Nostalgia Overload
I’m going to have to preface this review with the fact that I have read the source material (like half of my reviews it seems) but in saying that, I don’t think its too important. The movie stays true to the message and overall tone while changing some events to make it more movie-friendly. After experiencing the film in its entirety, I think this was the best and wisest choice the filmmakers could’ve made and with the screenplay being half written by the original author, it made it feel even more authentic. But does authenticity make for a good book adaption, or will it be game over before it even started?
The general idea for this story is that the creator of this virtual world (the Oasis) dies and leaves secret keys around his created world for someone to find and once they do, the person who finds said keys will inherit the creator’s fortune. If this seems a little Willy Wonka, its meant to and just as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory filled me with joy as a child, so does this movie, 20 years later. Each key is hidden by a trial that is steeped in retro and modern pop culture. I don’t want to say much about the three trials as I was expecting the main three from the book and I got something completely different but equally as great and I don’t want to spoil the surprise and adventure for you.
I think that’s the main word I keep coming back to when I think of this movie, Adventure. I haven’t experienced a good adventure movie recently, and this movie gave me all the same emotions that I used to get when I watched a similar movie like Back to the Future or Indiana Jones. There are parts in the first Back to the Future where I still get giddy and towards the end when Doc Brown is trying to plug the cable in, I am still on the edge of my seat. I mention this because there are parts of this film where I feel almost the exact same way and I love Stephen Spielberg for it.
The other major aspect of this movie that demands to be spoken about, is the CGI. It’s used heavily and mainly throughout the OASIS and sometimes within the real-world situations but honestly shines when the main character and the supporting acts are replaced by their avatars. Anything is possible in this created world and through some phenomenal work on Spielberg’s teams end everything and anything is achieved. From Harley Quinn to Hello Kitty, the references come hard and fast and if you’re worried about having too many Easter eggs to keep an eye on (like I was), I wouldn’t worry as they have walked a fine line. The motion capture that goes along with the characters avatars, while looking completely different, also have similarities that make them recognisable and I never stopped being amazed at the quality of this movie.
Speaking of quality, this film is exactly what you would expect from a Spielberg film. The sheer fact that I can write that and nearly every single person knows what I’m talking about, proves that he was the right person/ only person that should have made this. From the way it’s shot, colour graded all the way to the music and the music, by the way, is composed by Alan Silvestri (just like Back to the Future) and the score compliments the film in an almost self-referential way.
There’s no way this film isn’t a hit. It has to be, and not even in an “I want a sequel” way (I don’t and there won’t ever be one) but in a way, that means that all the work (movie and book) that went into making this film, gets recognised. It was a delight to watch and I would gladly see it again. I can’t go back twenty years and smash all my actions figures together and make them fight, but I can see this movie again and again. I hope you do too.