A Love Letter to geeks everywhere:
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| My Own copy of Ready Player One |
I've just seen Steven Spielberg's take on Ernest Cline's book: Ready Player One, and felt compelled to write a few words while it's still fresh in my mind. I have a very special reason for taking such an interest in this movie - it was the book which inspired me to write, and publish my first book, Zero Magenta, in 2015.
Ernest Cline's book is simply written and easy to follow. I read it while on holiday one year and just couldn't put it down. I didn't get all the 80's or gamer references but there was enough to make me smile. I remember playing Atari's Tempest and loving the graphics, although being frustrated at how hard the game was, and I also remember watching War Games at the local Odeon, with my first ever girlfriend. Neither of these moments from the book make it into the movie but it's easy to understand why. The audience for 80's movie and video game nostalgia is pretty small, so Spielberg has broadened the appeal to include those familiar with Halo, Overwatch, and Jurassic Park. There are some oblique references to John Hughes and Robotron ("Intruder Alert!"), but watching Ready Player One simply to spot the Easter Eggs misses the point. (If you think an Easter Egg is a chocolate confectionery you get at Easter, you're obviously not a gamer).
So is it any good? Most of the reviews I've seen for the movie give it a three out of five, mediocre at best, but I would score it at least a four. Unlike most of the dim witted super hero films, Ready Player One has real heart; It even resonates with the current stories surrounding companies like EA and how they're trying to bleed players dry through micro transactions. While more of a love story than the book, the movie rips along at a good pace and introduces us to a band of instantly likable characters. The story may be thin and the ending never in doubt, but it's great fun and Mark Rylance proves again why he's one of the finest screen actors in the world. In fact given the number of American accents, it's interesting to note that a large proportion of the cast appears to be British, with many scenes of the dystopian city being filmed in Birmingham (tells you everything you need to know about Brum).
If you're a gamer, go see it, if you're a child of the eighties, go see it, and if you're neither of those things, go see it with your kids.
John Howes
