Ready Player One Early Reactions Come Into Play

Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One kick-started the South by Southwest Film Festival, giving critics and film journalists a taste of the virtual reality adventure with early responses being golden.

Adapted from the novel of the same name by Ernest Cline, director Steven Spielberg tells a story of young man Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), the teenager spends most of his days inside virtual reality game OASIS. After OASIS founder James Donovan Halliday (Mark Rylance) passes away, Wade is one of several to embark on a quest to find a hidden Easter egg within the OASIS in an effort to inherit Halliday’s immense fortune. The villainous Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn) is also hot on the egg’s trail for his own interests.

During the last several months leading towards its release, Ready Player One dividing fanbase where against the heavy emphasis on nostalgia and over-reliance on pop culture references. But, with Speilberg helming the project should we be expecting a surprise hit? According to audiences at SXSW it seems it might be 2018’s biggest crowd pleaser.

See the reactions below:

Went into READY PLAYER ONE skeptical as hell. Came out largely as a joyous convert. I have a handful of issues with the structure and characters, but it improves on the book in important ways, the action is riveting, and I really bought the humor. #readyplayerone

— Tasha Robinson (@TashaRobinson) March 12, 2018

READY PLAYER ONE feels like Spielberg watched a ton of Luc Besson movies and decided to outdo them. In terms of pure spectacle, it’s the most astonishing thing he’s done. Never underestimate Steve. #SXSW

— erickohn (@erickohn) March 12, 2018

READY PLAYER ONE: So so so much movie. Sometimes too much but what I kept thinking over and over again was “my kids are gonna LOVE THIS.” It is joyous and thrilling for the people who it’s designed to joy and thrill.

— Brian Tallerico (@Brian_Tallerico) March 12, 2018

#ReadyPlayerOne is classic Spielberg fun! What a blast, can't wait to see it again. Rewards repeat viewings. Tons of great references, visuals and heart. So kick ass it blew the speakers!

— Robert Rodriguez (@Rodriguez) March 12, 2018

Well everyone relax, Ready Player One will indeed be the biggest thing in the world

— Emily Yoshida (@emilyyoshida) March 12, 2018

So yeah, I LOVED Ready Player One. It’s perhaps the geekiest movie ever made. So so so happy right now!

— Eric Vespe (@EricVespe) March 12, 2018

While these receptions are incredible we should be wary of disappointment as the projects immense nature might prove difficult to translate into big screen audiences. Over the past few years, Speilberg has been focused on Oscar contending historical dramas. But maybe this is the change needed for another solid adventure for families? we are not far away from release.

From filmmaker Steven Spielberg comes the science fiction action adventure “Ready Player One,” based on Ernest Cline’s bestseller of the same name, which has become a worldwide phenomenon. The film is set in 2045, with the world on the brink of chaos and collapse. But the people have found salvation in the OASIS, an expansive virtual reality universe created by the brilliant and eccentric James Halliday (Mark Rylance). When Halliday dies, he leaves his immense fortune to the first person to find a digital Easter egg he has hidden somewhere in the OASIS, sparking a contest that grips the entire world. When an unlikely young hero named Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) decides to join the contest, he is hurled into a breakneck, reality-bending treasure hunt through a fantastical universe of mystery, discovery and danger

Ready Player One Jumps into cinemas March 29th