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
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