Ready Player One: Spielberg Fun

Ready Player One.

The movie lifts its story from the pages of the novel. Written by Ernest Cline, it hit bookshelves in 2011. It has spent more than 100 weeks on The New York Times Best Sellers List.

The Steven Spielberg movie treatment of Ready Player One debuted July 24. It's on everything from Blu-Ray combo pack, DVD, Blu-Ray 3D and 4K Ultra HD Combo pack. The Digital format appeared early on July 3.

OASIS

Ready Player One made over $582 million worldwide. It squeaks in a ‘Certified Fresh’ on Rotten Tomatoes with a 73% rating.

This is Spielberg’s biggest box-office draw in a 10-year span. You have to stretch back to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) for a higher grossing movie of his.

Cline co-wrote the screenplay with Zak Penn. Spielberg did decide to direct for the Warner Bros., Amblin Entertainment and Village Roadshow Pictures production.

The ensemble cast includes Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, and Ben Mendelsohn. There’s Lena Waithe, T.J Miller, Philip Zhao, Win Morisaki, Hannah John-Kamen, Simon Pegg and Mark Rylance.

TAKE

Would I buy this film? Yes.

This is one movie I actually went to see in theaters. I hardly knew anything about the book. 

(I have read the novel since, but that is a whole different discussion. There are major differences from page to screen.)

And yes, the film features a future so harsh, people rather spend their time in the OASIS virtual world.

But somehow, I find the film to be quite a fun adventure. While Spielberg’s recent Oscar-worthy films are nothing to brush away, obviously. Ready Player One runs on a different level.

It’s thrilling, exciting, fast-paced (the racing sequence!) and sometimes funny. The visual effects are quite amazing. All the actors do the motion-capture performance for their virtual characters. I think it makes a difference.

The story morphs into a treasure hunt - which I feel is what makes it fun. James Halliday, played by Mark Rylance, has died. The eccentric man created the OASIS. He left behind three keys to uncover. The winner who gets the Easter Egg at the end is awarded from Halliday and total control of the OASIS.

Wade Watts - Tye Sheridan - is determined to win the game. He does gain some help from friends, of course. Like any treasure hunt tale, it’s never meant to be easy. There’s Innovative Online Industries on the hunt and they will do whatever it takes to win, even kill.

What I didn’t expect, was how much time was spent in the OASIS, over the course of the movie. I would have liked to see a bit more of the real world. Sheridan, Cooke, Pegg, Rylance, and Mendelsohn are dependable actors in reality, too. That’s a minor point though.

It may not be at the top of the Steven Spielberg list, but I believe it was one of his most fun-to-watch movies in years. (This is my second viewing after all.)

Can’t forget all the Easter Eggs! DeLorean! Iron Giant! Bee Gees music! 

Which may warrant a rewatch for those. There are so many that pop up it’s hard to keep track of one viewing - even two.

SPECIAL FEATURES OVERVIEW 

The standard DVD only has The 80’s: You’re The Inspiration feature. Blu-ray is over 90 minutes of stuff.

Game Changer: Cracking the Code (57 minutes, 22 seconds)

- This is for the true behind-the-scenes junkie. There’s no earth-shattering information. It runs through many angles of the movie from first shot to last. It goes from the book and to Spielberg’s involvement. There's also casting, costumes, design, the motion-capture work to reality and stunt work.

The 80’s: You’re The Inspiration (5 minutes, 38 seconds) 

- Pretty much a discussion about people’s thoughts on the 80’s. It’s quick and not too in-depth. The least interesting bit of the bunch.

Level Up: Sound for the Future (8 minutes, 43 seconds) 

- This is an overview of the sound design of the film. Not an aspect of the film, I think much about. A lot of thought goes into it. Mentions include the weapons used from references like Aliens and Battlestar Galactica. To a structural collapse that uses sounds from Titanic.

High Score: Endgame (10 minutes, 4 seconds) 

- This is only the fourth movie of Spielberg’s career which doesn’t have John Williams as the composer. Spielberg talks how he settled on Alan Silvestri. They discuss their collaboration.

Ernie & Tye’s Excellent Adventure (12 minutes) 

- Ernest discusses the process of the book and his love of pop culture and how he and Tye first met. Tye tells about being in the movie and his first time meeting Steven Spielberg. The book Ready Player Two seems to be in the works.

Effects for the Brave New World (24 minutes, 8 seconds) 

- The movie is very heavy on the visual effects. For example, the avatars need be completely different - but remain true to the actors as much as possible.

Warner Brothers Home Entertainment

Rampage: Video Game to Big Screen

Ready for a Rampage?

Rampage takes inspiration from the video game world. It first appeared in 1986. There were no humans in a starring role. You played the monsters.

The cinematic-adventure of Rampage debuts on Blu-Ray combo pack and DVD on July 17. The Digital format appeared early on June 26. 

MONSTER

Rampage - on the worldwide scale - is the biggest video game adaptation ever. It grossed over $425 million. The debatable Tomatometer gives it the highest rating of any video game movie with 52%.

Which is still calling it rotten.

Dwayne Johnson reteams with director Brad Peyton. They worked together on 2015’s San Andreas and 2012’s Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.

Ryan Engle hatched the story. The script was rounded out by Carleton Cuse, Ryan J. Condal, and Adam Sztykiel.

TAKE

Would I buy this film? A rainy day selection.

The video game trend continues after Tomb Raider.

Dwayne Johnson - a.k.a The Rock - his catalog of movies are not by any means Oscar-worthy.

But.

They never seem to be boring either.

Is Dwayne Johnson at his best in Rampage? I don’t think so. I believe this where I will take off a few points.

(I have not seen him in any of the Fast & Furious franchise. My two cents goes to The Rundown and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle as the top contenders for his best movies.)

The story of Rampage was to have leeway. The video game featured no real plot, which in turn, would not even come close to properly fill 107 minutes.

Dwayne Johnson is not only a primatologist but also has a Special Forces background. If you go with that, then you are pretty much in for the ride.

Rampage does have Jurassic Park vibes. It’s basically a genetic experiment gone wrong, which causes the chaos of the movie. Johnson has a bond with a gorilla named George, who turns into a raging creature of enormous size. The motion-capture of George is done by Jason Liles.

Naomie Harris comes into the picture as discredited geneticist Kate Caldwell. We discover the characters of Mailin Akerman and Jake Lacy know a lot more about what is going on. Joe Manganiello helps behind-the-scenes. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is on the hunt as the mysterious government agent.

It unfolds into a monster movie. With a big gorilla like George, it’s hard not to think of King Kong too. The visual effects are done by Academy Award-winning company Weta Digital. 

I wouldn’t be in a rush to watch Rampage again. Yet, there is enough action and moves at a quick pace, that it could be passable entertainment for most.

SPECIAL FEATURES OVERVIEW

The standard DVD only has Not A Game Anymore feature.

Not A Game Anymore (6 minutes, 15 seconds) - I had no knowledge of the Midway video game. This was the most interesting as the game was discussed - how there were plenty of fans involved in the film. There are also about three Easter eggs in the movie for those well- versed in Rampage.

Gag Reel (2 minutes, 43 seconds)  - This depends on your sense of humour. A lot of silly montages and most of the messed-up lines involve how much everyone curses.

Deleted Scenes (10 minutes, 12 seconds) - There are about seven scenes altogether. The first one is the most intriguing as it shows how ruthless Joe Manganiello’s character can be. Two scenes are actually shown twice and are virtually the same. This seemed pointless as the only difference I noticed is the level of visual effects.

Actors in Action (10 minutes, 45 seconds) - This is the behind-the-scenes reel. There were military advisors to deal with training. How the actors worked with the stunts and working side-by-side.

Trio of Destruction (10 minutes, 8 seconds) - This is a focus on Weta Digital and the monsters. There is a lot of thought gone into the research and creations of the evolution of the animal.

Attack of Chicago (10 minutes, 23 seconds) - The production sets out to destroy Chicago. They need a cost-effective way to do it. They blend real Chicago with the visual effects needed to pull it off.

Bringing George to Life (11 minutes, 53 seconds) - Andy Serkis may be one of the more well-known actors behind motion-capture performances. There are other people still needed for the work. Jason Liles is George the gorilla as he discusses how the training of how to move and behave. He had help from Terry Notary.

Warner Brothers Home Entertainment