Review: Player #1: Spielberg masterfully blends nostalgia and technology

Player Nº 1 It's a movie that draws attention from its trailers. Ambitious in its synopsis, the work makes the public and critics jump in their seats. Spielberg is back in top form, uniting nostalgia, plot and special effects in the best and simplest way. But let's slow down to talk about everything.

Player #1 (Ready Player One, in the original), is an action science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg. Yes, the famous director who became known in the 80s and 90s for films like ET the extraterrestrial e Jurassic Park: The Dinosaur Park. The film is based on the literary work of the same name written by Ernest Cline in 2011.

This is the only way we already have an almost poetic relationship in the construction of this film. This is because Cline's work pays homage to several elements of pop culture from the 1980s and 1990s. This includes several works by Spielberg himself! Add the fact that Ernest Cline co-writer and we have almost a circle of friends and co-fans.

The film boils down to a search for three keys. Where the protagonists christened “Os Cinco do Topo” (High Five, in the original) compete for the podium with the IOI company and its commander, Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn). However, the way this simple plot is told makes the experience very charismatic and interesting. The action fits well with the story and the justifications for everything there are well established.

Simple and charismatic storyline

A simple plot is not always a bad thing for a movie. If we look at most of Spielberg's filmography, we'll see that his best features are the ones with the simplest plot. In Player Nº 1, we follow the story of Wade Watts/Parzival (Tye Sheridan), a young man living in the suburbs of Columbus city in 2045. In this world, society and culture have been practically swallowed up by an online game called OASIS.

This game is the center of pretty much all the action in the movie, where anyone can be whoever they want to be. It all starts when the creator and owner of the game, James Halliday/Anorak (Mark Rylance), dies. In a video the very cartoonish character explains that he has hidden three keys to the immeasurable world of the game. These keys would be the way to find yours easter egg. So far so good. But the secret was: whoever found the three keys and reached the easter egg de Halliday would officially be his heir. That means owning the entire OASIS and having a fortune of over 30 billion dollars.

This creates a race against time for everyone to reach the key. Where we also meet the company IOI, which wants to win the competition and have all the rights to the game. The company's objective is to privatize it in the most abusive ways possible, which, despite being a cliché, is logical. Even with a somewhat dull introduction, the story picks up and the film's various messages begin to be grasped instinctively.

Breathtaking special effects

It's not every day that we can see the special effects master of the 90's working with the most advanced technology of motion capitation in the middle of 2018. With that we have an excellent film to be seen in 3D and on the biggest screen possible. This is due to the fact that sound and image are worked excellently in Player #1.

The differentiated aesthetic makes the bizarre characters strange at first. But soon we get used to them and an inversion is made with the real world. The care taken with the film's effects and photography is so interesting and detailed that it adds more to the experience. The real world itself doesn't have as many 3D effects, for example. The scenes inside the OASIS, on the other hand, are filled with beautiful special effects.

The action scenes are another very positive point in the film. Very well made and full of details as far as the eye can see, these scenes are far from confusing. Even massive scale battles can be understood very well with excellent camera games and well-crafted moves.

Nostalgia and easter eggs in the right place

One of the biggest risks of making a work filled with nostalgia and references is to make a plot that doesn't have these elements as crutches. However, Player #1 manages to do this very well. This is due to the fact that the feeling of nostalgia is attributed to aesthetic elements and the soundtrack only. At the same time, the famous easter eggs are in their rightful place within the film.

The place for mentions and references are in the corners of the screen, so that the most attuned can fish, but without disturbing the experience of those who are there just to enjoy a movie. And that, we can happily say, that Player No. 1 does very well. Nostalgia has its place, as do numerous references to pop culture old and new. However, this is in the corner of the screen, as a backdrop for the unfolding of the story, not as a forced spotlight for everything to occur.

Good old Spielberg is back

Player Nº 1 is far from a cinematic masterpiece, but that doesn't stop the movie from being very good. That's because the combination of several old and new elements makes the technology ideally suited here. Within this, nostalgia has its weight and its place, with very well placed references.

Even if the soundtrack leaves a little to be desired at climax moments, the well-constructed action, charismatic characters and the simple and well-tie plot make Player #1 a great experience. Anyone who has read Ernest Cline's book will find an honest work that has made acceptable modifications for an adaptation. For those who haven't read it, here's an excellent presentation of the book's universe, and even an invitation to read it.

One way or another, Player #1 brings the dreamy old Spielberg back. The children of the end of the XNUMXth century vibrate in the adults who today are thrilled to see the steel giant or a Gundam on the screen. While today's kids will also love the references to Minecraft ou Overwatch. One way or another, the film is profitable and a lot of fun. Hope Spielberg makes pearls like this more often.