The words 'video', 'game' and 'film' have never really gone hand in hand. It's a pretty hard job to adapt a long-form, immersive and focused style of culture into another that only requires you to watch a screen for 150 minutes at the most. This is one reason why films based on popular video game franchises like Assassin's Creed and Tomb Raider end up failing. With Ready Player One, however, we see Steven Spielberg take a step back by not making a film about a particular video-game, but a film about video games and their impact on culture.
Ready Player One takes place in 2045 where reality is so boring that everyone lives their lives in the OASIS, a virtual reality world where anything is possible. After his passing, James Halliday, the creator of this world offers one lucky OASIS citizen a chance to inherit his wealth as well as ownership of the OASIS. Parzival aka Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) rises to the challenge, hoping to win 'Halliday's Hunt' before the evil corporate leader Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn) does.
The film spends a lot of time in the OASIS and, as you would probably expect, it uses CGI to differentiate between that world and reality. It's visuals are nothing short of brilliant, especially when considering the ambitious setting of the OASIS where pretty much anything goes a film with this much CGI makes sense. It's interesting just how immersive these visuals are too, because when the VR goggles are taken off and we come back to the real world, it takes a few moments to adjust.
The way the film's protagonists are portrayed is quite unique, as there seems to be both online and offline versions of these characters. In the OASIS, Parzival is like Han Solo; he's confident, cocky but cool although his real-world alter ego, Wade Watts is more Peter Parker. It's interesting to see an approach like this not only because of its reflection of the difference between virtual and real personalities but as a demonstration of versatility from the cast that have to emulate that duality.
While quite a lot of the narrative of the film is changed from the book to suit the silver screen better, what remains is it's spirit. Just like it's novel, Ready Player One is an ode to the things all we enjoy about pop culture. Like the book, the film is scattered with references - ranging from cameos from culture icons like Batman and Back To The Future's Delorean to segments dedicated to a particular film or game.
Although there are moments where they overshadow the main plot, these references work in a unique way for Ready Player One because of its context as a love letter towards culture and media like video-games. This nostalgic value, the references and how they're incorporated into the world and plot of the film feels right, you can tell Spielberg respects this nostalgia by not bending it to his own will as a film maker, but doing what Ernest Cline originally did with his novel - reminding us of its value.
Ready Player One provides a satisfying experience for fans of just about anything. While it can suffer from cringeworthy dialogue at times and feels rushed at points; its visuals, intertextuality and heart make up for it.