Movie Review: “Ready Player One” is pure escapism from one of our all time great filmmakers

Movie Review: “Ready Player One” (PG-13)

If “Ready Player One” suggests anything, it’s that even in his 70s, Steven Spielberg has still got it! The Beard’s latest offering is a dizzying, dazzling, nostalgia-laced pop culture smorgasbord.

This technical marvel is based on the popular novel by Ernest Cline — which I must confess, I have not read — and while there are plenty of fans of the book out there who are quick to point out that quite a bit has been left out of this film adaptation, there’s another contingent of “Ready Player One” fans who are quick to suggest that many of Spielberg’s changes are for the better. No matter what your opinion on that subject, one thing is certain: It would be difficult to deny the overall sense of fun to be had here. This is pure escapism, the kind of unfiltered joy that ingratiated many of us to the works of Spielberg in the first place.

Taking place in the not-too-distant future, “Ready Player One” revolves around a virtual-reality world known as the Oasis. Created by socially awkward genius Halliday (Mark Rylance, doing a near spot-on impersonation of Garth Algar from “Wayne’s World”), the Oasis is a place where anything can happen — but more importantly, it’s a place where folks from the real world can jump in and be whoever they want to be. It isn’t long before the Oasis becomes a way of life in a dystopian landscape where escaping the harsh existence of reality is easier than figuring out a way to solve real world problems.

Upon learning that he’s sick and hasn’t much time left, the mysterious Halliday sets the stage for the world’s biggest Easter egg hunt in an effort to pass on his legacy — which is both his blessing and his curse — to a worthy successor. Enter Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), a seemingly trapped young man whose life in the Stacks is so impoverished and so uneventful that he uses the Oasis and his alter ego, an avatar called Parzival, as a means to make a more adventurous life for himself. After all, in the real world, Wade is a nobody, but in the Oasis, he’s a man with a purpose.

Eventually, that purpose finds Parzival competing with numerous players inside the Oasis with the sole goal of acquiring the ultimate prize. Of course, any time there’s an “ultimate prize” at stake, there’s bound to be several interested parties, and in the case of “Ready Player One,” one such party is Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn), the nefarious head of a corporation with an almighty agenda. And so, faster than you can say “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” the race is on!

As a movie, “Ready Player One” does feel overstuffed and clunky at times, and even for this avid fanboy, it isn’t without it’s eye-rolling moments. That said, this movie is so damned fun and so overflowing with awe-inspiring grandeur that the flaws feel like a fleeting memory. When “Ready Player One” isn’t throwing game- and film-related references at you at a breakneck pace — this movie will most certainly require multiple viewings to catch them all — it dazzles you with the kind of technical bravado and sequence construction that only a storyteller of Spielberg’s caliber could deliver.

True, it does seem a little odd that one of the book’s primary influences has gone on to actually direct the movie, but no matter. This is Spielberg doing Spielberg, and it’s clear that he’s having the time of his life playing in this particular sandbox. Look no further than a jaw-dropping, much talked-about sequence that pays homage to Stanley Kubrick’s landmark horror film “The Shining.” Simply put, this sequence is an all-timer!

There are certainly missteps here. “Ready Player One” runs long, and with so much exposition, so many references, and all the epic world building going on, perhaps this might have been one of those rare occasions when splitting the material into a couple of cinematic chapters might have been more appropriate. It also would have been a bit more honest had Spielberg cast less conventionally attractive actors in the lead roles. An energetic Sheridan and a likable Olivia Cooke are terrific in their respective roles, but the casting here feels a little bit safe, especially taking into consideration that Parzival and his fellow avatars in the Oasis fear meeting one another in the real world due to a myriad of insecurities.

All of that said, “Ready Player One” offers up a whole lot of entertainment value, and surprisingly, there’s more to speak of than just the pop culture references and the spectacular, visual splendor of it all. The central Halliday plot thread is actually a sad one and speaks volumes to our current social media culture. This man hides behind his creation because reality alludes him, but one of the more intriguing (and special) aspects of this movie is that Halliday (a role that was rumored to have been offered to a retired Gene Wilder at one point) is aware of his own flaws, and it’s something he wants to rectify. And that all plays a big part in his Willy Wonka-inspired Easter Egg hunt. In fact, Wade’s issues mirror Halliday’s, and this thematic through-line really elevates the proceedings.

With its tale of gaming and the strengthening of one’s self through the art of play, the heart of “Ready Player One” echoes the recently released “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” in a handful of ways. Granted, that movie was more of a comedy while “Ready Player One”  amps up the sci-fi/futuristic elements. Still, in both cases, the characters at the center of these films learn quite a bit about themselves and one another. Further still, in the case of “Ready Player One,” Wade comes to the realization that perhaps reality is the most important  thing in this world, because it’s real. That’s a worthy (and timely) message, particularly given the climate we’re currently living in.

“Ready Player One” isn’t the film of Spielberg’s career, but it is another shining example of an iconic storyteller continuing to do what he does best. And in the end, even a mid-tier effort from the Beard is something to be cherished.

Articles related to “Movie Review: ‘Ready Player One’ is pure escapism from one of our all time great filmmakers”

Movie Review: “The Ritual” is a spooky trip through the Swedish wilderness

Movie Review: “Unsane” takes on harassment, mental illness, and healthcare

Movie Review: “Pacific Rim: Uprising” offers more robots vs. monsters action