny and entertaining.

 

I def want to see this again. This is a very entertaining movie and Speilberg should be proud of this one. I give this an A-, 8.9/10. (90/100)

[K1stpierre]

Oh! And just had to add, I LOVED the Gundam vs. Godzilla scene!!! I was literally shitting my pants in the theater when he said Gundam. My partner next to me had no idea what it was, but I was like, "OOOOOOOH NO WAY?!?!?"  and then when he transformed, ugh.......I just died.

[Fancyarcher]

My review.

 

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