Nonsensical

Rating: 1/10 (23 September 2018)

Short version: This is a terrible movie. It doesn't make sense and it's boring.
Long version: There's so much to pick apart here as almost nothing in the script works. You never really understand why this competition is of international significance. You don't see that the oasis is more than a game, which of course it would be - it's school, work, banking, politics. Without this you don't care who runs it.
The competition doesn't make sense. What is the design here? What are they looking for in a winner? No one seems to know much. This major hunt starts with a car race that's not linked to any game or movie or Halliday in anyway and we're supposed to believe no one tried doing it backwards in 5 years?
The characters have no development. In the book they are loners online and offline, they meet as competitors and when they come together at the end it's a joining of geek minds that makes them unbeatable. The film was just random kids who are mates. Every character is weak. The girl is meant to be strong willed and smart, in this she is merely pretty and supportive. The Japanese brothers are meant to be, Japanese! That's right, the world consists of other countries who can also use the internet. There's also meant to be a disconnect between thier online selves and real selves (they look the opposite, are not related in real life etc) but this movie didn't play with that at all. Which is surely one of the more interesting things about living a virtual life?
I read the book and didn't really like it. Somehow this movie has removed everything that worked in it.