A Complete Thrill Ride, Start To Finish

Rating: 10/10 (3 April 2018)

I will admit, I had read the book before going to see the movie and enjoyed the book very much. I had heard, prior to seeing the movie, that the movie was nothing like the book, so I became worried going into it. While they do take many liberties with the book, and the story ends up being vastly different, I adored this movie so much.
This movie is pure fun from start to finish, with some of the most mesmerizing spectacle and action sequences I've ever seen take place on screen. I was absolutely blown away by some of things I was seeing. The effects in this movie are some of the best you'll probably ever see, and are used quite often in the movie due to most of it taking place in the Oasis. This is one to see on the big screen for sure.
The performances are top notch in this movie for the most part as well. The chemistry between the core group of kids is very good, and they all do quite well with what they're given. The clear standout however, is Olivia Cooke. For me, she stole every scene she was in, both in the Oasis and the real world. Tye Sheridan does quite a fine job of carrying this movie as the lead actor as well.
Lastly, as many know, this movie is full of pop culture references. Some find this to be empty, pointless eye candy, but I honestly don't understand that. Many of the references found in the movie have actual reasons to be there, and in some cases are quite important to the plot. They don't exclude anyone from this movie either. The Oasis is very diverse among pop culture. No matter what you're a fan of, I'm sure you'll find something in the movie that is in line with you and what you like, which I found to be very cool as well.
I will admit the story is not super flushed out in the movie, but I found that it didn't really need to be for me personally. Everything ends up completed and answered in the end, and I felt the movie did enough explaining to where the story didn't end up hindering the movie. The dialogue isn't the best at times either, but once again, it's not an often or reoccurring problem in the movie.
Overall, this is a movie I will continue to watch for years. It's an instant personal classic for me, and I loved every second.