Ready Player One

Steven Spielberg directs Ready Player One, which is based on the novel of the same name by Ernest Cline, and stars Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, and Ben Mendelsohn. The film is set in a dystopian future of Earth in 2045, wherein the majority of the population escape from the problems of the real world by playing a virtual reality world, OASIS, wherein they could interact with other players and play as well known and playing levels based on numerous pop culture elements based on what the creator loves, like driving the Adam West Batmobile or playing as the Iron Giant. Ready Player One's main story deals with the death of the creator and how he left a game in his digital world wherein if anyone wins it will win full ownership of the world and the company that runs it. The whole point of this film is a love letter to both our love of pop culture as well as our obsession with the concept of easter eggs and trying to find references to other things as they are cleverly hidden. Much like last year's Lego Batman, this film's greatest aspect is its clever use of references to various forms of pop culture such as movies, video games, shows, comic books, and other forms of media. While it's fun to see people making themselves look like well beloved characters like Joker and Hello Kitty and use well known gadgets and weapons such as Mechagodzilla and the bike from Akira, sometimes it can be a little bit too much of pop culture references and at times distracting. The performances are all really good, especially from Mark Rylance who plays his character as very nervous and somewhat socially awkward, and the effects are really beautiful. Steven Spielberg's direction is, as always, a delight and the best choice to direct due to his long and incredible contribution to pop culture even if he chose not to put references to his own films. While it's fun to see so many references and that many of the characters have a deep love for pop culture and that's what helps them win, the way the film depicts them at time can be a bit overdone and kind of mocking. A very silly thing throughout the movie is that Cooke's character has a birthmark on one side of her face and she fears people mocking her for it, and my problem is that you barely ever notice it and with certain lighting it's barely there. While flawed, this film is just fun all around and makes you wish that we all could access the OASIS. Over all: 95%
2018 top list so far:
1. Black Panther
2. Ready Player One
3. Game Night
4. Thoroughbreds