Ready Player One (2018) Movie Review

READY PLAYER ONE (2018) MOVIE REVIEW

With gaming and pop culture expanding by what seems like the hour, legendary director Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One pays homage to all these memorable films and games ranging from Atari all the way to Overwatch. Although there are a few minor stumbles along the way, Spielberg's latest action adventure romp keeps the audience engaged and ultimately entertained throughout the entirety of the film.

In the not too distant future, the creator of a virtual reality called the OASIS passes away. Upon his passing, he reveals he has left behind an Easter egg in the virtual world and sends out a challenge to all the players to find the secret, upon doing so will grant said player with his fortune. Determined to make a better life for himself and to follow in his hero's footsteps, protagonist Wade makes it his life goal to find the Easter egg and with the help of his online friends along the way, they begin seeking out this hidden fortune which not only grants the user the creator's fortune but also ownership of the virtual world. In terms of the story arch, nowadays it is definitely relate-able in terms of the whole VR aspect and with the numerous references sprinkled throughout the film whether they be subtle or not. Spielberg has always been a master at creating large scale adventure films like Indiana Jones, E.T and Jaws and just like those classics, Ready Player One's pacing is phenomenal. No character and story arch feels like it has outstayed its welcome. The film also does a great job and balancing the real and virtual worlds and creating drama in both worlds seem extravagant and dangerous to the characters. 

Despite the excellent pace and the characters it creates, one of the weaker parts of Ready Player One unfortunately has to do with the entire premise of the film. While the abundance of pop culture references are nice to see, some do seem arbitrary and more often then not seem to have more effort put into them rather then the dialogue given to the main characters. This is more than evident as when the two main characters Wade and Samantha have their first interaction it appears too forced for my liking filled with cheesy dialogue and sometimes just lazy writing when it comes down to the actual references. One example of this folly in writing is when the Iron Giant is introduced towards the climax of the movie, he is simply portrayed as a weapon to be used. However, in the original film of the same name, the robot is far from it and is pretty much the polar opposite. Aside from a few writing blunders, the acting in the film is passable with Mark Rylance's performance being one of the memorable ones in the movie.

Overall, if you are looking for a fun film filled with references a plenty, then Ready Player One is definitely the movie for you. Complete with beautiful CGI, a well-paced plot that never seems to slow down and an uplifting message at the end of the film, Steven Spielberg has managed to re-create that magic that hasn't been seen since his peak with Jurassic Park and E.T. Though the film doesn't hold a candle to his previous works, Spielberg has created a passable film for a new generation to remember fondly. 

★★★★☆

Tomb Raider (2018) Movie Review

TOMB RAIDER (2018) MOVIE REVIEW

Based on arguably the franchise's most popular entry Tomb Raider (2013), the most recent film adaptation of the video game heroine does a faithful recreation of the popular source material, though not without a few minor hiccups along the way.

Our story begins with our protagonist Lara Croft, played by Alicia Vikander, as she is depicted as a young woman working as a bike courier barely making the rent. Determined to build her own path, she refuses to inherit her father's fortune after he went missing several years ago and presumed dead. However to ensure her father's fortune doesn't go to waste, she agrees to inherit the wealth only to be sidetracked by a cryptic message left by her father. Following the trail, Lara learns about her father's secret life as he leaves a message for her not to follow his path. Going against his father's wishes, Lara decides to locate her father which takes her to a mysterious island somewhere off the coast of Japan. Though things are not what she expected as she and her new friend Lu, played by Daniel Wu, get into more than what they bargained for as the island appears to hold more than meets the eyes. While the premise for the film is relatively simple, the direction it takes in telling this plot can get a little confusing at times and often condescending itself by glossing over key characters towards the film's climax. Even with this, the story does get told in a simple yet effective manner.

Alicia Vikander's portrayal of Lara Croft is a seamless one as from the film's beginning towards it's crescendo Vikander shows the growth of the heroine from her high class childhood to her now gritty and badass present. Much of the action sequences involving Vikander are often made better by her ability to sell the pain as being gut-wrenchingly, creating great sympathy for her as she grows. Speaking of the action, many of the sequences are beautifully shot and make you feel and witness the grand atmosphere of each perilous situation. Two notable ones including the abandoned plane and the shipwrecking scene, though this leads into one of the films downfall which is the visuals. While they look passable, in many parts towards the climax some of the CGI is quite noticeable and at times did take me out of the moment. 

Walton Goggins' antagonist of Mathis Vogel while an interesting villain at first, begins to become generic and quite predictable as the film goes on. Upon meeting Vogel, we are given vague information regarding his alliance and motivations for being here. This mystique could have set up an interesting character for the viewers to get enticed with. However, several scenes following this, he soon becomes every run of the mill villain. Despite Walton Goggins' best efforts, the direction the writers took with this character while a bold one, for my money at least, did not pay off by the end of the film. This again leads into another of the films weaknesses, its side characters and putting them aside in favour of the story of Lara Croft. Again it is understandable to put the focus solely on Lara as it is "her" film. In doing this it leaves characters like Ren and Miller feel under-developed and nearly forgotten by the film's ending. Despite this though, the film does do itself justice by nailing majority of everything involving Croft and giving her character a clear motive and need to continue her journey, one that is relatable and emotional.

Overall while Tomb Raider does suffer from its under developed side characters and at time weak direction, the film does exactly what we wanted. Tomb Raider focuses on what fans loved from the games and wanted from the previous theatrical instalments. A lot of this is thanks to Vikander's impeccable performance as Croft and exciting and dramatic action sequences. If the term "one woman show" were to be used, now would be the perfect time to use it.

★★★☆☆