READY PLAYER ONE REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Since the release of his debut feature, Firelight, in 1964, Steven Spielberg has established himself as one of the most imaginative and creative directors. His directing credits include a wide range of films all varying in different genres, including drama, comedy, science fiction, adventure and many more. What director could release Jurassic Park and Schindler's List, two films that couldn't be more different, in the same year apart from Spielberg? Earlier this year, his Oscar-nominated drama, The Post, starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, was released in the UK and received positive reception for both Streep and Hanks' leading performances and Spielberg's direction. Now, Spielberg's latest feature, Ready Player One, has recently been released, however, does it meet expectations and certify Spielberg as one of the greatest directors? Or is it a disappointment?

In the year 2045, people can escape their harsh reality in the OASIS, an immersive virtual world where you can go anywhere, do anything, be anyone-the only limits are your own imagination. OASIS creator James Halliday (Mark Rylance) left his immense fortune and control of the Oasis to the winner of a contest designed to find a worthy heir. When unlikely hero Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) conquers the first challenge of the reality-bending treasure hunt, he and his friends - known as the High Five - are hurled into a fantastical universe of discovery and danger to save the OASIS and their world.

Since its release, it's safe to say that Ready Player One has received both praise and criticism. There were those who enjoyed the immersive virtual world of the OASIS and the adventure that happened within. However, there were those who found the story lacking in comparison to its spectacular special effects. For me, I thoroughly enjoyed Spielberg's latest feature. The story is based on Ernest Cline's novel of the same name and he wrote the screenplay with Zak Penn. I think that both Cline and Penn have written a story that is full of adventure and is entertaining from start to finish.

While the story is good, it's the special effects that stand out. Ready Player One is at its best when it's set in the visually impressive world of the OASIS. In the beginning of the film, Watts' character, Parzival, takes part in an exhilarating race with him driving the DeLorean from the Back to the Future franchise. It's because of its special effects that Ready Player One demands to be seen on the big screen. I didn't see it in 3D, however, I can tell that certain scenes would've looked better if I'd seen it in that format.

Ready Player One pays homage to the popular culture of the 1970s and 1980s as in the book, but also extends to the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s. The film's special-projects supervisor Deidre Backs is credited for clearing the licenses to all of the properties depicted in the film. Before the creator of the OASIS, Halliday, passed away, he sent out a message to all players of the game and told them that he has hidden various clues, known as 'Easter eggs', and that whoever finds them will have full ownership of the OASIS and win half a trillion dollars. This leads to Parzival and his friends, Aech (Lena Waithe), Art3mis (Olivia Cooke), Sho (Philip Zhao) and Daito (Win Morisaki), becoming more determined than ever to win the game. One of the quests to find one of the Easter eggs takes place in a recreation of Stanley Kubrick's iconic horror, The Shining. Those who have seen the film will enjoy this scene. In the book, there were references to many of Spielberg's films, however, he decided to remove them from the film to avoid accusations of him being vain. Cline stated that he believed Spielberg wanted to avoid self-references to films he directed, due to the criticism he received for his film 1941, which lampooned his own previous works Jaws and Duel. Spielberg and producer Kristie Macosko Krieger spent several years securing the rights for all the copyrighted elements used in the film. Spielberg said that they had also attempted to include Star Wars references, but The Walt Disney Company, which owned the rights, would not allow their use. Despite this, Ready Player One still has an impressive list of cultural references to various popular films, TV Shows and video games.

While the majority of Ready Player One takes place in the OASIS, the film cuts back to the real world. The main character is Wade Watts, who lives in Columbus, Ohio with his aunt. Because his real life isn't that great, we understand why he escapes to the OASIS every now and again. In the virtual world, he's popular and takes part in various games. However, after completing the first quest and winning the race, he becomes top of the leader board, much to the annoyance of the leader of the IOI (Innovative Online Industries), Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn). Like everyone else, he wants full control of the OASIS, however, he doesn't know how to find the Easter eggs or complete the quests. Because of this, Sorrento has amassed an army of debt-indentured players, known as Sixers (due to their six-digit identification), to seek the prize. 

Ready Player One features an impressive cast. Mark Rylance, who previously collaborated with Spielberg on The BFG (where he played the titular character) and Bridge Of Spies (which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor), gives a very good performance as James Halliday. As the creator of the OASIS, we understand how much the game means to him and, as the film progresses, we learn more about him, through various clues and archive footage. Simon Pegg portrays Ogden Morrow who co-created the OASIS but left the company due to personal reasons. He harbors a concern about how much people have grown to have an unhealthy dependency on the game. Tye Sheridan gives a solid performance as the main character, Wade, and shares chemistry with Olivia Cooke's character, Art3mis, who, in the real world, is Samantha. The two first meet in the OASIS, however, Art3mis is worried about meeting up in the real world in case she disappoints him. Some fun scenes between the two occur near the beginning of the film where they dance to the Bee Gees' iconic song, 'Staying Alive', from the film, Saturday Night Fever. 

Overall, Ready Player One met my expectations and I enjoyed the action and adventure that occurred within the OASIS. Steven Spielberg really is one of Hollywood's best directors and Ready Player One certifies his natural talent at creating a film that is full of adventure and is thoroughly entertaining. 

8/10