Written by Logan J. Fowler and Justin Matchick
Release Date: March 30th, 2018
Starring: Tye Sheridan, Simon Pegg, Olivia Cooke, T.J. Miller, Mark Rylance, Ben Mendelsohn
Director: Steven Spielberg (Jaws, Jurassic Park, The Indiana Jones film series, Schnidler’s List, E.T.)
Pre-Trailer Thoughts: When I heard of the Ready Player One Novel, written by Ernest Cline, I immediately purchased it and read it in a manner of days. I found myself enamored by the content-a young man engaging on a quest that was chock full of pop culture references, mostly dating back to the 1980s. It was only a matter of time before the material became a movie, and when I heard Spielberg was attached, I was excited, albeit nervous. How could this man and the studio behind the film be able to utilize all the nods mentioned in the book? There would honestly be no possibly way. The even better question would be, “Can they pull this off?”-LJF
Pre-Trailer Thoughts: Despite being told by several people that “it’d be right up my alley” I haven’t read Ernest Cline’s novel yet. An homage to pop culture of the 80s and 90s, this is something that should play very well in an era where nostalgia in regards to those decades is at an all-time high. With Steven Spielberg in the director’s chair for his first sci-fi action film in ages, this could be very intriguing. – JTM
Rate the Trailer: 4 out of 5. The first time I watched this, I must’ve said “Oh my God” out loud several times. The Iron Giant! Freddy Krueger! THE DELOREAN!! With a remixed version of “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory playing over the proceedings, with Rush’s “Tom Sawyer” right in the middle of it all, this trailer has been viewed by my eyes 10 times already, at least. I’m very excited, hopefully this is just a taste of things to come. It seems to be that the people behind it know what they are doing. -LJF
Rate the Trailer: 2 out of 5. My God, what do people think of me if they think this is “up my alley”? If it weren’t for the simple fact that Spielberg’s name is attached to this I’d have given it a 1. Spielberg’s frenetic action scenes are so overloaded with spectacle they become more of an assault on the eyes than a feast for them. Pop culture painted in the broadest strokes possible, this looks more like a Big Bang Theory joke that went too far than an actual movie. The inclusion of so many intellectual properties, likely seen as a boon by many, just seems like a good way of cheapening their actual onscreen impact to me. Seeing pop culture icons like the DeLorean, Freddy Kreuger, and The Iron Giant only works when it’s within their own respective films and universes. Here it’s just like watching a bored kid pick randomly through his toy chest and mash everything together just because it seems cool.- JTM
Theater, Rent, No Thanks, Undecided? Theater. I was going to see this movie opening weekend regardless, but the trailer made it a priority. I cannot wait. This is going to be one hell of a fun time at the theaters. -LJF
Theater, Rent, No Thanks, Undecided? Rent. In the end Spielberg is still Spielberg so there is something to be gleaned from watching this. But at this juncture my anticipation levels are just about as low as you can go for a film from such an esteemed director. – JTM
