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Rating: 8/10 (2 April 2018)

Steven Spielberg's new nostalgia laden flick "Ready Player One" hit theatres this past weekend and I was there. If someone is going to whip up a nostalgia flick, who better to do it than the 'Berg himself? He is the REASON for movie nostalgia, having churned out a string of 80's hits including E.T. (1982), Poltergeist* (1982), and Gremlins (1984), amongst others. Ready Player One, in my humble opinion, did not disappoint.
Set in 2045 in a dystopian Ohio, Ready Player One follows the story of Wade Watts, a teenage gamer who spends most of his waking moments (like the rest of society) in a virtual world called the OASIS. OASIS is a virtual game world created by eccentric gaming pioneer James Halliday, touted as the new "Steve Jobs". The story gives us the back history of Halliday's creation, and how it started as a passion project, quickly to become extremely successful and then threatened by corporate greed. Halliday then passes away, but before doing so, offers a challenge to OASIS users - find the three keys using "easter eggs" left behind by Halliday himself, and the kingdom is yours.
Enter Wade Watts and his band of merry misfits, a series of friends he plays along with in the virtual world, knowing them only by their virtual avatars and pseudonyms. Combine a journey for the keys, teenage heartstrings, a corporate villain, quirky comedy, nods to nostalgia, eye popping visuals and a mind blowing homage to Stanley Kubrick, and you've got the thrill ride that is Ready Player One.
While I find the overuse of CGI trying at times in newer movies, it fits here due to the subject matter at hand. You can't have a virtual world like this without CG, and the production team did a great job of flipping between reality and the virtual world, while maintaining continuity. I did see the movie 3D and I think it worked nicely to pull the viewer into the story - it was used properly and didn't feel gimmicky at all.
Story wise, there isn't much new here formula wise - you'll see what I mean when you watch it. I think the producers understood this and added some elements of mystery that work quite nicely. In some respects, you are playing the game right alongside the characters, which is fun and thrilling at the same time.
Overall, Ready Player One is a fun family film that earns it PG-13 rating for some mild sexual references and violent video game action scenes, but is definitely worth the experience (and will be joining my movie library). 8/10.
*yah yah Tobe Hooper blah blah