Ready Player One

[SouthWestmom]

So not read the book and the kids made me go.

Visually it's too busy for me in 3D - found it really hard at the start to decipher the action and individual parts on screen.

Storyline is a bit like Avatar for tweens it Racket Ralph in places!

[PNgirl]

I went to see it last night. Absolutely loved it. Found it totally absorbing and the score was great. Classic Spielberg!

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

I'm really looking forward to it as I loved the book.

[Musicalstatues]

I have read the book and felt they changed far too much in it. I came away feeling it was a bit disappointing. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I’d not read the book first.

[idril]

I went to see it today. I'm with you on the visual. I had to close my eyes for some of the game scenes because they hurt my eyes. First half an hour I hated it - felt like I was watching a fast paced computer game that I had no interest in. But I liked it more when there was more real world scenes in it.

My husband has read the book and says it's very different from the book.

[SouthWestmom]

@idril same here - first half hour was like 'why have I come?'

Then there were a few odd bits - how did she get their numbers to text when she was so anti the sharing of names? Or if they were already rebelling was it a test before they told him? And had they travelled to Ohio to a base or was it coincidence they all lived there?

[gussyfinknottle]

Read the book last year. Looking forward to the film. Probably wouldn't see it if I hadn't read the book. My dh (who has also read the book) is a secret 80s game nerd so I hope it won't disappoint.

[bruffin]

Loved it but i havent read the book. Dd has and she really enjoyed it as well.

[tribpot]

Agreed - overall I enjoyed it and my 12 year old said gamers would nerd out over it. I felt compared to Black Panther it overdid the effects at the expense of the script, and it certainly could have been shorter, but there were lots of fun touches.

[SouthWestmom]

My 13 year old online person loved it, knew the references and had a theory in the end.

[CalmConfident]

Read the book and still enjoyed film despite the changes. DH and DS loved it

[ReinettePompadour]

Haven't read the book, I didnt even know there was one. I watched the film and just didn't understand anything.

Nothing made any sense and most of the audience were chatting out loud about 'what on earth the shining was' I feel very old having watched that a very long time ago

Came out with a numb bum, £80 poorer (tickets and pop corn is extortionate now) and didn't have a clue what had gone on for the previous 2 and a half hours.

[BestIsWest]

Liked the book, felt the film went on too long. Could have cut 20 minutes out out of the last third easily.

Also thought part of it was a bit gory/grotesque for a 12 A.

[tortelliniforever]

I enjoyed it but agree that it was slightly too long. Plus I am glad I saw it in 2D - 3D would have been too much for me too.

[tortelliniforever]

I took my 8 year olds and they enjoyed it but were a bit confused.

[CormoranStrike]

I found it boring and long , and in the end no longer cared.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

I don't recognise people's descriptions here. We all really enjoyed it. I felt they were cramming a lot into the time. It was just a good light hearted couple of hours of entertainment.

[mizu]

Just watched this with two DDs 12 and 13 and we all really enjoyed it.

Didn't know there was a book, might have to go and Google.........

[ineedamoreadultieradult]

I thought I would hate it, I don't really like sci-fi, but I actually really enjoyed it and understood what was going on which I don't always with sci-fi stuff.

[noblegiraffe]

I went into it saying ‘I really hope that there’s a solid half hour in the middle where we just watch the perfect game of Pac-Man’ but it was not to be.
I know they had to rewrite it because instant messenger conversations wouldn’t work well on screen and they needed real life interactions, but I thought it was a shame he met Art3mis so early on.
I also came out feeling it wasn’t geeky enough, I wanted more giant robot fights, and more gaming.

The Shining bit was brilliant, and I thought the Oasis looked amazing. Love the Iron Giant. Not sure about it being a 12 though when it referenced higher rated films!

[Middleoftheroad]

Didn't expect to like this but I loved the score and the homage to The Shining, along with nods to my youth.

I'm also from Birmingham and it was lovely to see the city feature in a film for a change.

[velouria]

We went to see it yesterday, I loved the shining sequence but apart from that wasn't impressed and was losing the will to live by the end. I didn't rate the book either, badly written wish fulfilment fantasy, oooh get unlimited power money and a hot girlfriend by knowing pointless trivia, do fuck off.

[BarbaraOcumbungles]

I took my 9 year old and we all enjoyed it but there are some very adult themes in it and a few swearing bits - including the F world. There Was also some quite frightening bits and gorey bits.

I’d have said it would have been better at a 12 rather than 12A.

[badb]

We went to see this last night. I wasn’t aware it was a book, but I usually like Spielberg. I thought it was only ok. I feel like I have more questions about the world-building that I would have liked answers to it, but the exposition was already so long and clunky. I’m not very keen on avatar stuff - I would have preferred more real world sequences. The Shining sequence was great, but I love that film. I enjoyed it, but didn’t love it. Not a Spielberg classic, IMO.

I’m with a previous poster on the Nerdy Good Guy getting the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope - yawn.

[BarbaraOcumbungles]

Yes and The Shining references and Chucky too! Not what you’d expect in a kids film really.

[gussyfinknottle]

Not really supposed to be a kids' film. Teenagers maybe.