Ready Player One (Steven Spielberg, 2018)

[Murdoch]

I suppose this movie is the culmination of how self-referential pop culture has become within the past decade, where something as obscure as the mid-90s arcade game Rampage is repurposed as a Dwayne Johnson action movie. I just wonder how deep into the rabbit-hole we have to go before we reach the end of it. I do find it funny how the film's/book's vision of 2044 is one where only decades-old pop culture references exist, but I suppose, given the state of things, that may be accurate!

[Brian C]

In what many of you will no doubt perceive as an active threat the original author is writing a sequel novel.

Better hope this movie isn't successful or we'll have Ready 2: Electric Boogaloo!

I'm waiting for the third movie, Ready Player One, Two, Three, where a computer-generated James Cagney tries to keep Pamela Tiffin from getting knocked up by getting her to play video games.

[knives]

I suspect such a reference would be too esoteric for this crowd.

[Brian C]

What about The Taking of Ready Player One Two Three?

[knives]

"That stupid Denzel film?"

[swo17]

A Ready Player One and a Two?

[aox]

A Ready Player One and a Two?

Yi Yi is a great film

[Magic Hate Ball]

Ready Player Out 1: semper virginem

[theflirtydozen]

Player 2, Press Start

[John Cope]

Randy Player One.

[domino harvey]

Looking forward to Ready Out 1, in which teams immerse themselves fully in the world's most interminable acting exercises in competition to receive inflated critical praise. I heard they licensed from throughout the Rivetteverse for Easter eggs-- can't wait to see the protagonist wield the metaphorical axe touched by the Duchess of Langeais!

[Brian C]

Oh, so it’s a “metaphorical” axe? How about a spoiler tag there, dom?

[dda1996a]

Ready Players One - which takes the simmering tightly wound original and flips it on its head to an Afghanistan war criticizing film in the guise of an action film, with even more 80s references.

[Big Ben]

Ribs gonna pop back in here to see we're all having a barbecue and roasting everything.

I cannot seriously fathom how this book will translate to a film unless it's been changed quite a bit. When given this in college I was completely blindsided as to how it achieved much of anything at all. It reads like someone simply name checking popular directors, animes and games etc. and it most certainly felt like I was being gaslighted. It's really great to like things and be happy to pursue them as hobbies but that doesn't mean the rest of the world will necessarily understand what's going on. You can certainly try and sell this on name alone (Spielberg) and cram in as many recent things as you can (A character from Overwatch) but that doesn't mean the audience will buy into it.

The film may very well be a success, stranger things have happened. Perhaps a way it can succeed is by making all the cramming of pop culture references more palatable and less off putting (Unless everyone in the audience starts reading up on decades of Gundam lore). I will also state that my familiarity with some of the things mentioned is what frustrated me deeply and maybe people just liked it because they thought the plot was fun and that alone will save this from bombing. Maybe we're all just assholes at the perpetual barbecue.

[Luke M]

The film may very well be a success, stranger things have happened. Perhaps a way it can succeed is by making all the cramming of pop culture references more palatable and less off putting (Unless everyone in the audience starts reading up on decades of Gundam lore). I will also state that my familiarity with some of the things mentioned is what frustrated me deeply and maybe people just liked it because they thought the plot was fun and that alone will save this from bombing. Maybe we're all just assholes at the perpetual barbecue.

I see what you did there.

I never read the book and didn’t care for the trailer. It looks like a poor man’s Wreck It Ralph.

[colinr0380]

There's a little bit of new footage from the film in this new Spielberg/Cline interview trailer

[colinr0380]

And the next trailer, playing out to a moody remix of Pure Imagination

[Lost Highway]

Basically I'll be required to look at two hours of crappy game quality CGI without the benefits of playing a game.

[Ribs]

And the next trailer, playing out to a moody remix of Pure Imagination

The first trailer was also set to a remix of Pure Imagination.

[Magic Hate Ball]

Come with me and you'll be
in a world of pure regurgitation

[mfunk9786]

From The Outline: Ready Player One is a terrible book and it will be a terrible movie

[Ribs]

Thanks, article from July.

I'm beyond sick of this dumb groupthink. We get it, you think the book is lazy. The marketing is built around brand recognition for other things, which people think is cheap and deceptive. People literally are incapable of giving this anything resembling a fair shot.

[mfunk9786]

Oh, sorry, it was making the rounds again. Kind of an evergreen thing though, it's not like new information has come out between now and then that's suggested that this won't be a gigantic dumpster fire.

At any rate, I hope dying on the "Ready Player One is going to be good" hill works out for you, Ribs.

[pzadvance]

Not to fan the flames of said dumpster fire, but some new posters have come out

[hearthesilence]

I was hoping your link would take us to photos of actual dumpster fires.