Good riddance,Weird Spielberg who makes great Oscar movies for a gold living (Lincoln,The Post) and welcome back,Spielberg who makes adventurous movies (Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Ready Player One and ET).
Now that I got that out of the way,let's start the review!
You know what's the scariest thing to exist after you walk out of a movie whose franchise is a great big success?
Making your own opinions while comparing it to other existing products.
That's what Ready Player One made me think after the credits rolled,even if I had a big smile of satisfaction (no,I'm not counting the IMAX too),and that's what fears me the most,since my opinion can hurt someone,but here we go:
I think Ready Player One is a more incredible movie than The Incredibles and more “Crossover-ific” than The Avengers.
LET ME EXPLAIN.
Sure,part of me was smiling at the references (Minecraft of all people,Halo, Overwatch…),but I was surprised by how some of the Easter Eggs were part of the story (Chucky being a toy a-la Terminator,The Iron Giant being upgraded etc.),as well as Spielberg actually caring about the source material,something I expect out of existing properties like this or the recent Black Panther,where if a less-talented director would've done this or that,it could've gone both ways.
Here we have a movie whose director does what he can to serve a well told story,with characters you’ll definitely root for (for the most part) and lots of references that,in part,are actually relevant to the story instead of being Captain America in a chair saying “I understood that reference” or Tony Stark saying “That dude's playing Galaga!”.
As for the characters,they give you just enough to make you care about them,except for James Halliday (the creator of the OASIS,played by Oscar winner Mark Rylance),whose writing is certainly better than Steppenwolf from Justice League,but still not enough to make you say “I wonder what he does next…”, although I give Spielberg & Co. credit for actually trying instead of making it this 2D character.
The technology used for this movie is definitely something to praise.
Trust me when I say “If you'll see it in IMAX 3D,you'll think Doctor Strange was just a little kid's dream afterwards with the headache-assured visuals”,because,while some of the moments have generic action set pieces,they roll as fast (and furious) as one of those Star Wars attractions at Disneyland.
Everything is so frenetic and exactly paced,you'll be in for a 2h 20m Rollercoaster,with the runtime being solid.
I even liked Alan Silvestri’s score here,and while it has the flaws (trying to be hip-and-cool with the 80s? Here we go…), it's filled with goofy yet emotional moments.
So...Yeah,I'm in a Mad Max Fury Road (or Spider-Man 2) status now,where I can't recommend it enough just because of how it was a good time at the movies (again,not counting the luxury of IMAX 3D),so I definitely give it a thumbs up. WAY UP.
Ready Player One is bound to be of the most iconic movies for this generation's kids thanks to Spielberg's egregious directing,stunning visuals and a good yet charismatic story. It's not one of Spielberg's best,but it's almost there,since its way better than The Post.
“So, we're on the clock” -The Grandmaster,Thor Ragnarok
