Ready Player One: Wasn't 1985 Awesome?

Rating: 5/10 (13 April 2018)

Steven Spielberg's résumé of directing heartfelt and visually stunning action, horror and science fiction movies has been incessant culturally since the mid-1970s. The latest blockbuster hit from Spielberg is Ready Player One, a supposed science fiction film that takes place in a futuristic real world and another of a massively multiplayer online game. This adaptation of a book by the same name captures moments of wonder but ultimately fails to deliver its complicated story.
The story begins with a narration by the chief character of the film, Wade Watts, also known as Parzival in the online world of the OASIS. Wade, played by Tye Sheridan, describes what the OASIS is, how it came to be, and the current competition going on within the game. Wade is a Gunter, a person that plays the game to solve the mystery put in by the creator. As explained in the narration, the character that solves all three of the enigmas gain control of the OASIS.
Early in the plot, Wade's obsession with the creator of the game, James Halliday (Mark Rylance), helps him solve the first puzzle. With the help of his friends Art3mis (Olivia Cooke) and Aech (Lena Waithe), Wade is able to solve the second enigma. However, he is now being pursued by a rival company that is looking to take over OASIS. Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn ) is the CEO of IOI, and he contacts Wade about helping their company take control of the game. When Wade refuses, Sorrento sends soldiers to assassinate him and take the OASIS by force.
Many of the problems with Ready Player One start from the onset. The long and drawn out narration takes up the first 15 minutes of the film. The pacing screeches to a halt before anything can start. Spielberg's attempt to fill the audience in on the world and story could be shown purely through visuals, as the narration echoes later in the film's dialogue. The lack of transitions within the game make the film feel like it's happening in only a few hours.
The problems with pacing bleed into other aspects of the film too, namely the action scenes which are either so fast that they're bordering on incomprehensible or drag on far too long. Science fiction can often be slow, which is part of the reason I also consider this an action movie, but it ultimately fails at being either. Sci-Fi typically has rules, but the OASIS does not. The amount of plot inconsistencies regarding how the game actually works shows how little Spielberg understands gaming. Games have rules, games an objective from the beginning and gamers don't play videogames that take years to have a purpose. There is no explanation as to what the OASIS does or what rules it has
.
Spielberg and editor, Ernest Cline, have far too much experience to produce such a disjointed mess. Cline even wrote the book, which makes it even more disappointing to see something so confusing and nonsensical.
Not having read the novel, it seems like Spielberg and Janusz Kaminski, the cinematographer that's worked with him on movies like Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan, do not understand how to put this source material on screen. While the film looks visually stunning thanks to Kaminski, Spielberg's references get in the way of his work. Spielberg expects the audience to munch on their popcorn and smash their buttery hands together in applause whenever something they remember pops up on the screen. The pop-culture references turn from feeling out of place to borderline insulting before the film is even half over.
Where this aspect is at its worst is during the action scenes. In the last action scene alone, there are seven references in the first minute. The references don't always make sense either, as the film is supposed to be taking place in the 2040s but properties like Gundam, The Breakfast Club and King Kong wouldn't be nostalgic in the context of the movie.
What's most frustrating about these issues would be forgivable had the story been told well, but that fails just as badly. Along with the pacing problem, it seems like this story is too complicated for a single movie to properly explain. Having three completely different puzzles to solve makes each of their discoveries feel cheap and forced. There was no structure, and while the real world plot is entertaining, it feels tacked on to give the result of the competition consequence outside of the game. There is no room for any character development or proper story progression, which hinders the otherwise solid performances from a talented cast.
The lead actors, who are ironically the youngest and least experienced people at their craft, really put their best foot forward. Tye Sheridan does a fine job as Wade, and the lack of character falls more on the direction than his performance. He excels in using Spielberg's witty dialogue and delivering it in a very natural way. Cooke is more of the same, as she plays her character well and has very good chemistry with Sheridan during their budding romance. The romance plot, which is where both of these actors really shine, is the only part of the film that feels realistic when it comes to video games. Both of them do an excellent job at feeling awkward about meeting somebody they're attracted to from a video game.

Mendelsohn excels as the villain, playing a smarmy business CEO in yet another film. This role seems perfect for him, as it was in The Dark Knight Rises and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Outside of the business, he really sells himself as somebody just regurgitating references to make people think he cares about OASIS. The filmmakers may not have seen the correlation between Sorrento and themselves, but it definitely makes its way into the final product.
While the actors do their best with this material, Ready Player One feels like an undeserved sequel. While it has already broken even in the box office, most seem divisive on the film. The characters and world feel like they should already be established, but Spielberg does not set them up in a way conducive to this structure. With added characterization and a more streamlined story, Ready Player One would feel like much more than the visually impressive nostalgia celebration that it is.