Spielberg fantasy fueled by nostalgia. A blast of pop culture powered sequences.

Rating: 7/10 (21 January 2020)

A whimsical slice of sci-fi adventure. Reasonable acting and the polished visuals we all expect from Spielberg. I suspect I would have given it less stars if I wasn't fond of the 80s and 90s childhood experience. For better or worse the film draws extensively on childhood tropes and memories of that era. I think it would be a solid film without that notstalgia, but if that is your flavour of childhood wonder, you'll really enjoy Ready Player One. The acting overall was okay. The villain was vanilla and I am not sure the script gives the emotional range needed for the protagonists to shine. What the film does do right though is that it is emmersive and fun. Oasis is believable and the rules of this not so far away future internally work, well enough at least. The visuals are pretty and can go way over the top without being disruptive to the flow and tempo of the movie. It spoils little to say the movie is basically watching an 80s video game unfold. This combined with a thorough PG tone maybe limits the film's emotional pay off but I think it just made it more fun. This is movie that did fun well. A worthwhile watch and highly recommended for anyone whose inner child craves a flash back to their favourite 80s and 90s nostalgia.