I'm Sorry But This Is Simply Awful

Rating: 1/10 (22 July 2018)

I had no preconceptions about Ready Player One before seeing this movie EXCEPT that I had grown up watching Spielberg films and so, had a soft spot for his work. I hadn't read the book on which it was based nor had I read any reviews. I was pretty much as blank a slate as a movie buff could be.
Coming out the other side, though, I feel a little embarrassed. Like I had just watched my dad attempt to impress my school friends with some poorly executed popping and locking.
I do understand that there are only so many archetypal routes a narrative can take so perhaps this film was intended for an audience of young and pre teens. However, Ready Player One appears to take the easiest cliche's from the idea of the hero's journey and renders them as predictably as humanly possible. At no time did I feel that any of the characters - nice or nasty - were risking anything or going anywhere new. The pop culture references were tired, obvious and overly commercialised at the time of their birth (believe me: I was there in the 80's) and time has done them no favours. The acting had occasional signs of life but were generally wooden. The CGI offered nothing new or interesting.
I really, truly wanted to like this film but to me it was a sad, tired money grab. Icky.