You saw that too; it looks fully loaded with everything...virtual reality in 3D.
...A gamebox with programmed cards, a pair of goggles, you can be anything anyone anywhere everywhere in the virtual world.
"The Plymouth Fury “Christine” from Stephen King‘s novel and the Batmobile also appear in this race, to the sounds of Rush, of course."
Sounds like "The Matrix" with goggles instead of thingies stuck in your head and back!!
I hope the story line is better than the typical sic-fi movie. Hopefully with Spielberg behind it, it will be.
It also has some hint of what the future actually might be like. Kids and (some adults) today live in a fake reality anyway (Facebook, et al) so this is, in my option, not much of a stretch.
"I had high hopes for this going in, and I'm thrilled to say it met or exceeded most of them. There are some knockout 3-D sequences—I'll get to those in a minute. Spielberg employs dizzying single-shot camera moves so crazy and fluid they're jaw-dropping examples of virtual filmmaking. And just ridiculous fun! The pop culture references are everywhere, but I didn't find them distracting: most are throwaway, blink-and-you'll miss 'em, while others are integral to the plot itself. One of the highlights of the film for me was the very 80's and very nostalgic (in the best sense) score by Alan Silvestri. It tapped into that pulse-quickening Back to the Future vibe, intensifying the danger and sense of adventure, particularly in the second half.
The 3-D has an appreciable sense of depth for the most part. It isn't as consistently strong as, say, Thor Ragnarok or Spielberg's own Jurassic Park conversion, but it's a big improvement over the likes of Tron Legacy. I won't spoil all the highlights, but some of my favourites include:
The sweeping, swooping intro to the Oasis. We fly down into several of the virtual worlds and get some magnificent visuals. It's a 3-D smorgasbord.
An early racing sequence that's so much fun it's worth the admission price all on its own. It's also insanely action-packed. It—and the film as a whole—will overwhelm some viewers, but if you finish the race wanting more, you're absolutely the audience for RPO. Great 3-D in this segment.
When Wade first puts on his virtual headset and enters the Oasis, it has that vital 3-D depth kick that puts the viewer in gear.
The Halliday archives, the IOI headquarters with all the Sixers plugged in, the dance club, a great mini sequence I won't spoil...that involves lots and lots of blood: there's way too much to absorb in a single viewing, but I will say the 3-D ramps up way more often inside the Oasis than it does in the real world.
There are lots of changes from the book. Nearly all of them are improvements, IMO (and I like the book a lot). The film's lighter and funnier, more family friendly. You don't really feel the enormous stakes of the contest/ keys/ gates for a while in this version, but Spielberg doesn't shy away from a crucial tragic moment from the book that kicks the whole thing up to a much more dangerous level. It's the giddy sense of excitement he nails here, though, and I was really hoping for that. The film has heart and a few tears and massive action and is completely in love with movies, gaming, and everything geek. The casting works, especially Olivia Cooke as Artemis. I-Rok, a pesky douchebag character from the novel, has a much bigger role to play here, and he gets most of the funniest lines.
I've no idea if Ready Player One will catch on or not. Gamers, film buffs and all-round geeks (like me) will flip for it. 3-D fans will have a fun ride (I caught a handful of pop-outs but nothing major--it's much more depth-oriented). If casual filmgoers start to flock, though, look out for this one. It's hugely entertaining. And more importantly, it has the old Spielberg magic."
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It's based on a Hugo awardee so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I thought Ender's Game, another awardee, was good but the box office was disappointing and killed off all hopes of a sequel. At least I am certain Spielberg will not butcher the source material. What was done to Seventh Son was a travesty.