It’s been a while since Steven Spielberg‘s last meeting with the science fiction genre. After directing a version of ‘War of the Worlds‘ in 2005 with Tom Cruise in the lead role, a film that I liked but was kind of ‘destroyed’ by critics, Spielberg seemed to have broken away from science fiction, at least as director. The comeback took place recently, in 2018, and Spielberg seems to want to prove with ‘Ready Player One‘ that he manages to keep abreast of some of the most advanced achievements in gaming and virtual reality technologies, while going back to the cultural roots of his generation, to the early period of the data screens culture, the ’70s and’ 80s that paved the way for today’s and probably tomorrow’s visual culture. Spielberg used to divide his productions into ‘films’ and ‘movies’. The latter are more immersive experiences, for the pursuit of which it is good to supply ourselves, as spectators, with large portions of popcorn. ‘Ready Player One‘ belongs to the latter category.
The story takes place in 2045 in a somewhat post-apocalyptic world, in which a large part of the planet’s inhabitants escape the desolate reality around them by plunging into a virtual world, in which each earthling has an avatar through which he/she lives his.her parallel life. The creator of this world, played by Mark Rylance (returning in a Spielberg film after the formidable role in ‘Bridge of Spies‘) leaves at his death to mankind, as the ancient oracle, a test that allows the one who solves three problems to master the virtual universe for better or worst. Spielberg creates a film in which fans of virtual reality games will feel in a familiar world but in which also find their place characters from comics or retro games. The heroes are children and teenagers, the favorite heroes of a filmmaker who aspires to a permanent age of innocence but also of questions, the courage to fight for what is right and the curiosity to explore and expand the limits of knowledge. Spielberg‘s mastery lies in the fact that he manages to convey an optimistic message and guide his young and very young actors in an interesting cinematic way, avoiding what I call the ‘Disneyzation’.
We witness as spectators 140 minutes of continuous action, which will satisfy the fans of action movies and will generate, I believe, quite a lot of toys, gadgets, and sets for the future rides in theme parks. The story, based on a novel by Ernest Cline, is not terribly original but is enriched with elements of mythology and sprinkled with references from the history of video and computer games that will be enjoyed by those who were kids in the ’70s or’ 80. It is obvious that Steven Spielberg also joyfully immersed himself in the production, creating a visual experience influenced by VR, action games and comic book characters. The more serious message of ‘Ready Player One‘ would be related to the parallelism and interaction between the real and virtual worlds, an interaction that takes place in the mind and soul of each of us. Anyone who has had a VR experience knows that even physiologically you need a few seconds, sometimes more time to readjust to reality. But what if VR is no longer just a game, but an alternative to real life on a planet that has become almost uninhabitable, and if it is extended to society as a whole? Spielberg avoids answering these questions with the tools – still essentially escapist – of action movies. So let us take our popcorn and enjoy this ‘movie’. The more serious questions remain unanswered, and perhaps they will be addressed in his future films.