So I just saw Steven Spielberg's movie Ready Player One, (very loosely) based on the novel of the same name by...

So I just saw Steven Spielberg's movie Ready Player One, (very loosely) based on the novel of the same name by Ernest Cline. The top half of this mini-review is spoiler-free while the second half (below the tildes) has some spoilers.

Like the book, the movie feels like it was supposed to be a fun romp without too much thinkiness required of its audience. The special effects were good, if purposefully fantastical (to remind you you're watching a virtual environment). The acting was fine...no Oscars here, though, I'm afraid.

When I read the book a couple years ago, I enjoyed it. It's not high literature, but it's fun, has a good pace, and there are some clever bits. Character development isn't extensive...you have good guys and you have bad guys and there aren't really any in-between. But the main distinguishing feature of the book is its extensive referencing of 80s nerd trivia, tropes, memes, and pop culture. If you were of the age where movies, books, video games, and music mattered to you in the 80s, you will likely find a warm comfort in the reverence in which Cline holds our collective memories.

The one big frustration I had with the film is that it diverges from the plot of the book almost immediately and then only approaches it through indirect tangents once in a while. It's almost as if you're watching a movie inspired by Cline's book. It's not even an adaptation, as that would require a closer resemblance to the book this film offers. So, if you liked the book, you might find yourself being regularly distracted as "Hey, that's not in the book" keeps popping up like a defective idiot light on your car's dashboard. Ultimately, those who did not read the book might end up enjoying the movie more than those of us who did. But the 80s nostalgia isn't nearly as prevalent in the film as it is in the book, so even that attraction is gone. What you're left with is an action-adventure movie half set in a virtual world. In that sense, it's a bit like Tron. There...that's my gratuitous 80s reference for this post.

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~~~~~~~~~~~ SPOILERS AHEAD ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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While many of the characters are pretty faithful to the book, there are some newish ones that play fairly central roles. Most prominent are TJ Miller's character I-R0K (very minor in the book, but significant in the film) and the lead female baddie played by Hannah John-Kamen is totally new. Aech's avatar looks nothing like how I pictured it from the book, and even Art3mis' avatar is much more stylized than I imagined. But, I suspect Cline had some influence there, so I'm not complaining. They're interesting...just different.

Regarding plot, oh mah lord, where to start? There are so many departures from the book's plot that I lost track 15 minutes into the movie. Literally, major plot devices in the film are nowhere to be found in the book. It's bizarre. For example, the movie starts with a giant race (not found in the book) and Parzival already has his souped-up Back to the Future DeLorean. In the book, he doesn't obtain that until well into the storyline. But then, watching someone study old books, watch movies, and listen to 80s songs -- all detailed activities by the characters in the novel -- wouldn't make for a very entertaining movie. I wonder how Cline truly feels about the film's representation of his creative work.

I will leave it there. I hate spoilers, so I won't go into detail on any of the major, later plot comparisons between the book and the film. Safe to say, though, that it's a decent movie and one I hope motivates more people to read and enjoy the novel.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1677720/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1677720/