Enough "Not like the book" Crap!

Rating: 10/10 (6 April 2018)

It is rare these days for a film to impress me. Being a huge fan of Sci-Fi, pop culture and video games, I knew on surface this movie would appeal to me. After all, it is a scary risk to make a movie containing so many beloved characters and pop culture references.
I am also a fan of the source material. Ernest Cline's love letter to the 70's and 80's mixed in with a futuristic gaming element was fun to read multiple times. An adventure so epic, I even asked myself how they could ever make the movie. Then we got the 2017 SDCC trailer and I was hooked. I already noticed the differences with images from the trailer and the pages of the book and I told myself to deal with it.
I walked in the theater opening night eager to see Parcival and how his adventure in the OASIS was going to change. I was NOT disappointed. I enjoyed how the pop culture was updated to include the 70's and modern age references. It appeals to a wider audience and moved at a different pace needed for movies that don't translate well from the pages.
Blame Hollywood lawyers and contracts for why you favorite chapter of the book or pop culture reference didn't make the big screen. There are legal rights to likeness and terminology that I knew wouldn't translate to the big screen. Don't believe me, look at the Quicksilver legal issues between MCU Avengers vs X-Men films or the legal issues with Spider-man.
Ernest Cline co wrote the screenplay. The author of the source material is still telling his story, with his characters and he stayed true to the theme of the book. The movie itself was fantastic to watch and so much going on it needs to be watched several times to catch all the goodies packed into 2 hours and 20 minutes. Spielberg's take left me wanting more and rejuvenated my spirit of why I like going to the movies.