‘Ready Player One’ Review by B. Gunn

Wassup, y’all! Video games have come a looooong way. Back in the day, you would virtually stay in the Arcade with a pocket-full of quarters until the place closed. Now, you are virtually a part of the action and animation thanks to technology. Virtual reality is sometimes better than actual reality, and in the new movie “Ready Player One”, drugs aren’t the escape from real life…headsets are.

Set in 2045, much of humanity leaves the hardships of the real world by using the virtual reality software OASIS to engage in work and play. The only time they disconnect is basically to eat, shower, and sleep. It’s almost like “The Matrix” except they know what’s real and what isn’t. The designer of OASIS has issued a challenge to all the users to find clues to a hidden game within the program and if solved, the winner gets full ownership of it.

Tye Sheridan is Wade Watts, a gunter who wants to win the game so he can leave The Stacks, basically a futuristic ghetto. Of course he isn’t the only one who wants to win. Ben Mendelsohn plays Nolan Sorrento, the greedy, corrupt CEO of Innovative Online Industries, better known as the IOI. He wants it for selfish, financial reasons. Olivia Cook plays Samantha, who wants to win to keep OASIS out of the hands of the IOI. “Ready Player One” is directed by Steven Spielberg, and I don’t know he does it, but the older he gets, the absolute better he gets! This movie is the cinematic equivalent of Nia Long and Idris Elba – BEW-TEE-FULL!

This film is absolutely stunning. Special effects are on another level. The interaction between humans and avatars leaves you speechless. I haven’t seen CGI used this way in a long time. In this virtual world, a person can be ANYONE, live any kind of life they want, and their imagination is conveyed in rich, colorful detail onscreen. I haven’t seen this kind of eye candy since The Blue Flame and Magic City (my ATL folks know what I’m talking about…).

Not only is the CGI in a league of its own, but so is the storyline. I mean, think about it; this is a world in which hope for a better tomorrow is almost non-existent. You obviously cannot leave the planet so your only other option is to create a whole new life online…wow.

This new world is now up for grabs and it could fall into the wrong hands so an all-out battle for security – as well as riches – ensues. Sheridan and Cook have excellent chemistry. Their motives for wanting to win the game are totally different and that journey together is compelling.

I always love Mendelsohn playing villains. He excels at it and this time is no different. Sorrento is that greedy, cutthroat executive that gets under AND over your skin! I hated that sneaky son of a…The supporting cast is on point like 6 o’clock. They operate as a well-organized team.

“Ready Player One” is fast-paced and full of excitement. All three acts flow like an uninterrupted game of “Call of Duty”. All you need in this world of sin, is you and your log-in.

“Ready Player One” has so many pop culture references and nostalgia that make reminiscing special. There’s a specific scene involving the movie “The Shining” which is f’ing magnificent! This is a seriously entertaining ride that the entire fam can enjoy. I don’t care if you’re eight to eighty, dumb, cripple or crazy…you’ll love this joint.

I’m co-signing “Ready Player One” to the fullest! Please check this out in IMAX to get the full experience. I gave my virtual reality headset to a little six year-old friend of mine.

Uh ruh, I’m taking that sh-t back!


Watch The Trailer: