Joyful spot-the-reference adventure.

Rating: 6/10 (30 March 2018)

It has been ten years since Spielberg last went full blockbuster (Indiana Jones 4) - his effort in the last decade predominantly spent on Oscar-bait historical dramas - so it's a delight to see him back in gleeful popcorn mode. Set in Columbus, Ohio circa 2045, this pop-culture adventure follows the pure-of-heart Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) as he searches for the ultimate digital Easter Egg within the OASIS, a virtual world that has all but replaced the real one. Adapted from Ernest Cline's cult-classic novel of the same name, the script is a labyrinth of references to movies and video games that progresses at such a fast pace there's barely a chance to realise just how banal the follow-the-clues plot actually is. There are so many winks and nods it's impossible to catch them all on a first viewing, but the standout by miles is a lengthy sequence that pays homage to Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. It's completely unexpected, but remarkably funny in a heartfelt way. The opening set piece is an exhilarating car race with crazy injects (T-Rex! King Kong!), however the action slowly decreases in excitement until a climactic battle that is disappointingly uninventive, save for the fact that we see Disney's Iron Giant in combat. The visualisation of the OASIS is a tad off-putting too, the in-movie virtual world consisting of almost-photorealistic characters who occasionally suffer from the uncanny valley effect. Some may argue this is intentional, but it's distracting nevertheless. This isn't close to reaching top-tier blockbuster-Spielberg, and at 140 minutes is waaaay too long, but Ready Player One is a joyful spot-the-reference romp that offers up enough to put a smile on your face.