Based on the 2011 novel by Ernest Cline, Steven Spielberg developed a fantastic film with Ready Player One. It is the first time Spielberg has returned to the science fiction genre in almost a decade. Science fiction is arguably Spielberg’s best, with hits like ET and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Thankfully, he came back stronger than ever with this film.

I am a huge fan of the cinema, and Ready Player One is loosely based on many different pop culture references, which was a joy to experience because I was able to see hundreds of characters from things I had seen before. Initially, I was worried that the film would overly rely on the usage of pop culture, but in my opinion it was used very well.

The protagonist, Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) spends most of his time as his avatar, Parzival, in the virtual reality world known as the Oasis. After the Oasis’ creator passes away, he announces that he will pass ownership of the Oasis to the winner of his “easter egg hunt,” which involves searching the Oasis for some of the creator’s favorite things. Wade searches with his friends to find the eggs to stop IOI from taking control of the Oasis.

This is a film that should definitely be seen on the big screen. It could easily be called a visual spectacle, from the huge fights and thrilling races. The visual effects are amazing, especially the realistic recreation of the Overlook Hotel from Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. As someone who knew nothing about the source material going in, I was amazed by the ultra realism of the visual effects.

Ready Player One manages to bring Steven Spielberg back into the blockbuster limelight, after making some slower, more personal films. Hopefully he continues the good run he is having now and keeps on making fantastic films that keep you on the edge of your seat. I very highly recommend Ready Player One.