Lost soul and too much ego

Rating: 2/10 (12 August 2018)

Saw the movie after much anticipated excitement and was utterly disappointed. I understand that translating a book to a movie is not an easy thing (though someone of Spielberg's caliber should be able to do it) and yes, the visual effects were great despite the crammed advertising of big game companies, but even if you were to change the storyline to fit the big screen how can you so utterly loose the soul that made the book so great? The witty dialogue, the mind bending puzzle solving, the attraction between the characters, the bond they had and the journey of Wade, all that was lost on the screen under a thick layer of game advertising that paid no tribute to the author in any way.
Why couldn't he have just made his own movie? It feels like he's taken a painting, stripped it of its beauty, pasted a bunch of ads on the canvas and sold it under the original painting title. At least have the decency to maket the film under your own name.
I had so much hope and expectation from a director of his calibre, in the end it was a movie to showcase his ego, not the story.