Gear Up for “Ready Player One”

Dylan Stanford

Steven Spielberg, a celebrated filmmaker and one of the most popular directors in film history, was skillful when creating his own version of the vibrant and well-loved novel, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, that is filled with the most ’80s references possible.

It’s 2045. The world is a bleak place that is overrun with poverty and overpowering businesses, and the only escape for the protagonist Wade Watts (known as Parzival online) is a virtual reality game called the OASIS. In fact, it’s the only escape and has become an actual lifestyle rather than just a hobby. The portrayal of the game and the whole idea that virtual reality games can one day become a sanctuary for teens and even adults was the most intriguing part for me.

And that’s not to mention the graphics and special effects; they were spot on and realistic. It was clear that it was a video game, but at the same time, it showed just how much of a new world the OASIS had become.

For the die-hard fans of the book, I can see how the changes in the movie could be slightly bothersome; however, there were definitely elements from the book and the overall structure was definitely still there. It was just enough so that when I spotted scenes or recognized lines from the book, my geeky heart would do a little flip. It got to the point that I maybe even gasped and tapped my friend in excitement, but only maybe.

It was 140 minutes of revolutionary and cutting-edge ideas and images being put together that in the end, made me just sit in awe for a hot minute staring at the credits, wishing for more.

If you’re thinking about seeing it, just do it. You won’t regret a single minute of it.