First Impressions | Ready Player One

While I’m not familiar with the source novel, I’ve been looking forward to Ready Player One ever since the teaser trailer dropped.  The visuals and narration intrigued me, although I kept my expectations low, to avoid disappointment.  After watching the film, I can honestly report my fears were misplaced, as Ready Player One was an entertaining film.

                Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film is set in Ohio in the year 2045.  Modern problems such as pollution and overpopulation have continued to worsen.  To cope, humans escape into the OASIS, a Virtual Reality Online Game where one can literally be anything or anyone (allowing for a cavalcade of pop culture references that’d overload Seth McFarlane’s CPU).  Many also attempt to complete Anorak’s Quest, a contest the game’s creator James Halliday (Mark Rylance) set up following his death.  Whoever completes the quest gains control of the OASIS.  Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) is one such individual, playing under the name Parzival.  One day following an unsuccessful race, Wade manages to figure out how to pass the first trial.  He does so, becoming an OASIS celebrity overnight.  This fame comes with a price, as he becomes a target of IOI, a gaming company that wishes to control and exploit the OASIS (think a dystopian version of World of Warcraft’s subscription policy).  With the aid of his friends Art3mis (Olivia Cooke), Aech (Lena Waithe), Sho (Philip Zhao) and Daito (Win Morisaki) Wade must complete the Quest and gain control of the OASIS first, while avoiding IOI in both the real and virtual worlds.

                Being an avid video gamer and LARPer, I can’t help but love the film’s concept, as it combines the virtual nature of the former with the character creation and immersion of the latter.  Its take on the hero’s quest is also engaging.  While it begins humbly, real world stakes soon emerge.  If IOI wins, Halliday’s dream fails and the OASIS becomes a pay-to-play VRRPG.  IOI also engage in shady real-world tactics, which I will address later. 

                While not Spielberg’s best effort—I still prefer Jaws, Last Crusade and his Jurassic Park duology—the Oscar winner brings his A-game to this film.  While Spielberg has made some questionable personal choices—research the making of Poltergeist—his choice to direct this film is not one of them.  His directing choices were sensible, allowing the film’s individual pieces to blend seamlessly. 

                Having worked with Spielberg on many of his previous films, Januz Kaminski was the obvious choice for cinematographer, and he did an excellent job.  His work is beautiful, and he gave both worlds their own distinct feel.  While not muted, the real world doesn’t feel as vibrant as the OASIS, which considering its escapist purpose is the point.  While I am not an enthusiastic fan of CGI spam (Even though Motion Capture has been wearing me down somewhat) here it was rendered properly.  While the characters don’t appear as real as Ceaser or Gollum, they’re rendered the correct amount for online Avatars. 

                Alan Silvestri composed the score.  Considering the film’s pop culture spam, who better to hire than the man who composed the scores for Predator, Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.  While I don’t find myself humming the cues quite yet, Silvestri’s notes served their auditory storytelling purpose.  In addition to Silvestri’s score, the film makes perfect use of 70’s and 80’s music, although I personally recognized two songs; of the two, Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” was timed perfectly.

                I’m of two minds when it comes to the characters.  On one hand, I sympathized with the protagonists and hated IOI and its CEO.  On the other hand, there was not much character development, and what little exists comes from Wade and Art3mis.  Wade is an orphan who lives with his Aunt, and suffers loss once IOI figures out his real identity.  Art3mis’s backstory is tied in with IOI and their illegal activities, which gives her a personal stake in the OASIS from Act 1.  The two also fall in love.  While a predictable plot point, the two actors have a subtle chemistry, and I identify with Wade’s side of the romance.  Halliday does have some development as the characters progress through the Quest, but I classify it under backstory.  Other than that, there’s nothing.  While lack of development does not bother me if the story is engaging and entraining, it’s wrong not to note it, and based on other reviews I’m not the only one to notice.

                For the story, IOI are decent enough villains.  While the evil corporation has been done to death to the point of becoming an archetype, I’m of the opinion that archetypes themselves are not bad; it all depends on the execution.  While no Shinra or Umbrella, IOI works for the portrayed world.  This comes down to two factors:  Ben Mendelsohn’s performance and IOI’s illegal activities.  Ben is one of those actors that’s always great to see on screen, and he plays his parts with conviction.  Like Rogue One, the audience can’t help but hate his smugness, and once he gets his comeuppance in the third act, we grin. 

As for the company’s activities, they buy out an individual’s debt, forcing them to work until it’s either paid off or they die; without giving spoilers, this is where the Art3mis connection comes into play.  While bad form, this part had me slightly raising an eyebrow.  The film didn’t give any indication that any major legal changes have arisen in the United States, so IOI would be violating the 13^th Amendment; even if one’s debt is purchased, the purchaser cannot compel you to work for them.  While a head-scratcher, considering IOI’s other shady actions (espionage and murder) I don’t think they’ll let an Amendment get in their way.   It wouldn’t be the first time someone ignored thirteen. 

                While it would be fun to list off every single pop culture reference the film makes, that would drag this review out.  Instead, I’ll briefly list off a few:  Star Wars, King Kong, Godzilla, Gundam, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Back to the Future, Overwatch, Halo, Stephen King, and 80’s Slasher Flicks.  It’s a nerd’s paradise.

                While flawed when it comes to character development, Ready Player One is an entertaining film with its heart in the right place.  Definitely worth one watch, especially if one is a fan of 80’s and video game pop culture.  

DVD Review | Robocop (20th Anniversary Collector's Edition)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hJfPGGIHhk

A Rose For Emily (Plot and Plot Devices)

William Faulkner’s short story “A Rose for Emily” is an excellent example of a non-linear narrative.  Beginning with the passing of Emily, the narrator recounts events that have transpired during the course of her adult life.  Emily’s father passed away when she was around thirty-years-old, and the event caused her to have a minor mental breakdown.  She recovered and soon became interested in a man named Homer Barron, a day laborer from the North (the story is set in the post-Civil War south).  Everyone in town is soon gossiping about this courtship, with many speculating that their relationship has become physically intimate, which for a lady of Miss Emily’s station would be dishonorable.  Several of Emily’s relations soon visit, supposedly to aid her in tying Homer in matrimonial bonds.   While mostly implied by the narrator, the audience infers that Emily and Homer had a protagonist-antagonist relationship with this subject, with most of the arguing occurring behind closed doors.  This causes Homer to leave town, but he returns shortly thereafter, only to disappear again for good.  This second vanishing sends Emily into a self-imposed seclusion, with the townsfolk rarely catching sight of her.  It is only after her funeral that the shocking yet satisfying truth is revealed:  Emily had killed Homer, keeping his body in her upstairs bedroom, where Emily would occasionally lay beside him.  This reveals the extent of Emily’s internal crisis.  The breakdown she suffered following the death of her father revealed that she had trouble letting go.  Homer’s brief desertion magnified this problem, and when he returned Emily made sure he’d never leave her again.  This action is foreshadowed near the end of Part III, when the narrator recounts how Emily purchased arsenic, intimidating the druggist in the process.  When I read the story for the first time in sixth-grade I overlooked this detail but re-reading with foreknowledge of the twist ending it was easy to spot.  Based on Faulkner’s wording, it’s clear the narrator is familiar with Emily, although he never knew her personally; likely he heard the recounted stories from older relatives.  I find it interesting that he remains anonymous despite his familiarity, as none of the prose betrays a specific connection.  In that light, the narrator is the town’s personification, recounting its history in a semi-omnipotent manner.  He knows much, but like everyone else, he didn’t see the truth behind the window. 

First Impressions | Digimon Tri Reunion

As a child of the nineties, I was partially swept up in the late decade's anime boom.  While I didn’t watch Dragonball Z until the Buu Saga, I was enamoured by Pokemon, Medabots, and Mon-Coli Knights.  Of the Saturday Morning Dubs, Digimon was my favourite.  Even if my family had weekend plans, I had to watch the show if a new episode aired.  Live or taped, I tuned.    While I fell off the fan wagon following Frontier—a show lag tends to do that—my interest was raised when Digimon Tri was announced.  While catering to nostalgia, Tri promised to continue the story of the original group of DigiDestined.  If episode one is any indication, Tri is delivering on that promise.

                Picking up several years later, the audience is reintroduced to the DigiDestined on an average day:  Tai plays soccer, Matt rocks out, and Joe worries about academics.  The tranquillity is soon interrupted by the appearance of Wild Digimon.  Unlike last time, the monsters are glitching in and out of existence.  The government is aware of the problem—partially in thanks to Genai—and enlist the group's aid by the end, but something seems off.  Could they know more?  Is Genai the one holding out?

                In addition to familiar faces, we get two new ones in the form of Meiko and her partner, Meicoomon.  While only seen sporadically in the first two acts, by the third their presence becomes important, as the film’s main antagonist is after them.  Without giving away spoilers, the gang saves them and the pair become friends.  I wonder if we’ll see a new Digivolution in the next film.

                One complaint I’ve read about Reunion is that it’s paced slow.  After watching the film, I concur, but it isn’t a problem for me.  While Tri is marketed as a film series, Reunion is written and paced like an opening arc, only the focus is on re-introducing familiar character’s and updating the stories premise.  While slow, it succeeds as an opening salvo.

                One thing that has me perplexed is Adventure 02’s canon status.  I’ve read mixed reports online before and since the film’s release, and one viewing hasn’t cleared anything up.  If two is still canon, why weren’t Davis, Ken and the other’s reference by name?  Omnimon’s appearance could throw another monkey wrench into the equation, but his appearance in Revenge of Diaboromon balances things out.  If anything it makes one wonder when Gabumon reachieved Mega.  The only plot indication that any of season two happened is Kari and T.K’s D3’s. Perhaps a later episode will clear this element up.  If not, this is bad form on Toei’s part.

                The animation is beautiful.  Anime films are allocated higher budgets than network shows, and this is evident on screen.  While stylistically similar to Adventure’s previous films—although my knowledge of this mainly stems from the American hybridization—the art is updated, allowing Tri’s art design to stand alone.  Tai’s protagonist hair is reigned in as a result.

                The voice work was excellent.  Most of the original cast returned for the dub, which helped further my enjoyment.  I was smiling off and on constantly as the film played.   Joshua Seth, Tai’s actor, even came out of retirement for the project, as he enjoyed the role.  That is fandom dedication.   Kari and TK’s new voices will take several viewings to get used to, but since the latter is dubbed by Johnny Yong Bosch it’s not all bad.

                All things considered, Reunion is a decent reintroduction to the Adventure timeline.  It looks and sounds great, and while slow, the story has me drawn in.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to watch two and three sometime soon.