Skip to main content

Ready Player One (2018) - or not

Ready … or not

[Fan service the movie] - [80’s pop culture reference parade] - [Nostalgia necropsy] These could have been alternate titles or tag lines. Steven Spielberg knows how to make a ‘high concept’ movie that makes money for sure. And “Ready Player One” (2018) is that - a money making set of moving pictures.


I give it an A for production design - beautiful CG & sets. I give the screenwriters an A for cleaning up the novel a bit to make it PG13. I have read it - it is not better than the movie. Beyond that, it is 140 minutes of ‘I guarantee I know how this will go’ and ‘How many comic / television / music references from the 80’s can you clock per 30 minutes? Ok - Go!’ I am guessing 30% of the budget went to securing the IP rights for that stuff.


If I think about this in the context of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” or “Jurassic Park” or “Adventures of TinTin” or “The BFG” - this movie is just as well made and could be entertaining. If I think about it in terms of the source material, I guess I was personally not in need of a firehose of nostalgic references laid on top of a dystopian young adult circumstance. Probably why I didn’t dig the novel. If you want a right down the middle story, with some action and humor, great visuals and a cast of 30~40 year olds playing teenagers who all live within 5 miles of each other … “Ready Player One” checks all those boxes. If you want a fun time and to be moved or surprised or thrilled or dramatized or actionized - I would revisit one of the three alternates I listed above

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

They Live (1988)

 "They Live" (1988) is a movie I had never seen until last night when I went over to my sister's place. What a gem (my sister and this movie). Roddy Piper does some of his best work - which even for a Canadian is pretty dull. If, while watching it, you imagine that he never heard the director call 'action', then his performance makes total sense. Offsetting this is any scene where Keith David or Peter Jason are in. They are acting their butts of and are enthralling. (Just so you don't get confused - Peter Jason is neither Meatloaf nor Jason Sudekis' father ... You might think he is, but he isn't). The movie itself is a 94 minute indictment on Reagonmics, and gets plenty preachy. It would be under an hour of you cut out the establishing shots of people walking. But - THE REASON this movie needs to be seen - is a fight scene between Roddy and Keith. It goes on for 5+ minutes - you think it is over at least 3 times - it has all the beats of a professional...
Post a Comment
Read more

Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958) - it is a good deal better than the remakes

I got around to watching the original 1958 comedy caper film - the one that "Welcome to Collinwood" was pantomiming. "Big Deal on Madonna Street" is hilarious. It is 25 minutes longer than the remake and never once did I feel the need to check my watch. I even paused to go refill my water glass. There will be no problem telling who is who or how the story goes - it is well shot and characters are unique. The story is a simple and fun. Comparing the "BDoMS" and "WtC" - they are identical in terms of characters and scenes. "Big Deal on Madonna Street" street is terrific, and "WtC" is a slog. The biggest difference is seen in the dialog. In "Big Deal" the people just talk, like you might expect people to talk. They are funny, but not odd. The colloquialisms happen, but they aren't hard to see through. In "WtC", they are using a vernacular to make sure you are immersed deep in an Eastern European ethnic nei...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fences (2016)

Fences (2016) is nominally a story about being black in the United States of America in the 1950's. 'Troy' is a disaffected working man that never really had a chance. He is unable to make sense of an unfair world. Viola Davis doesn't get as much screen time (this is Denzel's movie), but when she is let on the scene, she destroys. 'Rose' is setting herself aside to make a life & family despite very little prospects for measurable happiness. Based on an August Wilson play - the magic of his writing is that at its root, this story is about people who set aside themselves for "existence". All people yearn for happiness on this world from their achievements (at least to achieve 'success' & 'happiness' relative to people around them). People want to proclaim they are in control of their situations. People want to be treated generously and with respect. People think that the world, society, economy, and people around them should a...
Post a Comment
Read more