Imaginative and fun, though lacks an emotional core

Rating: 7/10 (14 April 2018)

In the grand scheme of blockbuster filmmaking, you could definitely do worse than Ready Player One. It boasts plenty of style, imagination, and dazzling visuals and Spielberg lends his experienced hand to stitch everything together in kinetic fashion. It's worth a recommendation on the strength of its best set pieces and its sheer exuberance. On the other hand, the movie also feels somewhat ungrounded and overblown. Its glaring issue is that the characters largely fail to anchor the movie and give it the emotional core that it needs. They're serviceable, but lacking in depth nearly across the board and the lead, in particular, does not carry the film too well. It also suffers a bit from the Speilberg schmaltz factor, mainly in its resolution. Still, it's a fun, mostly well-directed film that stands out in a sea of generic blockbusters.
3.5/5