Ready Player One – 3D and packed to the hilt with film’s version of Easter Eggs – yep, Steven Spielberg certainly went over the top for the film Ready Player One.
Aside from the countless icons of pop culture crammed into one film, which must have been a scavenger hunt, aka treat and dream for Spielberg to create – much else comes out along the way. Yes there is a direct feel to Tron for one in this film (get this, I have NEVER seen TRON yet in my life, so need to add that to the To Do list) but there are more indirect, not see “feels” that come out of the film.
Most would think it a real bummer, that you go to a 3D movie, and forget the grab the 3D glasses, right? Never happened to me except to this film. I was sitting there, pretty sure I saw 3D on my ticket when I purchased it from Fandango, and sure enough, no glasses bucket or offer and now the movie was starting. Not the best ideal way to see a 3D movie, but I lived, and I realized something. it is good in life to also keep things real sometimes, so if I could feel and get something outside of just seeing it for 3D, that might be one heck of a film.
It was.
When the initial screen started rolling, i noticed the word DUNE productions on the screen, and from what I knew of the film, I felt that maybe that seemed to fit. Yep, that’s right, I have never saw Dune either (stop shaking your head, I know, lots to add but that is part of the fun of not seeing EVERYTHING!) . In this case, I am super excited to NOT have read the book first – allowing me to now dive in and see what the content has to offer after seeing the movie. It seems there is alot more waiting me – which is exciting based on the barrage of allusions in Ready Player One.
When I look at these trailers from say Dune, Tron, and The Last Starfighter, wow – we are spoiled today from the effects on screen for sure. The Last Starfighter memories brought it home for me. The whole theme of this film, when I first read it in a paperback, then saw on the screen. That stuck with me. Remembering many of the references in Ready Player One were even more impactful to connecting them to the movie theatre where I witnessed the first showing of these in a theatre, and that brought a reality to these Easter Eggs Spielberg planted even more realistic throughout the film, no 3D required.
The inclusion of the riddles, and the use of Back to the Future transportation, LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED. The realistic similarity to Waterworld and “The Stacks” was very close and similar, the soundtracks that provided sweeping heroic overtures, as well as retro back to the 80’s themes that even remind you and connect you between heroics like Pirates of the Caribbean to the nostalgic tunes found in Guardians of the Galaxy – and of course the memories of all the above-mentioned films.
It was disconcerting to see so many people into the game while life around them just seemed to disintegrate, become bland and void of all the beauty of traveling and seeing amazing animals, wonders of the earth and more. Seeing so many entranced by the Virtual Reality viewers reminded me of the first time I saw those viewers in coordination with ipads, thanks to Google at the American School Foundation, it was amazing to watch others travel through their eyes using technology. Amazing.
Real world realizations – the exhilaration of technology is undeniable. Yet, I am lucky enough to realize, the mix is more important than anything else. it is so easy to “check out” of the world with so many conflicts, disasters, and back tracking events occur, which reinforces the fact that now more than any other time, individuals need to “check in” to making the world a better place and stand up for the things we love that are in the real word. For example, education works when you mix the real world to the what can be using technology, when one more than the other wins, it seems there is no true balance or winner. The virtual Easter Eggs that Spielberg hid throughout Ready Player One seem to also remind us that the literal scavenger hunt for easter eggs, in real life is also worth the experience. I feel deep within the vaults of Steven Spielberg’s life, Spielberg made sure to capitalize on the fact that technology is amazing, but so are the real aspects of life you can’t pull out of technology and should be preserved as well. There are many reactions to Ready Player One.
Sure, I can’t forget the feeling I had when I unearthed my Atari 2600 in Mexico (after having it repaired in Mexico) and seeing it back to use after all that time for the Lock in at the American School Foundation. It was indescribable to see games I had not played since I was ten or so right there on the big screen – I mean – INCREDIBLE! When I reverse my memory back to the time I played those with so many individuals – even better – the technology today – of course no comparison but I would never want to trade the experiences I had when i obtained my first computer – the TRS- 80 from Radio Shack and of course the experiences I had with Atari.
I am grateful for April 1st being a combination of April Fools, Easter, my father’s birthday, and family memories had that will never disappear. This keeps me rooted and I had no idea this would do so when I was 10, 12, or even 16. I believe Ready Player One does the same thing, takes every viewer on a voyage and allows them to visit the inner halls of life and memory and emerge with great surprises, realizations and gift, just in time for Easter.
As per tradition, I always place the memoir my Dad in fact left for our family – the physical and what it represents on April 1 to me. We each have some dynamic memories that keep us in a reality check no matter how fantastical the world becomes around us.
PAVEing a Blog 