Ready Player One Is Pure Gaming Fun

Ready Player One is finally a movie I liked. I was beginning to worry I had become too cynical. But, leave it to a movie about pandering to people’s nostalgia to make me smile. Sure, that comment is cynical, but I did genuinely like the film.

I did not much enjoy the book though. The world, the ideas presented, they were certainly interesting, but, I barely got any of the references. It may make me lose some nerd credit, but I only got heavily into gaming in the 2000’s. So, going on about old school, 80’s stuff, classic stuff—that was not going to grab me.

Which was why I’m so glad that this movie decided to be about references I would get. Watching certain scenes made my eyes pop and my mind reel from the sheer level of references and gags. Some of them were only for a few seconds, and I feel like this movie is something that should be re-watched in slow-motion, or, more realistically, seen in YouTube clips breaking it down.

Ready Player One Is For All Nerds, Everywhere

If you’re in your mid-to-early twenties, this movie is made for you.

If you are a fan of excellent CGI, then this movie is also made for you.

The landscapes, the fluid animation, the spots where the video games characters mesh with the real world, all of it was bonkers impressive. The money spent splashes all over the screen, and not a single frame of it looks bad. I wish I had seen this movie in theaters, though my cheering at The Shining references would have been probably less than appreciated.

It’s a shame the characters are not as strong. Art3mis is great. T. J. Miller’s character is funny, and perhaps the most realistic character in the movie. But the main cast is bland. The romance between Art3mis and Parzival is rushed even if their interactions are cute.

Ready Player One Has A Few Bugs But Is Playable

Honestly, I could nitpick this movie to death. I may not like the book that much, but I will give it the praise that it did a much better job of explaining things. Ready Player One is over two hours and still felt like it was jumping around and glossing over important details. Better critics than I have pointed out the serious, massive, logical flaws in this movie’s outcome.

But I’m not going to attack Ready Player One.

I can’t.

Because Ready Player One is a send-up and celebration of people who treat media as something precious. Something worth defending. And considering I’m one of those people, I’ll leave it alone. I’ll recommend it. Ready Player One is a good film, not a great film, but a fun film regardless. You don’t need to read the book; you don’t need to know much going in—just bring some friends and have a good time.

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