I Don't Think "Ready Player One" was Ready for Its Attention

Trailers and other propaganda for Ready Player One have been pushed for months on end; some of which dating back to early Fall.  After all, combining the premise of a best-selling book with an A-list name like Steven Spielberg is a sure-fire way to develop buzz.  I didn't follow this particular release too closely, but the trailers and early reviews were hard to avoid.  I can't say I was necessarily excited about seeing it, but I didn't expect it to be poor, either.  Nevertheless, I have to admit that I'm a little conflicted about my final opinion.  Was it bad?  No--not by most definitions of the word.  But was it particularly special?  Probably not.

Ready Player One is without a doubt a very visually stunning movie.  I'm not sure how long the process took, but it's probably one of the more impressive CGI-driven movies since Avatar; especially in comparison to CGI garbage like Justice League.  What I found most intriguing about it was that it managed to consistently look like the characters were in a virtual reality video game, but without it looking cheesy or outdated.  I also appreciated that the rules of the video game stayed consistent, and the "make it up as we go along" aspect of it was minimal.

Secondly, there was almost no expositional time wasted before the meat of the plot was introduced.  There was a brief introduction of the main character (Wade Watts), and it was off to the races (those of you who have seen it will understand that joke).  Additionally, for having an arguably questionable premise, the plot was markedly simple; and--under these parameters--made a decent amount of sense.  I guess it was just nice to see a big-budget movie that doesn't try so hard to be "deep."

The movie contained a surprising amount of 80's nostalgia, which I actually found to be quite enjoyable.  Although, it occurs to me that those who have--you know, read the book--won't be surprised by that fact.  Regardless, Spielberg and Company did a nice job of combining the 80's with the future, which turned out to be a lot of fun.  However, I am forced to wonder if teenagers in 2045 will be as in-tune with 80s pop culture as these characters.  I mean, for crying out loud, I say the words "Billy Joel" or "Fab Four" and all these Generation Z teenagers around me have no idea who I'm talking about.  Uncultured swine.

Now, while this movie was pretty fun, there were still elements that bothered me.  For instance, the so-called "villains" of the movie were questionable at best, and didn't insinuate much distaste among viewers.  They weren't particularly smart, and their entire story arc felt forced.  They were just your typical "bad guy" tropes we've all seen before.

Furthermore, I don't think any character was dynamic.  Nobody went through an emotional journey of any significance, and the majority of the relationships felt forced and unrealistic.  I mean, I wouldn't have a problem with that if it were on purpose, but a staple of the "hero's journey" story arc involves a character being fundamentally changed; which was completely overlooked throughout the film's duration.  Additionally, there was a "love story" that was as impractical and stupid as literally every Nicholas Sparks novel.  I'm sorry, those two characters would never have gotten together and you know it.

My biggest problem, though, was that this movie just didn't know when to quit.  The last 30 minutes could've been ten, and the climax became far too long and complicated for its own good.  I'm fine with a big, dramatic final battle, but give me a break.  The only time I was waiting this hard for a movie to just end was Return of the King.  Boy, do I wish I had that accumulative nine-and-a-half freaking hours (after all three movies) of my life back.

Anyway, earlier, I noted that Ready Player One started off on a good note.  But, by the end, it just dragged.  I know this is crazy, but hear me out:  Maybe every big-budget action movie doesn't have to be two-and-a-half hours.  I know that sounds radical, but let's just see how it goes.

I don't think Ready Player One was deserving of all the propaganda it ensued, but it was definitely still enjoyable.  Even if it did feel weird for a Spielberg film.  I have a firm stance that books and movies need to be judged independently, so stating that a movie "wasn't as good as the book" is a stupid and invalid argument.  However, I've heard that, in this case, the movie followed the book fairly closely (all things considered), so you bookworms can rest peacefully.

As for me, I'll rest peacefully after giving Ready Player One a 68%.  In other words, it's worth checking out on