Ready Player One 0

[Rip]

Overall it felt like they rushed through a lot of the book even though the run time had a heathy length. The movie really needed another 30+ minutes. Overall still very fun with some great music.

Wish they had better explained the world, the schools and the gates that went with the keys. Also missed the WarGames sequence.

Things I thought the movie did better, I-ROk was better in the movie, I liked the "nerd group" working for IOI, the Steven King reference (I won't spoil it), and Chucky.

Edited March 30, 2018 by Rip

[sfcityduck]

Saw it last night and enjoyed it.

It is definitely NOT the book.  That is both good and bad.  If you are a devotee of the book, the movie will feel like a bit of a cliff's notes version (most movie adaptations do) where someone got the events out of order.  Having said that, probably the three best things in the movie did not come from the book: (1) the greater focus on the characters and events occurring outside of the OASIS, (2) the jade key test (which for me was almost worth the price of admission alone), and (3) the Iron GIant. 

I saw the movie with three people who had not read the book.  To my surprise they loved it.  I thought they might not because they didn't know the back story told in the book.  But, it turned out that didn't hamper their enjoyment at all.  In fact, it may have enhanced it because they weren't disappointed by the lack of that back story (including the back story would have made for a very long very expository movie, which already had a lot of exposition in the first ten minutes). 

The special effects may be the best ever done.

Short of giving the book the multi-movie Hobbit treatment, I think this was about the best that could have been done with the story.  I give it a thumb's up.  Just realize that it is a loose re-telling of the story in the book (notably re-told by the book's author).

 

[CAHokie]

About to watch it now! Still excited despite the mixed reviews. 

[fastballspecial]

47 minutes ago, CAHokie said:

About to watch it now! Still excited despite the mixed reviews. 

Me too

[fastballspecial]

Just got back.

Well as many have stated this isn't the book. I didn't feel disappointed though. While they took liberties I think they
took the right liberties. The special effects are fantastic as well as the music. I think they got all the main points right.
I really thought they could have added another 20-30 minutes and nobody in the audience would have cared.

It was a wonderful trip back to my childhood. Stranger Things and this movie & book have made an excellent couple 
of years for this 40 something kid. 

Go enjoy it be a kid again. 

 

[CAHokie]

Soo.... I only have one thing to say about this movie....I LOVED IT!!!!!!

Yes, we could nitpick it to death but cmon, the source material is unbelievably hard to replicate on screen. I felt that not only did they keep with the spirit of it, but they kept it fresh as well.

Lets be honest. Some of the stuff he did in the book would be boring as heck on screen. I loved that they used the car scene. There were so many easter eggs just in that scene between Kong, Jurrasic Park, Christine, A-Team, Mad Max, Batman, etc...etc.... I could barely keep up.

My only real complaint is I wish the easter eggs werent so subtle,  It was so much, that it makes me sad that the everyday non nerd wont have a clue what they are seeing (or missing) in the background, music or sound effects.

But again, nerds alone wouldnt even cover the cost of production so it has to appeal to the everyday person as well.

This is the first time I have walked out of a theater in a long time completely satisfied and happy.  

 

[Gatsby77]

I had fairly low expectations for this but really enjoyed the film.

I think it improved on the book a _lot_, and it ways that make it both a stronger story and more accessible to non-geeks.

Spielberg also (clearly) had a fun time making it.

Worth seeing.

[comix4fun]

12 minutes ago, Gatsby77 said:

I had fairly low expectations for this but really enjoyed the film.

I think it improved on the book a _lot_, and it ways that make it both a stronger story and more accessible to non-geeks.

Spielberg also (clearly) had a fun time making it.

Worth seeing.

I like how he handled the characters, for the most part, the changes made them more grounded and important to each other and helped the narrative. 

Some of the changes to the plot, however, didn't seem to be done for purely quality reasons. It was clear he had a group of IP he could use effectively and certain IP he couldn't get his hands on and decisions to change the story were made with those in mind almost exclusively. 

I really enjoyed the movie and it all worked. As a stand alone film, ignoring the book, it was a lot of fun. However, the material changes from the story elements, the challenges especially, from the book didn't seem to be "better" than what was in the book, just different. 

Edited March 31, 2018 by comix4fun

[zuckuss2003]

Really enjoyed the movie. My wife, who doesn't love most sci-fi type of movies or overly CG movies, also enjoyed it. I could see it gaining audience with good word of mouth.

[bane]

This movie is the most fun I’ve had in the cinema in years. I will definitely go back and see this again.

[CAHokie]

I am doing something I have never done before.....watching a movie two days in a row. My wife wants to see it now,  I will let you know what a female, non-nerd, thinks of it when its over.

Edited April 1, 2018 by CAHokie

[▫️]

I won't be able to see it for a while but I'm a huge fan of the book.  I'm really surprised they revealed who Aech was in one of the trailers though.  That wasn't revealed until nearly the end of the novel.

[ComicConnoisseur]

Should I read the book first before I see this?

It's on my Kindle. 

A bunch of people want me to go see it, because I am an 80's child, but I haven't read the book yet.

Edited April 1, 2018 by ComicConnoisseur

[The Brain]

2 minutes ago, ComicConnoisseur said:

Should I read the book first before I see this?

It's on my Kindle. 

A bunch of people want me to go see it, because I am an 80's child, but I haven't read the book yet.

 

Read the book, see the movie. There will be changes, but as a whole the book goes far

more into the pop culture of the 80,s than the movie can, or does.  Knowing this I am still

going to see this as it will be a visual eye-candy-feast.

[CAHokie]

You can enjoy the movie without reading the book, but I think it would be more enjoyable and understandable if you read it first. The wife loved it without reading book or being a nerd.

[Bosco685]

 

[Gatsby77]

5 hours ago, ComicConnoisseur said:

Should I read the book first before I see this?

It's on my Kindle. 

A bunch of people want me to go see it, because I am an 80's child, but I haven't read the book yet.

I disagree -- think you should see the movie before reading the book.

Because there are enough changes that you'll be frustrated by what's left out in the movie if you have just read the book -- whereas if you see the movie first, you'll appreciate it on its merits, and then be pleasantly surprised by the greater depth given some scenes (and theatricial omissions) in the book.

[kagenish]

I just got back from watching it yes is not the book but damn they did a great job of making it work for movies.

[comix4fun]

5 hours ago, Gatsby77 said:

I disagree -- think you should see the movie before reading the book.

Because there are enough changes that you'll be frustrated by what's left out in the movie if you have just read the book -- whereas if you see the movie first, you'll appreciate it on its merits, and then be pleasantly surprised by the greater depth given some scenes (and theatricial omissions) in the book.

Agreed, if I could do it over, and knowing what I do about both the film and the book, I'd watch the film first and read the book after. 

[1Cool]

Just got done and it was an entertaining movie and I liked it but it was a shell of the book.  Kind of like if they kept the main characters but completely changed almost all the plot points of the Harry Potter books.  I’d of course have preferred the book come to life but overall a good movie for people that didn’t read the book.