Ready Player One (4½ Stars)

Amazon Friday #22

This is a science fiction film that takes place in a future dystopian world. Actually, it takes place in a world within a world. To escape the ugliness of the real world, almost everyone plays a virtual reality game called Oasis. People can either go there to relax and enjoy the beauty that's lacking in the real world, or they can compete with others. When a person is killed in Oasis, his wealth is dropped where he stands, and it can be picked up by other players. Unlike the Matrix, the person doesn't die in the real world. He can carry on playing, but his character is now a penniless newbie that has to start all over again.

The game's creator, James Halliday, died five years before the film starts. In a pre-recorded message he says that he planted an Easter Egg in the game. Do I really have to explain what an Easter Egg is? Google it! Whoever finds this Easter Egg will receive Halliday's wealth and his controlling share of the company. For five years thousands of people have sought for the Easter Egg in vain.

Enter Wade Watts, a teenage orphan from Columbus, Ohio. His avatar in the game is called Parzival. That's a very chivalrous name. He's determined to find the Easter Egg, not just because of the money, but because Oasis is a game that he intends to win.

Films that rely heavily on CGI are usually criticised, but "Ready Player One" is an exception. Most of the film takes place inside a world of computer imagery, so the CGI is essential. It's done very well. It makes Oasis look like a game that I'd want to play. Of course, I wouldn't get into fights in order to take other players' money. I'm a lover, not a fighter.

The real world scenes of "Ready Player One" were filmed in Birmingham, where I used to live. I immediately recognised the streets in the scenes filmed in Digbeth. Other scenes weren't so obvious, but I found articles online which told me where they are. For the film the streets were made even dirtier than they look in real life.

Plagiarism, anyone? The film's similarity with "The Matrix" is obvious, except in "Ready Player One" people voluntarily plug themselves in. There are multiple references to other films, such as "Jurassic Park", "Child's Play" and the 1933 version of "King Kong". The longest reference is to "The Shining". In a scene set in a world within a world within a world, Parzival and his friends find themselves in the Overlook Hotel.

Success Rate:  + 1.8

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