Movie Review: READY PLAYER ONE(2018)

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                                   Ready Player One is the film adaptation of the best selling novel written by Ernest Cline. The film is directed by legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg. I personally think it's his best film in 16 years (MINORITY REPORT). The screenplay is written by Zak Penn (THE INCREDIBLE HULK and X-MEN: THE LAST STAND) and the author himself, Ernest Cline. The book compared to the film or vice versa are almost two completely different things. That sometimes translates to a bad film but in this case what we get here is a visual masterpiece and a very compelling story well told despite the story being retooled for the big screen.
                                     Why? I have read the book and loved it. That being said, much of the 80's pop references either don't have the license available to use (that means permission in legal terms) or simply doesn't translate to film. This is a visual-heavy film, which makes perfect sense to use video game references in place of the 80's pop culture references. Not to say that there are none in the film because there are many to be found. Just not like in the book.
                                      In case you've never read the book and not familiar with the story, RP1 takes place in Colombus, Ohio, in the year 2045 in a place called the Stacks, which looks like mobile homes stacked one on top of the other-like apartment buildings. When the creator(James Halliday, played by Mark Rylance in another winning performance) of the virtual world known as The OASIS dies, he leaves behind a challenge to the world to find an Easter Egghe hid somewhere in The OASIS. The winner of the contest stands to inherit Halliday's fortune. Enter Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) a.k.a. in The OASIS as Parzival. He sets out to find the hidden Easter Egg and win the contest that will free him from his mobile home prison that he lives in with his Aunt and her abusive boyfriend. There is way more to the story. Like always, that's all the detail you'll be getting from me.
                                   What is good about RP1? Well, for starters, it is another visionary masterpiece from Spielberg that has enough action, suspense and a compelling story to make two movies. Tye Sheridan (Wade Watts/Parzival) and Oliva Cooke(from The Bates Motel)steal the movie. She plays Wade's love interest, Art3mis/Samantha. These two are stars to watch in the future. Ben Mendelsohn(ROGUE ONE and Netflix's BLOODLINE) turns in another memorable performance as the heavy, Sorrento, who will stop at nothing to gain control of The OASIS. Like I stated earlier, the film is another visionary masterpiece in Steven Spielberg's crown. It is worth stating that the film would be nothing without all the hard-working people who brought you all the eye-popping visual wonders for the moviegoing audience to behold. This is movie magic. 
                                       The one nit-picky thing I can say about the film is not that things were changed from the book because what is done here works well. It's the films 140-minute runtime. It''s about 20 minutes too long, in my humble opinion. then
again, that is 20 minutes we get to spend in another world different from our own. Isn't that why we go to the movies?
                      I give READY PLAYER ONE an A-.


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