Ready Player One (2018, Steven Spielberg)

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Spoilery nit picking:


What was all that palaver with Artemis refusing to leave the final battle? She was out of ammo at that point and had already effected their victory by lowering the force field. By staying in the game, she was just increasing the likelihood of being recaptured in the real world (even with the baddies' lax security). She only leaves because Percival gets all chauvinist and negates her agency (by dint of shooting her). I thought maybe she was terrified of losing her in-game money, because that's what had led to her parents' deaths, but she'd already been sent to (and easily escaped) the virtual prison, so that was no longer a real threat.

[Timothy]

She didn't want to lose her stuff and she wanted to stay and help. For no reason at all. I agree.

[Kelvin]

They should show this film in writing classes, as an example of how not to write dialogue.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I take it you've seen it then.

While we're (correctly) putting the boot in, I suppose it does deserve some credit for treating the implicitly transgendered H with respect. Fun fact: They were going to do the same thing in The Matrix, but the studio balked at the idea.

[Kelvin]

I take it you've seen it then.

Yeah. Nice idea, some good action sequences, but an awful, awful script with a tin ear for how people speak, and a need to spell out every single thing.

[Timothy]

I suppose it does deserve some credit for treating the implicitly transgendered H with respect. Fun fact: They were going to do the same thing in The Matrix, but the studio balked at the idea.

She isn't a transgender though. Or, at least not in the book. In the book he always saw her as a male friend but it turned out she was a girl with a low voice.

[Poisson Du Jour]

For me personally, I would say that the golden age of Hollywood was the 70s.  So many of my favourite films from that period embody everything that I love about the art form; a slower pace, long continuous tracking shots, dialogue orientated, filmmakers not treating their audience like clueless morons and infants with short attention spans.

I just can't imagine a studio making the likes of The Exorcist these days.  If they hadn't already adapted William Peter Blatty's novel back then and did so now, then it wouldn't have the opening with Father Merrin in Iraq because the studio would have listened to the test audiences, who would undoubtedly label it as 'slow' and 'boring'.  Also, the possessed-Regan would have been flying around the room, as a CGI monstrosity, shooting fireballs out of her arse.  Oh, and at the end; Father Karras wouldn't have sacrificed himself; instead, he would face off against a 50ft Mecha-Pazuzu, in an epic battle, spanning both time and space.  That scene alone would cost $80 million to film render.

I consider Raiders of the Lost Ark to be the greatest blockbuster ever made.  Alien is right up there as well.

Welcome to another episode of "I Love Films" with your hosts Scott Aukerman, Adam Scott, and this guy.

Maybe it's just me, but for me, Citizen Kane, the Godfather, these are great films.

[Straight Faced Customer]

Lego Movie meets Avatar; like Avatar, the third act just dragged on and on and on...

It was also like an extra special episode of Reboot, with a few more familiar faces chucked into the background besides Mulder & Scully parodies and that evil penguin off Wallace and Gromit.

[St_Eddie]

Welcome to another episode of "I Love Films" with your hosts Scott Aukerman, Adam Scott, and this guy.

Maybe it's just me, but for me, Citizen Kane, the Godfather, these are great films.

I was sharing my genuine opinion about the golden age of cinema, in terms of the blockbuster.  You know, because I was asked.  Still, nice to be scathing and insulting via the anonymity of the Internet, hey?

[Glebe]

Saw it t'other evening, it was fairly enjoyable overall, accepting that there's a fair share of half-baked silliness going on. The bit where he meets the girl in real life and gets all gushy and just forgets about his aunty having just been blown up is a bit unconvincing.

[Kelvin]

Is the bit where he says ' my mum's sister' instead of 'my aunt' meant to play as a joke, out of interest? It seems so incongruous at an emotional moment, but it's played entirely straight. I can't understand how the line could have got through to final edit if if wasn't intentional.

I honestly can't understand how the script got Spielberg's approval tbh. I dont think he's ever signed off on directing something with such bad dialogue.

Copped out on the hand grenade, too.

[Kelvin]

I did like some of it, though. The car chase and the end battle, plus all the visual cameos were cool. It just sounded awful.

[Chriddof]

So I just noticed this article:

The Critics Must Be Crazy: 'Ready Player One' Doesn't Glorify Toxic Nerd Culture

I've not seen the film and so can't really comment on this, but if you have, does he make a good case or is he just bullshitting? Either way, I have no intention of actually watching it as having struggled with how bad the book was I don't think I can be arsed with this. (Yeah, I know they changed a lot of it for the movie, but given the complaints up thread about the dialogue and whatnot, and the simple fact that I'm not really into giant action setpieces... still don't think I want to see it.)

[worldsgreatestsinner]

No, he has no real case. You can't say the film celebrates diversity when the film does nothing with those characters, they aren't developed at all and are pretty much shoved to the margins by the end. As much as anyone wants to scream THEY'VE EVEN GOT A BLACK ONE AND IT IS A GIRL ONE the film does fuck all with the characters and by the end it is one nerdy white guy's victory. I mean he wins by standing alone in front of a computer game and just wandering around in the game it's completely a celebration of the white guy as nerd. That said, as much as I hated it, I don't think it's deliberately setting out to be awful. It's Cline repeating the narratives of his childhood influences - the hero has to walk the final steps alone etc.

[mjwilson]

I've seen reviews which basically said "the movie should have done more to distance itself from Gamergate" so I think it's probably fair to say that some reviewers took their politics in with them. But I don't think you can have a real debate about, let's see, whether the film show an "endorsement of the importance of culture over political and economic conditions" because the world-building is so incompetently done.

[Z]

hold on, is my avatar an unintentional Ready Player One reference?

Fucksake...

[St_Eddie]

hold on, is my avatar an unintentional Ready Player One reference?

Fucksake...

That moment when you realise that you're an ironic hipster...

[samadriel]

And Z is the main character's nickname.

[Z]

That moment when you realise that you're an ironic hipster...

Adventure-chic is like 25 years overdue, in fairness. But yeah...

And Z is the main character's nickname.

Can live with that one, I just wanted a one character name once I knew they were allowed.

Wish I picked a better letter though, like K, Men in Black.

[phantom_power]

There is a fair bit wrong with the film as has been mentioned (weak dialogue, thin characters) but overall I really enjoyed it. I think Spielberg did an excellent job in directing the film. It was clear what was going on at all times and there were some nice visual touches playing around with the virtual camera. It was much changed from the book but I think they worked for the film.

It is a purely cinematic experience I think, all about the visuals and propulsive action. The Shining scene was a technical marvel (I would love to see the FX breakdown) and there were some good fun touches. I won't argue with people who didn't like it but I would say that I think calling it a cynical cash-grab is a bit harsh. There is clearly a lot of love put into the film and as someone else said you could take most of there references out and the plot wouldn't be much different. They are just set dressing, as they would be if there really was a virtual world where you could look however you wanted.

I think as well that the criticism of the film not discussing Gamergate is a bit desperate. For one thing it isn't that sort of film but also I doubt a lot of people watching would have even heard of it. There certainly wasn't any whitewashing I could think of and none of the characters had much depth so to single out the minority characters seems a bit odd. The film is a roller coaster ride at the end of the day, so to shoehorn in some political or sociological point would seem a bit clunky

Overall, quite flawed but better than I thought it would be and an enjoyable romp.

[Blumf]

How's it doing money-wise? Doesn't seem to be generating much buzz since release, but doesn't seem to have bombed either.

[phantom_power]

It seems to have done alright. Not amazing but not a bomb $480m on a budget of $175m so far

[Bad Ambassador]

It seems to have done alright. Not amazing but not a bomb $480m on a budget of $175m so far

Worth noting that a huge chunk of that - $190m or about 40% - is from China, where the cut taken by the studio is much lower. A film generally has to make twice its budget to make a profit for the studio, but this can be up to three times for a major blockbuster with lots of back-end deals and advertising to cover. RP1 would thus need $525m or so - even accounting for the Chinese block on its revenues, it'll comfortably break even, but its far from a smash.

[phantom_power]

Wikipedia states that it was a budget of 175 with 150 for advertising etc so I think it has broken even and will probably end up making a load of money when DVD sales and stuff are added on top

[Bad Ambassador]

Don't forget how much the exhibitors take as a cut.

[phantom_power]

Wikipedia (again) says it would need to gross at least 440 to break even. So it is far from a smash hit but also not a bomb

[Bad Ambassador]

It's likely to encourage whoever's bought the rights to Cline's second book to think carefully before spending much more on it.

[St_Eddie]

I think Spielberg did an excellent job in directing the film. It was clear what was going on at all times...

It says a lot about the current state of mainstream cinema, when this is a positive.

Worth noting that a huge chunk of that - $190m or about 40% - is from China, where the cut taken by the studio is much lower. A film generally has to make twice its budget to make a profit for the studio, but this can be up to three times for a major blockbuster with lots of back-end deals and advertising to cover. RP1 would thus need $525m or so - even accounting for the Chinese block on its revenues, it'll comfortably break even, but its far from a smash.

Quoted for the truth.  There's a lot of ignorance out there, in regards to the realities of the marketplace.

[phantom_power]

It says a lot about the current state of mainstream cinema, when this is a positive.

That is true in part but I didn't phrase it very well. I could have talked about clearly defined spaces and viewpoints and stuff but I don't have the cinephile vocabulary for it. It was well directed though above and beyond just being functionally competent

[newbridge]

Wikipedia (again) says it would need to gross at least 440 to break even. So it is far from a smash hit but also not a bomb

Nobody actually knows this though, because the studios are opaque about whatever numbers get released to the public. It clearly seems to have avoided bomb status, but perhaps the studio engineered its 2018 financials on the expectation that this would be a billion-dollar, Marvel-esque smash.