Spielberg's new entry of childlike wonder and nostalgia

Rating: 6/10 (5 April 2018)

Ready Player one captures some aspects of the wonder of game and fully utilized the sense of 80s nostalgia in a way that none other than Steven Spielberg would be able to. The film delivers a brilliant message about the purpose of gaming and perhaps an extended metaphor to life much like the way in which many of Spielberg's film presents big messages in relatively simple yet heartfelt and genuine narratives.
Perhaps none other can helm such a project and not make us seem like a completely bloated film filled with attempts of selling the 80s nostalgia for commercial success.
However, inspire of these praises to the film it does seem lacking in some areas too. I personally did not see the development of the characters or the sentimental values that characters hold, even though as previously mentioned Spielberg does manage to deliver that sense of genuine emotions and themes. It's just that in many cases these aren't delivered through the characters themselves.
While simple but effective is often Spielberg's calling card in this case many of the story beats were predictable and thus unimpactful. Much like the recent "BFG" which manages a good ideology but lacking in complexion and further intrigue.
While the many references were certainly enough to have fans dig through frame by frame for ages there also just was this sense of underuse and lack of purpose of these characters. In other words they just seem to be there, of course it is impossible to fit all of this into the span of a movie but perhaps that is exactly why this was an absolute challenge for any director to take on.