Spielberg’s Ready Player One adaptation teased in first trailer
The newest trailer for Stephen Spielberg’s upcoming adaptation of Ernest Cline’s divisive sci-fi ’80s nostalgia novel just dropped today, and it’s something. Cline’s book received as much praise as it did punishment for being what boils down to Willy Wonka’s Wild Ride of Nostalgia. A large portion of the book involved callbacks to toys, games, movies, and just about anything you can think of from the ’80s brought back to life through the OASIS–a virtual reality video game world. I didn’t hate or love the book, but the callbacks and nods were a bit heavy-handed at times (one of the main plot point challenges saw the protagonist reenact the entirety of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off). That said, I have friends who absolutely loved the book and the world Cline created/adapted. Whether you’re a fan or a skeptic, Spielberg’s adaptation is hitting theaters next March. The first/sneak peek trailer came out of Comic Con earlier this year.
Watch the new trailer for Ready Player One, read a plot synopsis, and check out the first poster for the movie after the jump.
It should come as no surprised that a nostalgic director like Spielberg would be at the helm of the live-action adaptation of Ready Player One. The trailer paints a picture of a movie that’s part live-action and part video game cutscene, which is a mixed bag. I’ve really enjoyed CG movies like Starship Troopers: Invasion and the Resident Evil movies Degeneration and Damnation (also Final Fantasy movies like The Spirits Within and Advent Children), and that’s immediately what I thought of when we jumped into the OASIS in the trailer. Granted, this CG world will be filled with cameos from characters like the Battletoads, Chucky, the Iron Giant, and so many more, but it still looks like a cartoon/video game. “But that’s the point,” you’re saying. “They’re in a video game, stupid.” I get that. I’m just not sure how I feel yet about watching a movie that’s half live-action and half video game cutscene.
There’s also the qualifier that Spielberg has already directed an animated movie. Remember how fun The Adventures of Tintin was? That movie still packed the punch of classic Spielberg adventure, so maybe I’m being a bit too cynical. Here’s hoping Ready Player One is a blast.
Here’s the official plot synopsis for Ready Player One if you haven’t read the book or need a refresher:
The film is set in 2045, with the world on the brink of chaos and collapse. But the people have found salvation in the OASIS, an expansive virtual reality universe created by the brilliant and eccentric James Halliday. When Halliday dies, he leaves his immense fortune to the first person to find a digital Easter egg he has hidden somewhere in the OASIS, sparking a contest that grips the entire world. When an unlikely young hero named Wade Watts decides to join the contest, he is hurled into a breakneck, reality-bending treasure hunt through a fantastical universe of mystery, discovery and danger.
Ready Player One stars Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, T.J. Miller, Hannah John-Kamen, Letitia Wright, Simon Pegg, Lena Waithe, and Mark Rylance. The movie hits theaters on March 30, 2018.
Take a look at the first poster for Ready Player One, which has already gotten a lot of criticism for that abnormally long leg. Once you see it, there’s no unseeing it.
