Movie Review of Ready Player One
Ready Player One was released March 29th, 2018 and was produced and directed by none other than Stephen Spielberg! This film follows the adventures of Wade Watts, a teenager who enjoys playing video games. This film takes place in the near future and depicts a world that is drowning in communications technology. The houses are flooded with satellite dishes and wifi boosters. The world seems to be slightly post apocalyptic but there is still structure as we know it. Nevertheless, the world is not that inviting or comfortable
These games are held in a server known as the OASIS, the wildest compilation of any and everything that has ever been produced. It is a virtual reality game and world. The mediums in which the game is played are amazing with some being realistic and some utopian. Heres a list of some of the real items: VR headset, gloves, body sensors, body suits, 360 degree treadmills, and microphones. In fact, it seems that most of the items utilized to play in the OASIS are already existent aside from body suits that replicate pain. These apparatuses allow for a very intriguing gaming experience that seem to trump reality.
This film was designed for all ages, it contains entertainment value that everyone can appreciate in their own way. Specifically this film was designed to be viewed by the social group widely known as “gamers”, but also has several movie references that aren’t in video games. This film does something that I have never seen done to this extent, and that it combines all sorts of different pop-culture characters, placed, worlds, items and realities. This is due to one of the main plot points and designing aspects of the OASIS, which is that there are “no rules”. Ranging from Godzilla to Freddy Kruger, there are truly no limits to characters in this world, let alone the concept of impenetrable magic fields. So far as what the audience is to expect or believe about video games, they would need a base understanding of pop-culture and gaming to enjoy this film. They would be expecting video games to less entertaining as presented here, thats in the terms of limitations. If you were to view these games as we know them as small black boxes, this game opens a universe with no limitations of a box. The viewers probably expect much less VR in video games due to the lack of popularity of the technology so far, due to technological and economical limitations.
Not to spoil, but this film does include several tropes. There are so many themes that we have seen in other films, books, movies and life in general. One of the largest of these tropes is the evil villain role. There is a leader of an evil corporation that plays the primary protagonist. There is little separation for the difference in the real world and the game world due to the interconnectivity of the two in this film. The tropes take place in both, especially the leader of the evil corporation.
This sure to be iconic film was one of the most entertaining and culturally relevant films that I have ever seen! The feasibility of everything to eventually mentioned to be a possibility adds to this films value. I really enjoyed the experience, felling as if I were pulled into the movie which didn’t allow for a single boring moment.
Citations:
- Photo Creds = https://www.cbr.com/ready-player-one-see-future-teaser/