Board 8 > Just saw Ready Player One (spoilers)

(+) Yeah! (+)

I read the first like fifty pages and gave up on the book, the pop culture references and writing style were the worst.

The movie was actually good! If you can forgive the sometimes cringy pop culture references, it was actually a really solid movie. I suspect this is 98% because of Spielbergs talent, however. Its not one of his best works, but Id say its way better than the normal big budget movie that comes out now.

I laughed when Artemis was all youd be disappointed with me in the real world and then we see her and she has a small scar that in no way impacts her beauty.
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I will check this movie out! Sounds like a good time
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If you can forgive the sometimes cringy pop culture references

I absolutely can't
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The major turnoff off to me is they literally had to pack like 999 references into this movie, so most of them are blink and you'll miss it, and even the rest have not nearly enough screen time to breathe or do anything all that cool.
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I thought it was nice how they deviated a decent amount from the books. Really streamlined the movie a bit more and made it more accessible to the average moviegoer. Pretty fun movie over all.
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DeepsPraw posted...

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If you can forgive the sometimes cringy pop culture references

I absolutely can't

Its really less intrusive than youd expect other than the DeLorean being the main mode of transport and the Iron Giant at the end.
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DeepsPraw posted...

Anagram posted...

If you can forgive the sometimes cringy pop culture references

I absolutely can't

Its really less intrusive than youd expect other than the DeLorean being the main mode of transport and the Iron Giant at the end.

No that's what sucks. If they're going to do references, I want them to go all in. I want them to be intrusive, so that they actually do something. Instead, 80-90% of them are nothing more than background clutter. This is the movie where you can actually justify this silliness in universe, but it's terribly utilized.
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I don't think intrusive pop culture references have ever been justified.
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pjbasis posted...

I don't think intrusive pop culture references have ever been justified.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
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They're...part of the story?
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Most of the pop culture references really aren't that bad except at the beginning and end and the car. Spielberg really toned it down from the book.
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They also got rid of the unnecessary transphobic bullshit from the book. They still have the relevant part of that situation, which is that you can't tell who the people you meet online really are vs who they want you to think they are. But they just say that instead of couching it in some "describe your genitals to prove you meet my standards of TrueWoman" garbage, which is nice.

And the challenges at the core of the plot aren't quite so "you must know all the right trivia because knowing trivia is the most important thing". I mean there's still that element to it but it's not JUST about that like the book. It works on a more metaphorical level.

I think the references work better in a visual form too. Like they can reference Back to the Future by just having the DeLorean be there and we can see it and recognize it, rather than have to say in the text like "I'm driving the DeLorean from Back to the Future because Back to the Future is the coolest, but more importantly I am the coolest for recognizing that".
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pjbasis posted...

They're...part of the story?

So they were justified?
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ClyTheCool posted...

pjbasis posted...

They're...part of the story?

So they were justified?

So they aren't intrusive, because they're actually an integral part of the story rather than shoehorned in.
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So exactly what he asked for before you said they are never justified?
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very enjoyable movie, despite the terrible references. they mostly managed to make the main character stupid enough that i didn't mind as much when he was getting really into pop culture garbage. i was very disappointed when artemis wasn't a dude or old or fat or anything.

the special effects were so good. favorite part was absolutely the entire "movie" segment.
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Anagram posted...

Most of the pop culture references really aren't that bad except at the beginning and end and the car. Spielberg really toned it down from the book.

yeah, i was really nervous after the opening sequence. they did an okay job of keeping things in check otherwise
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So what I'm getting from this is that people are just prejudiced against the movie and it's actually an enjoyable watch?

'Cause I've had friends who'd gone to see the movie come back and tell me it was great.

And people who didn't immediately dismiss it came back from it saying it was good and that tumblr needs to stop criticizing something without seeing it.
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BowserCuffs posted...

So what I'm getting from this is that people are just prejudiced against the movie and it's actually an enjoyable watch?

It was much better than I expected it to be. It is by no means a classic Spielberg movie where it's destined to be remembered forever, but it's got enough of his talent in it to make pretty good.

That is, if you don't mind characters from Battleborn walking around in the background for no reason.
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Yeah I've seen some really suspect stuff from the book, but the movie looks to have trimmed off some of those edges and more readily showcased some of the main character's flaws

I was really annoyed with the music though, It was so fucking clichd

But mostly a fun adventure
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I feel like this isn't a movie I'd enjoy, and I think that watching the review by RedLetterMedia made my mind up that this movie isn't for me.
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PrivateBiscuit1 posted...

I feel like this isn't a movie I'd enjoy, and I think that watching the review by RedLetterMedia made my mind up that this movie isn't for me.

You've already taken more steps to make an informed opinion than most of the naysayers I feel.

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That is, if you don't mind characters from Battleborn walking around in the background for no reason.

I can honestly say that I'm pretty neutral on that idea
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I loathed this book so i dont think theres a force on this earth that could get me to pay for a ticket to this movie.
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I laughed when Artemis was all youd be disappointed with me in the real world and then we see her and she has a small scar that in no way impacts her beauty.

huh that's different from the book

I mean it sounds like they changed a lot from the book but I figured they'd keep what Artemis really looks like
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LeonhartFour posted...

huh that's different from the book

I mean it sounds like they changed a lot from the book but I figured they'd keep what Artemis really looks like

What does she look like in the book?
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LeonhartFour posted...

huh that's different from the book

I mean it sounds like they changed a lot from the book but I figured they'd keep what Artemis really looks like

What does she look like in the book?

She has a port-wine stain on the left side of her face. She's also overweight (although not really fat).
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LeonhartFour posted...

She has a port-wine stain on the left side of her face. She's also overweight (although not really fat).

Here's the actress.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Olivia_Cooke_SDCC2017.jpg

By the way, in the book, is it just a huge coincidence that everyone likes in Colombus or in driving range of it? Because that makes sense if it's like New York or Los Angeles, but Colombus is a little weird.
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In the book, they all live in different cities (Artemis is Canadian, actually), but Wade eventually moves to Columbus because it's close to Evil Corporation HQ.
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LeonhartFour posted...

In the book, they all live in different cities (Artemis is Canadian, actually), but Wade eventually moves to Columbus because it's close to Evil Corporation HQ.

Thanks.
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Do they explain why the girl isn't just a russian bot phishing for bitcoin?
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foolm0r0n posted...

Do they explain why the girl isn't just a russian bot phishing for bitcoin?

I would have enjoyed it if any of the characters had turned out to not be what they appeared to be in the game. The only thing like that is they meet two adult Japanese brothers in-game, and then in real life, one of them is 17 and the other is 11. That's the entire twist.
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foolm0r0n posted...

Do they explain why the girl isn't just a russian bot phishing for bitcoin?

I would have enjoyed it if any of the characters had turned out to not be what they appeared to be in the game. The only thing like that is they meet two adult Japanese brothers in-game, and then in real life, one of them is 17 and the other is 11. That's the entire twist.

... the big buff dude being a medium sized girl isn't a twist?
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Oh god I forgot about that

I figured it out within three seconds of H showing up so when it was revealed I thought nothing of it.
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BowserCuffs posted...

So what I'm getting from this is that people are just prejudiced against the movie and it's actually an enjoyable watch?

'Cause I've had friends who'd gone to see the movie come back and tell me it was great.

And people who didn't immediately dismiss it came back from it saying it was good and that tumblr needs to stop criticizing something without seeing it.

this is kinda what it sounds like to me, or people complaining about "They didn't use the pop culture references right!!1!"

The references are kinda cool. If you catch some, then awesome. If you don't catch some, then it's fine. The story is good anyways. And some are used for more screen time than others, and the ones that are used in a bigger role are cool. Like the references really aren't that big of a deal but they're good so it's FINE.

And I've heard from my brother who has read the book that this is far better. The characters are way more likable, the main character especially. The guy's writing style is totally gone and it's just a normal looking movie with good animation, no quirks you need to get used to.

I had a couple small issues with the movie and really really loved it otherwise. Would recommend. Go see it.
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i really hated the book, but now i hear that stephen spielberg cut out huge chunks of the book (probably cuz he knew they were bad) and now the people who liked the book are pissed, so now I want to see it

i have a strange set of conditions to meet before i'll see a dumb pop culture movie
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foolm0r0n posted...

Do they explain why the girl isn't just a russian bot phishing for bitcoin?

I would have enjoyed it if any of the characters had turned out to not be what they appeared to be in the game. The only thing like that is they meet two adult Japanese brothers in-game, and then in real life, one of them is 17 and the other is 11. That's the entire twist.

To be fair, these are pretty minor twists that are kind of inconsequential.
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Solioxrz362 posted...

To be fair, these are pretty minor twists that are kind of inconsequential.

Yes, but they make the scenes more memorable and the characters stand out a little more.
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