Steven Spielberg’s new filmReady Player Onescreened at SXSW, and now the first reactions are coming in. For those unfamiliar with the film, it follows Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), who spends most of his time in a Virtual Reality space called the OASIS hunting for special keys that will give the winner control over the entire space. This puts him at odds with the nefarious IOI Corporation, and so Wade and his friends must battle in the real world and in the virtual space to save the OASIS.
Spielberg was reportedly nervous introducingReady Player Oneto the SXSW audience, but judging by the reactions the film went over swimmingly. Many hailRPOas good old-fashioned fun, with Spielberg in pure blockbuster mode, and more than a few pointed out composerAlan Silvestri’s standout score—which is noteworthy given that Silvestri took over forJohn Williamswhen the latter was busy withThe PostandThe Last Jedi. There are those would praise the film as reference-filled but not leaning too heavily on those nods, but there are also a few others who weren’t as taken with the film.
We’ll have our full review of the film after the embargo lifts.Ready Player Oneopens March 28th and starsTye Sheridan, Ben Mendelsohn, T.J. Miller, Simon Pegg, Mark Rylance, andOlivia Cooke.
Here’s the official synopsis forReady Player One:
The film is set in 2045, with the real world on the brink of chaos and collapse. But people have found salvation in the OASIS, an immersive virtual universe where you may go anywhere, do anything, be anyone. The OASIS was created by the brilliant and eccentric James Halliday (Mark Rylance). When Halliday died, he left his immense fortune, and total control of the OASIS, to the first person to win three keys, unlocking the door to a digital Easter egg he hid somewhere in his seemingly infinite creation. His challenge launched a game that gripped the entire world, but after five years the scoreboard remained tauntingly empty…until now.
An unlikely young hero named Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan)—under his avatar name, Parzival—finally conquers the first contest, instantly becoming a celebrity…and a target. Ruthless corporate mogul Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn) proves he will stop at nothing to beat Wade and take over the OASIS, and suddenly the virtual stakes are all-too-real. Ultimately realizing he cannot win alone, Wade joins forces with his friends—now the High Five (Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Lena Waithe, Philip Zhao, Win Morisaki). Together, they are hurled into a reality-bending treasure hunt through a fantastical universe of discovery and danger to save the OASIS.
