In 2045 the Earth is polluted, overpopulated and many take refuge in a virtual world called Oasis. Its millionaire creator, dying, decided to bequeath it to the first to overcome a series of challenges: a treasure hunt inside the Oasis. A young outcast named Wade Watts is determined to compete, but he will have to deal with the men of the IOI, a ruthless society ready to do anything to win. Even to kill.
The film is the film adaptation of the 2010 novel Player One written by Ernest Cline, who also contributed to the screenplay of the film. If you had to spend your days in a miserable slum or a virtual world full of wonders, what would you choose? Probably the second option. The virtual world is the condition in which most of humanity will soon live, according to the disturbing scenario outlined in Steven Spielberg's new film "Ready player one". With a surprising touch: the imagery of the future will be full of references to the mythical 1980s!
THE RUBIK'S CUBE Launched on the market in 1980 and called "Zemeckis' Cube" in the film, it will give the protagonist a decisive help. I VAN HALEN AND "JUMP" The film's opening sequence echoes the hymn song by Van Halen (1984). CHUCKY, THE KILLER DOLL The fantasy universe of Oasis could not miss Chucky, the terrifying puppet from "The Killer Doll", a horror film (1988) that had six sequels. THE "BACK TO THE FUTURE" CAR The DeLorean DMC-12, the only model produced by the house with the same name, was the "time machine" of the film "Back to the Future" (1985). Parzival (the virtual nickname of the protagonist) will use it in a wild race.
But why all these references to the 80s?
Perhaps because that decade also marked the consecration of the great director (from “E.T. the Extraterrestrial” to the Indiana Jones saga)? The fact is that much of the story takes place in the virtual universe of Oasis, created by a kind of newcomer Steve Jobs, the inventor James Halliday. Halliday grew up in the 80s and from there come the countless ideas for the creation of his virtual world. A film, therefore, that is aimed at least two audiences: those who grew up then (like Halliday) and the very young. The protagonists are all teenagers, starting with Wade (Tye Sheridan), who lives in a slum in Columbus. In the real world, Wade is shy, insecure and awkward, but on Oasis he turns into Parzival, a sort of fearless knight. His friends are virtual too. From the gigantic Aech, half-ogre and half-machine, to the fascinating Art3mis. And the discovery of the real identities hidden behind the other "avatars" will bring new surprises.
Ready player one
Actors Tye Sheridan, Mark Rylance, Olivia Cooke
Duration. 140’
Director Steven Spielberg
Release: 2018 (United States)
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