Ready Player One - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Ready Player One

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Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
Steven Spielberg is undoubtedly one of the kings of American cinematic pop culture. War of the Worlds, Jaws, Indiana Jones, Minority Report, the list goes on and on. He’s also one of the most nuanced directors in hollywood’s long lineup of powerhouse directors, as he is able to switch from a fun adventure film like Raiders of the Lost Ark, to Schindlers List, or the newer Lincoln or Bridge of Spies. I grew up watching all of his early adventure movies ad nausea, but have noticed that the man has pulled away from making pop culture action/adventure movies, and is staying firmly in dramatic films for the most part. It’s not a bad thing, as the man has proven himself in both genres many times over, but I always missed the “fun” side of Steven Spielberg. The side that loved making movies for teenagers and the young at heart. Guns, knives, high flying adventure, and a pure soul were what he founded his empire on, and those movies seemed to be behind the legendary man. That is until Ready Player One.

For those not in the know, Ready Player One is a screen adaptation of Ernest Cline’s 2011 sci-fi novel of the same name. For a breakout author it was a smash hit and has gained QUITE a cult following in just 7 years (right fully so I might add, it’s a fantastic book). The novel was so enthralling because it mixed in a plethora of older 80s and 90s pop culture references in with a story line that was subversive, dealing with race, sexual, and gender issues all in the guise of an adventure book. I was a bit nervous how Spielberg was going to bring the novel to the big screen, as changes HAD to be made. The book by itself is excellent, but it just wouldn’t translate to a 2 hour movie the same way other books could be. The subtext and cultural warnings were sure to be lost in the translation, and I was SURE that we were going to have another “book to film” adaptation that just gets lost in history. Well, I can say with 100% certainty that I was wrong on that last line. Spielberg definitely changed large portions of the book (sometimes drastically), but he took the core essence of the movie and just molded it into something completely unique, but still wildly fun and intoxicating.

Ready Player One was the first movie all year that actually got me to feel excited and “fun” again at the theaters. As a cynical film critic, I enjoy a lot of films, but I have been REALLY worn thin with the blockbuster films we see in theaters these days. Marvel movies are enjoyable, but cookie cutter. DC films are a mess, and a lot of the other summer blockbusters feel well worn and too cliched for me. Ready Player One is the first film since Pacific Rim came out in theaters that had me grinning from ear to ear the entire time I was in my theater seat. In fact, I ended up watching it another 2 times (something I almost NEVER do in theaters) and 2 more times on home video for you guys. Still, that grin and feeling of sheer child like glee never once waned, and each time I watch it I still got that surging feeling of being a young teenager again, watching Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The story is actually really simple. Some time in the near(ish) future, mankind has gotten a little off track. Instead of being space explorers and utopians, we’ve gone backwards in some senses. Technology and virtual reality are an everyday part of our lives, and most of the plebian class has devolved into poverty and servitude to the giant tech firms. A master game inventor by the name of James Halliday (Mark Rylance) one day invents the mother of all gaming experiences. A virtual reality with near LIMITLESS potential called the OASIS. It’s size is unparalleled and the game itself allows for unlimited players. This means a virtual reality world were the masses could escape their dull lives, and the rich tech companies would want to control it. Several years after Halliday’s death, it was revealed that there were a series of easter eggs hidden in the game, and with those easter eggs were three keys. The first person to GET all three keys would become the next owner of Halliday’s giant corporation that he had built with his partner Ogden Morrow (Simon Pegg).

The world has been gaming away for 5 years now, and NO ONE has gotten a key yet. The only people still hunting are the “sixers” (goons who work for the second largest tech firm, run by a douche bag by the name of Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn), who’s only goal is finding those keys and becoming the BIGGEST tech firm in the world), and the scavenging players who are still hoping for greatness. One of these players is a young man by the name of Wade (Tye Sheridan). He lives with his aunt and her HORRIBLE taste in men, and his only escape from reality is playing in the OASIS under the user name Parcival. He and his best friend (at least in the online world) Aech (Lena Waithe) are searching for the keys when they run across a legendary gamer by the name of Artemis (Olivia Cooke). Smitten with hardcore gamer, Parcival/Wade gets dragged into her fight against Sorrento and his firm IOI, and before long his obsession with the game and her skills allows the two to slowly start unraveling the puzzle that Halliday had built into the game so many years ago.

Ready Player One is probably Spielberg’s most visually intense and technologically advanced film project to date. The film is just awash with digital magic, and switches seamlessly between the brightly colored digital OASIS, and the dim and grungy outside world. The amount of freedom in the digital world makes it so that Spielberg can just have FUN with anything he wants to do. Race tracks, a trip through The Shining, a battle in the real world, and COUNTLESS pop culture references throughout. In fact, that’s one of the biggest pulls of the movie. The pop culture references are hot and heavy, as it’s actually a theme in the movie itself. The world has become stagnant culturally, but advanced technologically. The outside world is addicted to 80s and 90s pop culture, talking non stop about Duran-Duran, or the Atari 2600, and the Ninendo gaming system. But in the digital world, they are SOOOOOO much more advanced. Which is once again, another lesson of the film. Humanity has gotten so out of wack with reality that the past is all they have to hang on to. The virtual world of the OASIS has taken over everything in their lives, and it is nothing but an escape from they life they should be living.

Tye Sheridan is awesome as Parcival, and Olivia Cooke is making huge leaps and bounds in the cinematic community in her post Bates Hotel acting career. However, it’s really one man that is the heart and soul of the film. James Halliday, the man who grew up in the 80s itself playing all of those video games, and tried to make a life out of it. In some ways he succeeded. He made the most popular gave ever created, but in doing so he gave up his own LIFE. Mark Rylance owns the role of Halliday, allowing the nerdy old man to come through as incredibly sympathetic in his flashback videos. You see a man who had it all. Money, power, fame, respect, but also a man who gave up all that mattered. All those dreams that he had as a family man, all of the friends he wished he had, and all that he would never have. The most touching moments of the film are between Halliday and Wade near the end of the movie, and it ties the film up magnificently as he tries to impart the wisdom of balance to his young protege.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action violence, bloody images, some suggestive material, partial nudity and language





Video:

Ready Player One was filmed with a mixture of 35mm film (Spielberg’s favorite) for the outside world, and digital cameras for the CGI world of the OASIS. Being a hybrid I was shocked to see that the transition is seamless, allowing for the worlds to change texture and tone, but without compromising the feel of the movie itself. The real world is a bit more dull and drab in the color department, but it’s very lifelike, with a good thin grain layer and the areas of IOI add some much needed pop color (look at the reds on the sixers as they “die” in the game). The game arena is just awash with all sorts of color, though. Neon shades of red, blue, green and every other color imaginable is on display here. The 1080p Blu-ray is insanely sharp, and full of razor sharp details to add to the mix as well. Blacks are deep and inky and the ONLY issue that I had was some minor softness around the edges of the IOI base of operations. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it was just enough to throw things off a bit. Otherwise a stunner of a picture.





Audio:

Both the Blu-ray and the 4K UHD disc contain identical Dolby Atmos tracks (yup, with the obligatory 5.1 DTS-HD MA track as well that Warner has been using for their new releases), and it is a DOOZY. The film opens up with all of the channels at its disposal and makes GOOD use of them. The opening race with Artemis is jaw dropping, filled with heavy bass and a wide open sound stage that really excites the blood. Overheads are used with incredible panache, as the racers leap over bridges, King Kong smashes down from above, and the roaring sounds of the cars whistling across the track flit from one end of the room to the other. The film does quiet down a good bit on the outside world moments, and there is the softer aspect of the film. Dialog is always crisp and clean, and the minimal action out there is still making good use of the surrounds (although much less of the overheads than compared to the digital world of the OASIS). One thing I noticed was the LFE’s intensity. It’s powerful, heavy, and throbbing at times, but there are also large portions of the movie without much at all. The end battle in Chapter 10 is the most prodigious though, as it has some wallops that will literally knock you out of your seat. My complaint with the LFE being absent in some scenes is very minor in reality, and the only reason I rate it 4.5/5 instead of a perfect 5/5.





Extras:

• Game Changer: Cracking the Code
• Effects for a Brave New World
• Level Up: Sound for the Future
• High Score: Endgame
• Ernie & Tye's Excellent Adventure
• The '80's: You're The Inspiration
• BD Languages: English, Latin Spanish, Canadian French, Brazilian Portuguese
• BD Subtitles: English, Latin Spanish, Canadian French, Brazilian Portuguese

Final Score: ​

Ready Player One is hands down my favorite movie of the year. It was the first film since 2014’s Pacific Rim to really infuse me with that sense of childlike excitement and glee that films used to have on me. It’s fun, exciting, and Spielberg back to his old form once again. I find it amusing that Spielberg is actually responsible for much of the pop culture nature of films today, as he was a pioneer in the world adventure films. His obvious enthusiasm for the film, and his judicious changes (I’m one of the people who firmly believe that his changing good portions of the book was a necessity for the film to be as enjoyable as it is) made Ready Player One an EXCELLENT film to watch. I can’t honestly say in good conscience that it is a perfect 5/5 film, but it the most enjoyable film of the year so far, and along with the stunning audio and video specs on the 4K UHD and t he Blu-ray, it garners my recommendation of MUST OWN.



Technical Specifications:

Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Written by: Zak Penn, Ernest Cline
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), English, DTS-HD MA 5.1, French, Spanish, Portuguese, English DVS DD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Studio: Warner Brothers
Rated: R
Runtime: 105 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: Own Ready Player One on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD on July 24, or Own It Now on Digital!

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Must Buy

 

[Jack]

This is an excellent review Michael, I obviously could not have said it better myself. Having read the book and watched the movie yes, some of the details had to be changed but understandably so. This was a great movie, Blu Ray and such a wonderful reading by Spielberg to bring this book to the big screen, in lesser hands it would have most probably lost its way.