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Is "Ready Player One" a love letter to predominately 1980s pop culture, or is it
a cautionary tale about losing oneself in virtual worlds at the expense of
living a full, real life? As it turns out, it's a little of both, the tug and
pull of the film's warring motives leaving the viewer unsure at times whether to
fully submit to its non-stop references to past films, video games and fictional
worlds. Likewise, does the picture seamlessly incorporate these nods into its
narrative fabric, or does director Steven Spielberg (2016's "The BFG")
occasionally become so preoccupied with checking nostalgia boxes he forgets to
create singular, for-the-ages moments worthy of standing alongside the best of
his oeuvre? This part-spectacular, part-developmentally undernourished
adaptation of Ernest Cline's acclaimed 2011 science-fiction novel leaves one
wishing for more from Zak Penn (2008's "The Incredible Hulk") and Cline's
screenplay—more breathing room to build its actual and imagined landscapes, more
time to effectively establish its characters—and yet much of what is here is
still enough to bring an unabashed smile to the faces of fanboys and fangirls
everywhere.
In the year 2045, Columbus, Ohio, has become the fastest-growing city on Earth,
the bulk of its residents forced to live in a slum area filled with makeshift
towers of mobile homes known as "The Stacks." On a planet beleaguered by
overpopulation, corporate greed, corn syrup droughts and bandwidth riots,
18-year-old Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan)—like so many of the planet's
dwellers—gravitates toward losing himself in the OASIS, a virtual world of
limitless possibilities where he is known by his avatar Parzival. When revered
OASIS creator James Halliday (Mark Rylance) passed away five years ago, he left
behind a challenge no one has yet to crack. Hidden within the game are three
keys leading to an ultimate Easter egg, the first person to find them standing
to inherit Halliday's fortune and full control over the OASIS. As Wade and
fellow players and friends Art3mis (Olivia Cooke), Aech (Lena Waithe), Daito
(Win Morisaki) and Sho (Philip Zhao) move closer to solving the game, their
activity catches the deceitful eye of Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn). The CEO
of technology conglomerate Innovative Online Industries (IOI), Nolan seeks to
find the keys via his debt-indentured slaves/gamers known as "The Sixers," and
he isn't about to let Wade sweep in and take away his shot at world domination.
With an unspoken but quite obvious nod to 1971's "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate
Factory," "Ready Player One" is a morality fable about lasting legacies and the
importance of goodness overcoming selfishness and greed. When the film is locked
into Wade/Parzival's personal journey, it radiates a youthful,
anything-can-happen glow. The narrative rhythm is more hectic than Steven
Spielberg's best genre efforts, from 1977's "Close Encounters of the Third King"
to 1982's "E.T. – The Extra-Terrestrial" to 1993's "Jurassic Park" to 2001's "A.I.:
Artificial Intelligence," but when it's at its best it holds the same kind of
magic. An opening-act car chase through a fantasyland version of Manhattan as
everything from dinosaurs to King Kong aim to stop Wade and his competitors from
reaching the finish line is mesmerizing to behold, as are the circumstances
which lead to the procurement of the first key. Midway through, an unthinkable
journey into the world of 1983's “The Shining” just about has to be seen to be
believed. In those rare but precious moments when things slow down, the story
earns its sentimental leanings, perhaps no more so than when Wade discovers a
media archive of Halliday's life and loves, receiving a glimpse into one of this
late genius' profound regrets which ultimately tore apart his friendship with
partner Ogden Morrow (Simon Pegg).
When so much of the story takes place in a virtual reality of avatar characters,
the live-action cast threatens to be an afterthought—not because the actors
aren't strong, but because there isn't always a palpable enough connection
between the CG creations and their real-world counterparts. This is especially
true of Lena Waithe, Win Morisaki and Philip Zhau as Aech, Daito and Sho, the
three of them appearing in the flesh too late and then given little to do but
bounce around in a van as they're pursued through the city streets of Columbus.
Given a bit more to work with are Tye Sheridan (2016's "X-Men: Apocalypse") and
Olivia Cooke (2015's "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl"), charismatic romantic
leads as Wade/Parzival and Samantha/Art3mis. Wade and Samantha—and the dystopian
society they are living in—are interesting enough that the viewer yearns to
learn more than the brief snippets of information provided about them. Mark
Rylance (2015's "Bridge of Spies") is a standout as the mysterious, visionary
creator of OASIS James Halliday, bringing a lifetime of yearning, wisdom and
heartache to each moment he appears onscreen. As the megalomaniacal Nolan
Sorrento, Ben Mendelsohn (2016's "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story") is great at
playing bad. The less said about T.J. Miller (2016's "Deadpool"), however, the
better; his blessedly brief supporting turn as i-R0k, a wisecracking IOI bounty
hunter, is gratingly unfunny.
"Ready Player One" is sensory overload with a heart, complemented by Alan
Silvestri's sample-heavy score and a primo '80s soundtrack featuring, among
others, Tears for Fears, Van Halen, Blondie, Twisted Sister, Hall & Oates, and
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Wade and Samantha are winning protagonists with
whom the viewer wants to take this visually dazzling odyssey, while Halliday's
ethereal, sage like presence lingers over the proceedings. When the picture stays
focused on this central trio, it's on capable, involving footing. When they
briefly get lost in a climactic segment of CG hordes thrashing about and
pummeling each other, the spell is broken as abruptly as a light switch being
flipped off. Fortunately, things recover again in time for a sweet, even
comforting, conclusion wherein arrogance and egotism are no match for integrity
and virtue. The world in which Wade and Samantha are living has seen better
days, but within these two characters' souls lies a hope for a better tomorrow.
In the meantime, all they can do is live for today.
At 140 minutes, Ready Player One could stand some judicious trimming, with its
length particularly felt during the protracted third act. But while fanboys will
blindly worship the movie and haters won’t even bother seeing it, the truth
rests in between these extremes. On balance, Ready Player One is a diverting
slice of entertainment, offering enough surface thrills to justify its existence
in a world already overloading on nostalgic feints.
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