Year: 2018
Director: Steven Spielberg
Country: US
Language: English
At the age of 71, Steven Spielberg's willingness to continue challenging himself has resulted in one of his best works in over a decade. His lost glory from lackluster pictures like Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull (2007) has been slightly rejuvenated in the eyes of many fans. His adaptation of Ernest Cline’s 2011 novel, a text already inspired by Spielberg tropes, was a smart move to show on the silver screen.
When the creator of a virtual reality world called the OASIS dies, he releases a video in which he challenges all OASIS users to find his Easter Egg, which will give the finder his fortune. Our protagonist Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) tries his hardest to do so.
A mix of Tron and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Cline's novel embraces 80's nostalgia with no shame. Cline co-wrote the screenplay with Zak Penn, deviating from the source material but keeping the overall structure of the novel intact. If anything, the film's screenplay is better than the book as the film has a greater focus on real world consequences rather than long scenes of playing video games.
Spielberg alternates between a grimy, grayed-out reality and the intentionally cartoony CGI wonderland of the Oasis, where Wade resembles a Final Fantasy character. He claimed the production was an "anxiety attack" due to the tremendous amount of CGI involved, but thankfully his special effects team came through. The material works far better as a film primarily because of the visuals. It's one thing to read about Godzilla vs. Gundam Knight, it's another thing to see it.
The sheer volume of references is exhausting; one wonders how good the film would be without the cheap pops. Overall it's a fun film, but neither book or film ventured too far out of shallow waters. Ideally I don't want movies to be made like Ready Player One (2018), mainly due to its over-reliance on CGI, but I can't deny it's worth at least one viewing.
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