A tribute to all things pop-culture, Ready Player One is a successful return for Steven Spielberg to visual effects heavy adventure filmmaking, although those not familiar with all things geek-culture might get lost in the shuffle.
Nostalgia is a powerful thing. Especially for those of us who escape to imaginary worlds of super beings and fantastic universes. Often a sound or smell can transport us back to early mornings watching cartoons or sifting through comic books while cranky employees look on. For some such things can be a fad. For other it’s a lifestyle. Once glance at the many pop culture conventions such as Comic-Con can attest to that fact.
No doubt such strong connection to the pop-culture world is prime reason for the intense reaction to Ready Player One. Based on the popular book by Ernest Cline, this adaptation is directed by non-other than Steven Spielberg, whose own contributions to the pop-culture universe is immeasurable. The scrutiny over the films promotional material hit fever pitch: will Ready Player One succeed in adapting a book loved by a traditionally protective fanbase? Or, will it prove to be an exploitative cash-in? The verdict is firmly in the former, with Ready Player One a visually spectacular and surprisingly heartfelt story that dives into the emotional ties shared between creator, creation and its inhabitants/users.
That usual setting of a dystopian future is where Ready Player One begins. With the world a desolate mess, the human populace has found refuge in virtual reality world The Oasis, where its inhabitant take on avatars and embark on all matter of adventure and fantasy. When the co-founder of The OASIS, James Halliday (Mark Rylance) dies, he announces a competition in which players must find three keys to win ownership of the OASIS (Imagine Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, but with a digital twist). Determined to find the keys is Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) a 19-year-old orphan whose wish to escape poverty leads him to joins Samantha (Olivia Cooke) in her revolution against video game conglomerate Innovation Online Industries (IOI), and its ruthless CEO Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendohlson.)
Ready Player One is a film that knows its strengths and its audience, Spielberg utilising those visual wizards from Industrial Light and Magic to create one of the more impressive VFX heavy films in some time. Within this creation is various references to all matter of pop-culture, from the mainstream (the DeLorean from Back to the Future) to the niche (anime series Gundam). There is no doubt that many a “fanboy” would enjoy such references, and even moderate fans will find enjoyment in watching Spielberg thrown every pop-culture reference he can onto the screen. The best examples of these is an extended sequence set in none other than Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 horror classic The Shining, with major set pieces brilliantly recreated and used like the best ghost ride anyone can think of.
Surprisingly, the most memorable aspect of Ready Player One is that outside its VFX realm: the performance from Mark Rylance. Equal parts awkward and sensitive, brilliant yet oblivious, Rylance’s Halliday not only stands as the soul within this VFX machine, but a human, emotional anchor that those who don’t know their Iron Giant from their Iron Man can latch onto. Spielberg has cast Rylance three times now, and it’s a collaboration that has worked wonders.
Ready Player One expertly establishes that most human of connections within an imaginary world that has a spirit of community all its own. In doing so, Spielberg once again proves his filmmaking prowess is at potent as ever.
