In The Matrix, the goal of the heroes (and the values expressed in the movie) was to free people from the virtual reality world. Ready Player One is very much the product of the present cultural moment.
But it is precisely here that Ready Player One reveals that it is notably different from what has come before. Of course, a plot line like this will draw quick comparisons to other virtual reality movies, The Matrix being one of the most obvious. In the film, he is drawn into a life or death competition to find an “easter egg” hidden in the OASIS worth billions. His relationships and his identity are all bound up with his online existence. The protagonist, Wade Watts, lives almost his entire life in the virtual world–even going to school in simulation. In this world they can take on new identities (AVATARS) and live a life of fulfillment, excitement, and pleasure.
In order to escape the world they live in, people have turned to a virtual reality world fittingly named OASIS. An energy crisis has destroyed the world, creating a miserable existence for millions. And it looked genuinely innovative and culturally fascinating.ĭuring the many moments of boredom during the main attraction, I began to reflect upon what this new movie says about the world we live in (or, for some, the world we pretend to not live in).īased upon the 2011 book of the same name by Ernest Cline, the film is a futuristic dystopian drama set in 2045.
One of the movie trailers at the beginning was from Steven Spielberg’s forthcoming Ready Player One. In fact, I began to think of this other movie before The Last Jedi even started. Given how profoundly disappointing and unimaginative the movie was (something I may explore in another post), I left the theater thinking about an entirely different movie. Over the recent holiday break I found myself in the movie theater to watch The Last Jedi.
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