Ready Player One CONFIRMED FRESH. "Almost as good as Crystal Skull" critics rave

[Joe Molotov]

Haters annihilated.

[HardcoreRetro]

Can't wait for the movie.

[Joe Molotov]

Spielberg fights mightily to keep that randomness under control, and usually succeeds.

If "Ready Player One" is tedious at times, it's also oodles of fun at others

Ready Player One is like a two hour serving of Frosted Flakes with every toy in the box. The pop culture references are hurled nonstop.

By a whisker, Spielberg wins the race against his own material.

Eventually, "Ready Player One" becomes the very thing its characters admire, a preponderance of commercial entertainment smashed together into a singularity of blockbuster chaos.

[Rahxephon91]

The movie looked like dumb fun. I'm not surprised it's getting good reviews. I don't care about the book, I've seen the text. It reads quite badly.

But internet nerds have the worst taste, so not like I trusted them.

[thisismyusername]

So in other words, it's the hot mess that the book was, but at least Spielberg made it entertaining.

[Skullfuckers Anonymous]

Thank Knack!

[Joe Molotov]

Half in the Bag is gonna be good.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Mike will probably like it.

[close]

[CatsCatsCats]

Crystal Skull wasn’t any worse than any other Indy movie, change my mind

[Great Rumbler]

Crystal Skull wasn’t any worse than any other Indy movie, change my mind

You're wrong.

[CatsCatsCats]

If you watched Crystal Skull at the same age you watched Temple of Doom you wouldn’t think so

[paprikastaude]

Temple of Doom is also kind of crappy, so using anything from it as a defense of Indiana Jones 4 never made much sense.

[CatsCatsCats]

Feel free to sub in any of the other continuity error riddled films

[Freyj]

Half in the Bag is gonna be good.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Mike will probably like it.

[close]

Mike will love it.

[kingv]

Even better than ghostbusters 2016

[thetylerrob]

It was fine. 

Resetera: 

[Mandark]

I'm on Moviepass, and I don't think I'm going to watch this.

And I saw The Hurricane Heist last week.

[Momo]

Watched Tomb Raider last week, watching Pacific Ripoff next week, will not be watching RPO

[thetylerrob]

You nerds really think you're too good for RPO? 

[team filler]

my 15 year old nephew can't wait to see ready player. he also loved that Danmachi show aka is it wrong to try to pick up girls in a dungeon. kid has great taste 

[Great Rumbler]

I'll probably just go watch God's Not Dead 3 instead.

[Momo]

I'll watch a man jerk off an elephant to shoot elephant cum on his dad with TVC, right here in our very own bore movie watching thread instead.

[Jerry]

Would I be labelled a literal nazi by watching this?

[Momo]

Would I be labelled a literal nazi by watching this?

100% rate of appropriating blue hedgehog culture

[MMaRsu]

Watched Tomb Raider last week, watching Pacific Ripoff next week, will not be watching RPO

You are insane

[Momo]

Watched Tomb Raider last week, watching Pacific Ripoff next week, will not be watching RPO

You are insane

Of this I am painfully aware

[paprikastaude]

It was fine. 

Resetera: 

Would I be labelled a literal nazi by watching this?

huh?

/googles 'rpo controversy'
/gets single hit mentioning something about 'gamergate'

 

[chronovore]

no1curr

[Joe Molotov]

Would I be labelled a literal nazi by watching this?

Why would you not see it, are you boycotting Jewish filmmakers?

[Jerry]

Would I be labelled a literal nazi by watching this?

Why would you not see it, are you boycotting Jewish filmmakers?

So Im a nazi either way? 

[ToxicAdam]

The average movie goer is a generation of people who grew up and think The Sandlot and Hook were good movies. These are not very discerning people with good taste. I'm sure a good chunk of them will eat this Spielbergian gruel up.

[bork]

Can't wait to see this, hopefully this weekend.  80s nostalgia blast?  TAKE MY MONEY!

no1curr

Just for you, Chrono:

[Joe Molotov]

It’s fun to play the cynic, but honestly RPO is the kind of cornball shit that I love, so I’m not going to pretend I didn’t enjoy it.

[Kurt Russell]

This movie fucking delivered. There are a shit ton of BTTF references in it, weirdly. Like one every few minutes. Some really obscure.

Really good fun though. Didn't feel to me as long as it's running time. Easily better than Black Panther.

EDIT: I get that this is abrupt and not detail heavy. This is deliberate as I hate "reviewing" movies - it's all subjective, guy. I'd be more comfortable giving a detailed review of the food I ate whilst I was watching it to be honest.

[tiesto]

My friends and I all liked it better than Black Panther, too (which I think needed more 'slice of life' Wakanda and less Marvel). Special effects were definitely better and the references weren't -too- hamfisted (apart from the womansplaining of the "Adventure" hidden credits). They changed quite a bit from the book, especially wrt the challenges.

Weirdest cameo was seeing an ad for Borderlands... does that series really have that much mainstream cachet? I always saw it as one of those dime-a-dozen forgettable 360 shooters.

[Rahxephon91]

The average movie goer is a generation of people who grew up and think The Sandlot and Hook were good movies. These are not very discerning people with good taste. I'm sure a good chunk of them will eat this Spielbergian gruel up.

Wow I feel that perfectly explains the current movie goer. Wow.

[Great Rumbler]

Weirdest cameo was seeing an ad for Borderlands... does that series really have that much mainstream cachet? I always saw it as one of those dime-a-dozen forgettable 360 shooters.

Borderlands 2 sold about 13 million copies. Also, it's a very good game.

[thisismyusername]

Weirdest cameo was seeing an ad for Borderlands... does that series really have that much mainstream cachet? I always saw it as one of those dime-a-dozen forgettable 360 shooters.

As much as I wish it wasn't true: Yes? We know you're an out of touch weeb. Why is this somehow surprising for you?

[Boredfrom]

Weirdest cameo was seeing an ad for Borderlands... does that series really have that much mainstream cachet? I always saw it as one of those dime-a-dozen forgettable 360 shooters.

Borderlands 2 sold about 13 million copies. Also, it's a very good game.

Handsome Jack is still a one note villain.

[HardcoreRetro]

Handsome Jack is still a one note villain.

The brown note.

[bork]

Enjoyed this movie, too.  It was good, stupid fun.  Like watching a cartoon (since so much of it is CG) filled with mostly-nerdy pop culture references from the 70s up through today.  I didn't read the book (and don't particularly want to after seeing some snippets from it) but it looks like the script changed things up for some characters and the ending...for the better.

Something else I gotta point out was the audience.  This was neckbeard central.    One dude next to us kept talking to his friend about video games right up until the trailers started and then would just mark the fuck out anytime a video game reference popped up on the screen.   

[bork]

Now spoiler talk:

spoiler (click to show/hide)

-OK, so I get that all the references are because of the author.  But in terms of the story, I don't understand why any of the teenagers playing in the Oasis would know and/or care about shit from decades before they were born.

-That goes double for the music.  So much stuff from the 80s.  Really?  That's the stuff the kids are into?  LOL.

-The worst part of the movie is when Wade's aunt and her shitty boyfriend get blown up.  He seems mildly upset that she's dead for about 30 seconds.  Felt like something was missing there.  Is it because she didn't treat him well?  Dunno because it only gets mentioned like once before the movie ends.

[close]

[Momo]

oh, so i'm actually going to have to watch this? fine, next week after pacific rip-off

[BlueTsunami]

.
Something else I gotta point out was the audience.  This was neckbeard central.    One dude next to us kept talking to his friend about video games right up until the trailers started and then would just mark the fuck out anytime a video game reference popped up on the screen.   

One awkward douche decided to sit a row back from his friends right in front of me, in a theater that was mostly empty. Had to move a seat over to avoid his giant matted head.

[etiolate]

Just saw it and enjoyed it. It is full of pop culture references, some even delivered as lines or at key moments in the plot, but the fact that the players are in on the cheese makes it acceptable and work in a way. Film never dragged or slowed down. Had a good, active pace and fun, impressive special effect pieces.

My flaws would be the aunt storyline and one slight odd part of the ending.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Why wouldn't the stack people just rush the guy anyways? He has one gun? Felt odd to just let him walk up, then he opens the door, doesn't shoot and.. ?? That part didn't work for me.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

I actually had no problem with the pop culture being centered around 80-90s era. One, it's the product of the creator's influence, and two, if everyone is spending all the time in these VR worlds then there isn't anyone creating pop culture outside of it in order to influence the world within. It also wasn't everyone doing so, but mostly the egg hunting players.

[close]

[close]

[etiolate]

Also, there is apparently a ton of hate pieces on this film because I don't know why? The movie had a positive message and little that would be controversial.

[chronovore]

Now spoiler talk:

spoiler (click to show/hide)

-OK, so I get that all the references are because of the author.  But in terms of the story, I don't understand why any of the teenagers playing in the Oasis would know and/or care about shit from decades before they were born.

-That goes double for the music.  So much stuff from the 80s.  Really?  That's the stuff the kids are into?  LOL.

-The worst part of the movie is when Wade's aunt and her shitty boyfriend get blown up.  He seems mildly upset that she's dead for about 30 seconds.  Felt like something was missing there.  Is it because she didn't treat him well?  Dunno because it only gets mentioned like once before the movie ends.

[close]

This is a problem in the book as well.

If I felt like making an excuse for it, I'd say it's that culture has hit an endpoint and is already just recycling previous media, OR that the contest to win the OASIS is so culturally penetrative that this is what most media venues choose to play because everyone is looking for insight and clues all the time.

[Joe Molotov]

Just saw it and enjoyed it. It is full of pop culture references, some even delivered as lines or at key moments in the plot, but the fact that the players are in on the cheese makes it acceptable and work in a way.

I liked The Shining sequence, but my favorite bit in the whole movie was when I-ROK was like “No man is a failure who has friends”. It pretty obvious that Bob Evil has no friends.

[bork]

The Shining part was great if you knew what it was and what was coming, but there were some people in the audience who didn't (like my wife) who were just , lol.

Now spoiler talk:

spoiler (click to show/hide)

-OK, so I get that all the references are because of the author.  But in terms of the story, I don't understand why any of the teenagers playing in the Oasis would know and/or care about shit from decades before they were born.

-That goes double for the music.  So much stuff from the 80s.  Really?  That's the stuff the kids are into?  LOL.

-The worst part of the movie is when Wade's aunt and her shitty boyfriend get blown up.  He seems mildly upset that she's dead for about 30 seconds.  Felt like something was missing there.  Is it because she didn't treat him well?  Dunno because it only gets mentioned like once before the movie ends.

[close]

This is a problem in the book as well.

If I felt like making an excuse for it, I'd say it's that culture has hit an endpoint and is already just recycling previous media, OR that the contest to win the OASIS is so culturally penetrative that this is what most media venues choose to play because everyone is looking for insight and clues all the time.

It's definitely not just for the contest and it was mentioned (in the movie, at least) that most people gave up on that.  Also another thing that comes to mind:

Why the hell did the entire real-world setting take place in the same part of town in Ohio?  The whole world is playing this game that has taken over everything and yet everyone just so happens to live in the same place and even the big bads' HQ is there too? 

spoiler (click to show/hide)

And why didn't Wade get with his buddy 'H'?  They were clearly way more compatible with each other.

[close]

[Momo]

I just remembered i've owned this book for like 7 years but have never read it

[etiolate]

Honestly, at a time where millennial are obsessed with an 80s they never lived though, to the point where they brought back synth music and buy t-shirts referencing cartoons they never watched, and nearly every other film is a reboot or old product, the amount of 80s stuff in the film shouldn't be too hard to believe. I mean there's a fucking Rampage movie coming. Pop culture is regurgitating itself. This would be even more common in a virtual world designed by someone that ritually bathes in that pop culture.

[Raist]

Half in the Bag is gonna be good.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Mike will probably like it.

[close]

Mike will love it.

Lulz

[tiesto]

The Shining part was great if you knew what it was and what was coming, but there were some people in the audience who didn't (like my wife) who were just , lol.

Now spoiler talk:

spoiler (click to show/hide)

-OK, so I get that all the references are because of the author.  But in terms of the story, I don't understand why any of the teenagers playing in the Oasis would know and/or care about shit from decades before they were born.

-That goes double for the music.  So much stuff from the 80s.  Really?  That's the stuff the kids are into?  LOL.

-The worst part of the movie is when Wade's aunt and her shitty boyfriend get blown up.  He seems mildly upset that she's dead for about 30 seconds.  Felt like something was missing there.  Is it because she didn't treat him well?  Dunno because it only gets mentioned like once before the movie ends.

[close]

This is a problem in the book as well.

If I felt like making an excuse for it, I'd say it's that culture has hit an endpoint and is already just recycling previous media, OR that the contest to win the OASIS is so culturally penetrative that this is what most media venues choose to play because everyone is looking for insight and clues all the time.

It's definitely not just for the contest and it was mentioned (in the movie, at least) that most people gave up on that.  Also another thing that comes to mind:

Why the hell did the entire real-world setting take place in the same part of town in Ohio?  The whole world is playing this game that has taken over everything and yet everyone just so happens to live in the same place and even the big bads' HQ is there too? 

spoiler (click to show/hide)

And why didn't Wade get with his buddy 'H'?  They were clearly way more compatible with each other.

[close]

Book spoilers:

spoiler (click to show/hide)

H is actually a lesbian, the movie didn't really make note of it the way the book did.
The characters are from all over in the book, as well... H was from Atlanta iirc and the Japanese guy is of course from Japan, the Chinese kid is from China... I guess it's just a plot convenience that the movie made them all from Columbus. Which is in both the book and movie, one of the world's largest cities.

[close]

[tiesto]

Weirdest cameo was seeing an ad for Borderlands... does that series really have that much mainstream cachet? I always saw it as one of those dime-a-dozen forgettable 360 shooters.

As much as I wish it wasn't true: Yes? We know you're an out of touch weeb. Why is this somehow surprising for you?

Because nothing about it really seems like it would have lasting cultural cachet, just seemed like another one of those generic 360 FPS that pervaded Gamestop bargain bins a few years ago. Though I actually was gifted a copy for some reason

And what's wrong with being 'out of touch'? I'm sure Borderlands won't be remembered 10-15 years down the line the way the retro franchises that I'm mainly into are.

[etiolate]

The Overwatch cameo was pretty noticeable and felt like a sponsored appearance. The TMNT one was fitting but also felt like the turtle license wanted a good scene. While Gundam felt in line with the player character, some felt like paid for placement.

[chronovore]

I just remembered i've owned this book for like 7 years but have never read it

Don't.

[TVC15]

This was pretty fun and I thought the CG was top notch for pretty much the whole movie. Really makes marvel movies look like piles of CG shit.

Only real complaints are that some plot points weren’t given enough room, namely, the fallout between the two creators and the relationship between the main creator and the gal. Those points seemed a little rushed.

Favorite part was The Shining bit. Nice to see Spielberg get to return to Kubrick for a few minutes.

[Kurt Russell]

Best cameo?

I'm going with Chucky.

[recursivelyenumerable]

I am boycotting this movie just as I boycott all 30-year-cycle propaganda #team20yearordie

enjoy this twitter thread instead, https://twitter.com/MaxKriegerVG/status/968609994764705792

[TVC15]

The urinals in the Metreon are designed in such a way that they spray piss all over the place no matter where you aim. Great Sony design there.

[TVC15]

Also, I saw RPO at the Metreon yesterday, lolz.