Have you ever dreamt of being in a video game? Of going on adventures, of accomplishing superhuman feats, of saving the world? Well, the opportunity is all yours to take in this fantastic cinematographic masterpiece of Steven Spielberg, Ready Player One. Mixing so naturally trends of the past and futuristic ideologies, this adaptation of the best-seller written by Ernest Cline and Zak Penn in 2011 has surprised most by creating a universe where imagination and technology form the perfect match.
Starring Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Lena Waithe, and many more promising actors, this movie truly exceeds everyone’s expectations.
In 2040, humanity’s technology has been developed to the point of creating an accessible, tangible, parallel universe. Or rather, it allowed to create a bridge to an already existing world: that of the video games. A virtual reality has taken over the world as we know it. However, James Halliday the creator of OASIS, the virtuality software, died, and left his work to the incapable hands of the world. Soon enough, though, Anorak’s Quest is discovered; a mission set by Halliday, which consists of all the players in the OASIS to find three keys, which would grant them not only inimaginable richesses, but also the full control of the virtual world.
That is also the case for Wade Watts, an orphan from Columbus (Ohio). Now in 2045, along with a few allies, he goes through the trials of the OASIS to find the keys and claim the prize before their enemies, namely Nolan Sorrento and his company.
Now, one of the greatest achievements of the movie is, I believe, its capacity to bring together numerous pop-culture references and more modern, if not futuristic, trends. From the cartoons to the Iron Giant, from The Shining to the Ninja Turtles, you’ll have to watch it more than once if you want to understand or even see all of the references. More than a hundred of those are made throughout the entire film, all about TV shows, other movies, video games, music, toys, comics, anime, etc. I think this unusual mix of past and future popularities allowed the movie to reach out to a greater, bigger public of all ages, and that’s what makes it so amazing.
Ready Player One never stops surprising you. In a way, it is a very classic story of a main character completing a quest and becoming a hero… but it is so much more than that. The freshness given to the pop-culture, the amazing worlds created in the OASIS, the humor ever-present and the little romantic touch made this movie unique. You simply can’t afford to look away for a second, enthralled by the trials and the characters as if yourself were a part of this great adventure. And of course, each of the tasks completed passes along a message, a lesson:
Think outside of the box.
Take the leap.
The important thing isn’t to win; it’s to play.
The capacity to trap its audience is, I firmly believe, the best asset of a movie, and the messages conveyed through the screen are as important. Watching this film has not only been enjoyable; it also opened my eyes. The greatest message is, I think, not to have any regrets, and I’d say that’s the best advice one could ever give.
But, here is my advice: go! Go watch Ready Player One, and loose yourself, if only for an hour and a half, to a parallel reality. Who knows? You might regret not having taken your chance.
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