Player No. 1 the newest film by Steven Spielberg and brings back the best form of the director. Here, with a simple plot and captivating characters, nostalgia is used in conjunction with a show of visual effects and technology.
Player NÂș 1 is a film that draws attention already for its trailers. Ambitious already in its synopsis, the work makes public and critics jump in their chairs. Spielberg is back in top form, uniting nostalgia, plot and special effects in the best and simplest way. But letâs slow down to talk about everything.
Player No. 1 (Ready Player One, in the original), is an action and 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 and Jurassic Park: The Dinosaur Park. The feature is based on the literary work of the same name written by Ernest Cline in 2011.
Just out there we already have an almost poetic relationship in the construction of this film. This is because Clineâs work homogenizes several elements of pop culture 1980s and 1990s. This includes several works by Spielberg himself! Add the fact that Ernest Cline have been a co-writer and we have almost a circle of friends and co-fans.
The film is summed up in a search for three keys. Where the protagonists called âOs Cinco do Topoâ (High Five, in the original) dispute the podium with the IOI company and its commander, Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn). However, the way this simple storyline is told makes the experience very charismatic and interesting. The action is well matched with the story and the justifications for everything to happen there are well established.
Simple and charismatic plot
A simple plot is not always negative for a film. If we look at most of Spielbergâs filmography, we will see that his best features are the ones with the simplest plot. In Player NÂș 1, we follow the story of Wade Watts / Parzival (Tye Sheridan), a young man who lives in the suburbs of Columbus in 2045. In this world, society and culture were practically swallowed up by an online game called OASIS.
This game is the center of virtually all the action in the film, where anyone can be anyone they want. It all starts when the creator and owner of the game, James Halliday / Anorak (Mark Rylance), dies. In a video the very funny character explains that he hid three keys to the immeasurable world of the game. These keys would be the way to find your easter-egg. So far so good. But the secret was: whoever found the three keys and reached the easter-egg Hallidayâs would be officially his heir. That means owning the entire OASIS and having a fortune of more than $ 30 billion.
This creates a race against time for everyone to reach the key. Where we also know the company IOI, which intends to win the competition and have all rights over the game. The companyâs goal is to privatize it in the most abusive ways possible, which, despite being clichĂ©, is logical. Even with a slightly dull introduction, the story engages and the various messages of the film begin to be apprehended instinctively.
Breathtaking special effects
It is not every day that we can see the special effects master of the 90s working with the most advanced motion capture technology in the middle of 2018. With this we have an excellent film to be seen in 3D and on the largest screen possible. This is due to the fact that sound and image are worked in an excellent way in Player NÂș 1.
The differentiated aesthetics makes the bizarre characters cause strangeness at first. But we soon got used to them and an inversion is made with the real world. The care with the effects and the photography of the film is so interesting and detailed that it adds more to the experience. The real world itself doesnât have that many 3D effects, for example. The scenes inside OASIS, on the other hand, are full of beautiful special effects.
The action scenes are another very positive point in the film. Very well elaborated and full of details as far as the eye can see, these scenes are far from confusing. Even battles of grand scales can be understood very well with excellent camera games and well-crafted moves.
Nostalgia and easter-eggs in the right place
One of the greatest risks of making a work full of nostalgia and references is to make a plot that does not have these elements as crutches. However, Player NÂș1 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 proper place within the feature.
The place of 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 say with pleasure, that Player NÂș 1 does very well. Nostalgia has its place, as well as the diverse references to old and new pop culture. However, this is in the corner of the screen, as a backdrop for the unfolding of the story, not as a forced searchlight for everything to happen.
Good old Spielberg back
Player No. 1 is far from a cinema masterpiece, but that doesnât stop the film from being very good. Thatâs because the combination of several old and new elements makes the technology ideally suited here. Within that, nostalgia has its weight and its place, with very well placed references.
Even though the soundtrack leaves a little to be desired in moments of climax, the well-built action, charismatic characters and the simple and well-tied storyline make Player No. 1 a great experience. Those who read Ernest Clineâs book will find an honest work that made acceptable modifications for an adaptation. Those who havenât read it will have an excellent presentation of the universe of the book, and even an invitation to read it.
One way or another, Player No. 1 brings the old, dreamy Spielberg back. The children of the late twentieth century are thrilled in adults who today are thrilled to see the Steel Giant or one Gundam on the screen. At the same time that todayâs children will also love references to Minecraft or Overwatch. In one way or another, the film is fruitful and a lot of fun. May Spielberg make pearls like this more often.
