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Ready Player One a review from a gamer/tech/vr enthusiast angle (might contain minor spoilers)

LZoltowski
Champion
So I came to the theatre with many expectations and a giddy sense of wonder. 

The movie ticked a lot of the right boxes for me, it is 70% CGI animation (think all the best CGI cut scenes from games like Diablo, Overwatch Mini series, Halo, Final Fantasy, GTA etc) and 30% Live action with that Steven Spielberg twist. The movie requires at least two further viewings to spot all the nods to pop and gaming culture.

Some interesting, easy to digest points:
  • Interesting was the use of VR tech that is already in development today, Omni floors for movement, haptic feedback suits, motion chairs etc
  • The movie uses a clever way for facial expressions to be transferred to the VR world with something that is the same tech as the iphone X laser 3d camera and Animoji.. which makes me feel that tech will imitate art on this one pretty soon and we will see this implemented in future HMDs
  • This makes the tech in the movie a bit dated for where it is set 2044. Many of the headsets look like Gear VR or DK1 !!!
  • There are 3 scenes where the VIVE logo is used, I think Oculus really missed a huge opportunity here.
  • The movie has many laugh out loud scenes that will only make sense to gamers, esp RPG and fantasy players.
  • There is an excellent Stanley Kubrick tribute in the middle of the movie which made me smile from ear to ear through the whole thing.
  • The entire thing is a gamers nirvana, with clever nods to the way we play games and how involved we can get in them
  • Entire economies exist because of VR in this movie, with people making money from mods and content creation, I see this happening more and more in VR, people already make money from mods in 2d games, so it's a natural progression.
  • FUCKING GUNDAM FIGHTING MEGA ROBOT GODZILLA SCENE!

I give the movie 8/10 .. its a lot of fun, a  lot of nostalgia feelz and a vision with so much potential! I recommend seeing it on the biggest screen you can in 3d.

When leaving the theatre I overheard a few people say, "I need to get into VR"

Oh and my partner now wants a VR rig ... FML ... there goes the new house fund.
Core i7-7700k @ 4.9 Ghz | 32 GB DDR4 Corsair Vengeance @ 3000Mhz | 2x 1TB Samsung Evo | 2x 4GB WD Black
ASUS MAXIMUS IX HERO | MSI AERO GTX 1080 OC @ 2000Mhz | Corsair Carbide Series 400C White (RGB FTW!) 

Be kind to one another 🙂
70 REPLIES 70

Syrellaris
Rising Star
its on my list to watch but will have to wait till after pacific rim 2 and deadpool 2. Those movies have way higher priority haha.

Anonymous
Not applicable
I am looking forward to seeing it - but I am a little wary. I mean as far as his new stuff goes - for every Bridge of Spies or Munich, there is a War of the Worlds or The Terminal.

Also Indy 4 was one of the biggest let downs ever - I mean I could even forgive the Alien thing, but that swinging on the vines scene was absolutely terrible. I remember walking out of the theatre laughing for all the wrong reasons.

That said he is one of my favourite directors - Duel, The Indy Trilogy, Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, etc. are all films that I have watched more than a handful of times each.

I will likely wait for the Blu-ray release of this to watch it (in VR on Big Screen, lol).

LZoltowski
Champion


its on my list to watch but will have to wait till after pacific rim 2 and deadpool 2. Those movies have way higher priority haha.

Pacific Rim 2 is everything you expect it to be, I mean its not trying to be intellectual, its just giant robots smashing giant monsters and other giant robots though buildings in glorious CGI 🙂

Enjoyed it on a huge IMAX screen, jaw-dropping fight sequences.
Core i7-7700k @ 4.9 Ghz | 32 GB DDR4 Corsair Vengeance @ 3000Mhz | 2x 1TB Samsung Evo | 2x 4GB WD Black
ASUS MAXIMUS IX HERO | MSI AERO GTX 1080 OC @ 2000Mhz | Corsair Carbide Series 400C White (RGB FTW!) 

Be kind to one another 🙂

MowTin
Expert Trustee


So I came to the theatre with many expectations and a giddy sense of wonder. 

The movie ticked a lot of the right boxes for me, it is 70% CGI animation (think all the best CGI cut scenes from games like Diablo, Overwatch Mini series, Halo, Final Fantasy, GTA etc) and 30% Live action with that Steven Spielberg twist. The movie requires at least two further viewings to spot all the nods to pop and gaming culture.

Some interesting, easy to digest points:
  • Interesting was the use of VR tech that is already in development today, Omni floors for movement, haptic feedback suits, motion chairs etc
  • The movie uses a clever way for facial expressions to be transferred to the VR world with something that is the same tech as the iphone X laser 3d camera and Animoji.. which makes me feel that tech will imitate art on this one pretty soon and we will see this implemented in future HMDs
  • This makes the tech in the movie a bit dated for where it is set 2044. Many of the headsets look like Gear VR or DK1 !!!
  • There are 3 scenes where the VIVE logo is used, I think Oculus really missed a huge opportunity here.
  • The movie has many laugh out loud scenes that will only make sense to gamers, esp RPG and fantasy players.
  • There is an excellent Stanley Kubrick tribute in the middle of the movie which made me smile from ear to ear through the whole thing.
  • The entire thing is a gamers nirvana, with clever nods to the way we play games and how involved we can get in them
  • Entire economies exist because of VR in this movie, with people making money from mods and content creation, I see this happening more and more in VR, people already make money from mods in 2d games, so it's a natural progression.
  • FUCKING GUNDAM FIGHTING MEGA ROBOT GODZILLA SCENE!

I give the movie 8/10 .. its a lot of fun, a  lot of nostalgia feelz and a vision with so much potential! I recommend seeing it on the biggest screen you can in 3d.

When leaving the theatre I overheard a few people say, "I need to get into VR"

Oh and my partner now wants a VR rig ... FML ... there goes the new house fund.

I finally saw this yesterday. I'm a home theater enthusiast with a projector etc so I rarely watch movies at the theater anymore. I wait for the Bluray release.

I wasn't expecting a good movie but I loved it! It's like targeted perfectly to me, a gamer who grew up in the Atari age. The Kubrick tribute was absolutely spectacular. 

It's definitely a must watch if you're a gamer who grew up on Atari or if you're just a gamer. I don't know if anyone else would get it. I just love how it brings together the past of gaming and the future of gaming so beautifully. We went from Atari to VR.
i7 9700k 3090 rtx   CV1, Rift-S, Index, G2

RuneSR2
Grand Champion

MowTin said:



So I came to the theatre with many expectations and a giddy sense of wonder. 

The movie ticked a lot of the right boxes for me, it is 70% CGI animation (think all the best CGI cut scenes from games like Diablo, Overwatch Mini series, Halo, Final Fantasy, GTA etc) and 30% Live action with that Steven Spielberg twist. The movie requires at least two further viewings to spot all the nods to pop and gaming culture.

Some interesting, easy to digest points:
  • Interesting was the use of VR tech that is already in development today, Omni floors for movement, haptic feedback suits, motion chairs etc
  • The movie uses a clever way for facial expressions to be transferred to the VR world with something that is the same tech as the iphone X laser 3d camera and Animoji.. which makes me feel that tech will imitate art on this one pretty soon and we will see this implemented in future HMDs
  • This makes the tech in the movie a bit dated for where it is set 2044. Many of the headsets look like Gear VR or DK1 !!!
  • There are 3 scenes where the VIVE logo is used, I think Oculus really missed a huge opportunity here.
  • The movie has many laugh out loud scenes that will only make sense to gamers, esp RPG and fantasy players.
  • There is an excellent Stanley Kubrick tribute in the middle of the movie which made me smile from ear to ear through the whole thing.
  • The entire thing is a gamers nirvana, with clever nods to the way we play games and how involved we can get in them
  • Entire economies exist because of VR in this movie, with people making money from mods and content creation, I see this happening more and more in VR, people already make money from mods in 2d games, so it's a natural progression.
  • FUCKING GUNDAM FIGHTING MEGA ROBOT GODZILLA SCENE!

I give the movie 8/10 .. its a lot of fun, a  lot of nostalgia feelz and a vision with so much potential! I recommend seeing it on the biggest screen you can in 3d.

When leaving the theatre I overheard a few people say, "I need to get into VR"

Oh and my partner now wants a VR rig ... FML ... there goes the new house fund.

I finally saw this yesterday. I'm a home theater enthusiast with a projector etc so I rarely watch movies at the theater anymore. I wait for the Bluray release.

I wasn't expecting a good movie but I loved it! It's like targeted perfectly to me, a gamer who grew up in the Atari age. The Kubrick tribute was absolutely spectacular. 

It's definitely a must watch if you're a gamer who grew up on Atari or if you're just a gamer. I don't know if anyone else would get it. I just love how it brings together the past of gaming and the future of gaming so beautifully. We went from Atari to VR.


I thought I was the only one to wait months for the discs - just got the Blu-Ray 3D version and saw it on the plasma with the wife and my 10-year-old son, we all loved the movie. Feels like Spielberg hasn't lost his touch, E.T. is probably still my favorite. 

Fun thing, I really wasn't impressed by the Oasis - I kept thinking we've already got similar experiences on the Rift (like Lone Echo, like seeing yourself in the mirror in Wilson's Heart for the first time, like seeing your body, arms and hands in MPU), but I liked the full body suit 😉

Not sure it's realistic that no one tried to drive backwards and solve the first puzzle (in 5 years) - but loved when The Shining was included. I'd rate the movie 9/10 - and I rarely rate movies that high. 

Now I'm looking forward to watch Infinity War, Solo and more!  :blush:  

Oculus Rift CV1, Valve Index & PSVR2, Asus Strix OC RTX™ 3090, i9-10900K (5.3Ghz), 32GB 3200MHz, 16TB SSD
"Ask not what VR can do for you, but what you can do for VR"

I'm still not 100% sure how much I liked it... I need to watch it again maybe.


I won't give any spoilers but a recreations of a certain favourite movie of mine was superb and I was hoping for more of the film to match the atmosphere being created there.... I think that's what sums up VR for me, recreating atmospheres.


But for me it kind of skipped through too many things for me to get a sense of depth, almost like a commercial for VR... and as I already know what VR offers, I don't really need a hard sell, I just need escapism and atmosphere. Still a very good movie and I love the eighties references, there's something about that decade!

Luciferous
Consultant
I feel the movie totally missed the mark if you where to compare it to the book. A major disappointment. They changed the plot and the main reasons the book became successful in the first place. Another Hollywood sterile gloss over. All the dark undertones and interesting non action story elements where completely lost.

The use of VR technology in the film was just plain stupid. Did you see those people running through the street fighting in VR. Erm what happens when you hit a wall in reality or a car runs you over? Plus what the hell where they wearing. please god I was hoping at least the CV2 would be out that far in the future. What the hell were they thinking.

If you were to take your kids to see it as a piece of chewing gum for the eyes on a Saturday afternoon then yeah it was mildly enjoyable and fun. 

Please Mr Spielberg stay away from Snowcrash and Neuromancer, I don't think I could take it.

MowTin
Expert Trustee
Yeah, I heard that book fans hate it for not being true to the book. But the screenplay was written by the book author. A lot of people don't understand that a book has to be changed to become a movie. Imagine making a play out of a book. Could you possibly keep everything in the book? Of course not. 

Imagine trying to make a single 2 hour movie out of Game of Thrones. You would have to change a lot to make it fit.

I didn't read the book so for me the movie was just awesome. I watched it twice in 2 days. Today my brother and his kids were over so I watched it a second time. I enjoyed it even more the second time. I caught lots of references I missed the first time.

Also, the movie makes me realize what VR is missing. It's missing being able to play together in an open world. VR needs an open world because reality is an open world. Reality is a shared open world so VR has to offer a shared open world adventure.

What VR needs is an open world Marvel Powers United.  
i7 9700k 3090 rtx   CV1, Rift-S, Index, G2

kevinw729
Honored Visionary

Was on a transatlantic flight this week and so
had time to finally watch the film a couple of times, just to get acquainted. I was also
lucky to be one of the early readers of the first print run of the book, so it was interesting to view
the juxtaposition.

To be frank the film is a pedestrian piece of work with some
interesting touches - and the finger-marks of the Spielberg style are clearly
visible, even if they are a bit smudged.

The acting is also a bit flat, but many of the CGi elements are nice – but seem more a
product placement extravaganza, than the retro homage of the original books
storyline.

For me the interesting issues of how
difficult it was to license certain characters and IP, how the VR video
game aspirations had to be side-lined, and a lacklustre VR arcade release via
VivePort Arcade, speaks volumes of the mess this film became.

Fascinating that 60% of its gross box-office was from the Asian/China release, with a quite subdued 40% box-office
from the West. It is clear this film did not meet expectations – though still
turned a strong profit, with DVD gross to be factored in later.

It was strange to see how the proposed
partnership with OVR was superseded for that with HTC and Infinadeck - the
latter getting screentime in the film.

The revelation that Spielberg used
Vive's to map out virtual camera positioning and scene placement was a big
feather in the platforms cap. That Spielberg had originally been close to OVR,
begs the question what caused the split?

Also, the question about why OVR did
not align themselves with this film (marketing, promotion, etc.,) seem
interesting - especially as previously all new employees to Oculus had been
handed a free copy of the book? A signed copy from the author a treasured memento
for one of the founders.

Least certain of the ex-founders of the company were invited to the premier B)

https://vrawards.aixr.org/ "The Out-of-Home Immersive Entertainment Frontier: Expanding Interactive Boundaries in Leisure Facilities" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Out-Home-Immersive-Entertainment-Frontier/dp/1472426959

Zenbane
MVP
MVP


I feel the movie totally missed the mark if you where to compare it to the book. A major disappointment. They changed the plot and the main reasons the book became successful in the first place. Another Hollywood sterile gloss over. All the dark undertones and interesting non action story elements where completely lost.

The use of VR technology in the film was just plain stupid. Did you see those people running through the street fighting in VR. Erm what happens when you hit a wall in reality or a car runs you over? Plus what the hell where they wearing. please god I was hoping at least the CV2 would be out that far in the future. What the hell were they thinking.

If you were to take your kids to see it as a piece of chewing gum for the eyes on a Saturday afternoon then yeah it was mildly enjoyable and fun.




I never read the book. I rented the film recently on Amazon. I thought it was a good movie (setting aside my VR bias).

It
was cool to see certain franchises in there, like Blanka from Street
Fighter. Once I let my VR bias step in, I get annoyed by things like...
"this is why people think VR is all about gaming." And yes, people
running blindly in to the streets wearing an HMD was quite silly;
although isn't that what Mixed Reality is supposed to let us do? Some recent info leaks about the Oculus Santa Cruz lets people wear their HMD and walk around, so it isn't necessarily "plain stupid." It was corny and cheesy, but not unintelligent.

Approaching the film without any preconceived notions or expectations, it was well made. It has a decent Critic and Community score on Rotten Tomatoes:

I wouldn't call it a worlwide box office hit, and it does seem to be aimed at a younger audience. But it certainly wasn't terrible either.