Ready Player One Blu Ray Review (Warner Bros.)

Ready Player One is a 2018 science fiction film produced & directed by Steven Spielberg (Jaws, Indiana Jones franchise, Saving Private Ryan, & Jurassic Park 1/2). Steven Spielberg directed The Post while he was waiting for Industrial Light & Magic to create close to 1,500 digital effect shots for this movie. It was the first time in 17 years that Steven Spielberg did a project for Warner Bros. It’s based off Ernest Cline’s 2011 novel of the same name. The project was in development before the book was even published. Ernest Cline is writing a follow up book to this. It made $582 million worldwide at the box office & it’s the sixth highest grossing film of 2018.

In 2045, due to various disastrous events most of Earth’s cities have become slums. Humans main escape from reality is the virtual reality universe called OASIS. Its co-founder, the late James “Anorak” Halliday (played by: Mark Rylance from Bridge of Spies, The BFG, Dunkirk, & The Gunman) announces a contest as his final hooray on earth. Ogden Morrow (played by: Simon Pegg from Mission Impossible franchise, Star Trek franchise, Shaun of the Dead, & Hot Fuzz) is the other co-founder & he was forced out of their business venture years ago after their friendship had some major problems. Players must find an Easter egg inside a gate that requires three keys hidden in OASIS. The winner to receive full ownership and control of OASIS. This contest attracts various people including Wade Watts / Parzival (played by: Tye Sheridan from Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, X-Men: Apocalypse, Joe, & Mud), Samantha / Art3mis (played by: Olivia Cooke from Bates Motel, Ouija, The Signal, & The Quiet Ones), Helen / Aech (played by: Lena Waithe from Master of None), Zhou / Sho (played by: Philip Zhao), Toshiro / Daito (played by: Win Morisaki from Namonaki Doku), Innovative Online Industries executive Nolan Sorrento (played by: Ben Mendelsohn from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Animal Kingdom, The Dark Knight Rises, & The Place Beyond the Pines) with the Sixers, F’Nale Zandor (played by: Hannah John-Kamen from Ant-Man and the Wasp, Tomb Raider, & Game of Thrones), & I-R0k (played by: T.J. Miller from Deadpool 1/2, Cloverfield, Office Christmas Party, & Transformers: Age of Extinction). Most of them are just playing for fun but the greedy Nolan Sorrento wants to control everything & he will do anything to achieve that goal. They go deep into the mind of Halliday & look for clues to win the game. Things start to get out of control when Innovative Online Industries threatens his competition & takes drastic measures to help his chances of a victory. Can High Five save the world from this evil????

When I first heard about this project, I didn’t really know much about it & obviously never read the book before but after viewing it I was really impressed by it. It’s loaded with pop culture references & images throughout the entire film. It has so many geek out moments that put a huge grin on your face while watching it. It gives it so much replay value because it makes you want to go back & see what you missed originally. I loved all the horror stuff in this. It was exciting to see such a big feature like this pay tribute to my favorite genre to a wide audience. The soundtrack is top notch & it really adds to the vibe of this production. Visually, this is a treat to witness. This is one that uses every bit of modern technology to elevate everything. It also has a real solid cast to make a creative script even better with their performances.  This is the best thing that Steven Spielberg has done since Lincoln & that’s been awhile! It’s good to see him back doing higher quality stuff & I look forward to future films. Science Fiction has been killing it lately with some great work in the genre & this definitely fits that mold. HIGHLY recommended, this is one that you need to add to your collection & own!!!!

Let’s talk about the high definition presentation from Warner Bros. This 1080p (2.39:1) transfer is definitely one of the best looking releases from a major studio this year. Visually, Ready Player One just grabs your attention right away & it never lets go. I can only imagine what the 3D & 4K discs look like since this blu ray is very impressive. You get 7 different audio options which include English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1, English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1, Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1, & English: Dolby Digital 5.1 on this disc. As you can imagine, this is full of action & adventure so the audio roars in your home system! It’s just as good as the picture quality on here so you get the best of the both worlds. The true highlight to me on the audio track is the amazing soundtrack for this feature. So many great songs & material that get stuck in your head for days. It fit the pop culture vibe of Ready Player One perfect!!!!

Let’s discuss the special features provided by Warner Bros on this release. “The ’80s: You’re the Inspiration” is almost 6 minutes. It interviews director Steven Spielberg, writer Ernest Cline, actor Simon Pegg, actor Ben Mendelsohn, & others. They talk about their love for the 80s. They bring up references in the film. Steven Spielberg jokes that most of his films ended up on the cutting room floor for this. “Game Changer: Cracking the Code” is a little over 57 minutes. It interviews various cast & crew members. It goes into the origin of the story. It talks about the success of the book. It brings up changes made from the original source material. They chat about the casting & the actors used in the feature. The main cast discusses their experience on Ready Player One. It has all kinds of behind the scenes footage. They go into great detail about the production including design & motion capture for the visual effects. They all praise director Steven Spielberg. They mention The Shining homage in the film & focus on re-creating the classic scene. It talks about the look of the feature. “Effects for a Brave New World” is almost 25 minutes. It has interviews with various crew members. It goes into great detail on how they created the reality for this production. Lots of behind the scenes footage & comparisons from what it looked like before. “Level up: Sound for the Future” is 8 minutes. They talk about the sound design for the film. They chat about working with classic & familiar material from other features. They show you how they did some of the work for the production. “High Score: Endgame” is 10 minutes. It focuses on the score & music for Ready Player One. It only covers the original music & not the actual soundtrack. “Ernie & Tye’s Excellent Adventure” is 12 minutes. It’s a conversation between lead actor Tye Sheridan & creator/writer Ernest Cline. They share their experience on the movie & getting it made. You also get a slipcover, digital code, & a DVD copy. It’s available everywhere right now in several different formats including 4K, 3D, & DVD. It’s one of the best of 2018, check it out ASAP!!!!