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Scorecard Weekly - 'Ready Player One'

We're not gonna take it!

By Donovan BarlowPublished 5 years ago 5 min read
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OHHHHH! We’ve got a special treat for you guys today! We will be dropping two scorecards today. Yes. Yes. You can all thank us later. Christmas is right around the corner, so we’ll leave our Christmas lists attached and you all just get us what you want. If you love us, I mean… Really love us…

A Nintendo Switch with Super Smash Bros Ultimate 😊

All right—enough about Christmas and the gifts I’m sure you’ll all be buying us. Let’s get today’s epic adventure started…

WELCOME TO SCORECARD WEEKLY! The place where you come to get honest, uncut, and uncensored reviews of the newest and oldest, TV series and movies. Before we begin today’s card, let’s recap on what we are grading shall we? Please turn your attention to the invisible, non-existent whiteboard codename JARVIS—

Using our state-of-the-art scorecard, we grade:

  1. Setting/Characters
  2. Obstacles/Conflict
  3. Tone
  4. Concept

The minimum score for a section and card is one. The maximum score is five. Finally, we decide if it’s a recommend or pass.

On the menu today, we’re serving up the film READY PLAYER ONE brought to us by WARNER BROS PICTURES and directed by STEVEN SPIELBERG. This film is dedicated to every one of you pop culture geeks out there conquering the Oasis (including myself).

FIRST TO THE KEY!...

1. Setting/Characters

One of the many things I enjoyed about this film was its setting. Set in the year 2045, in a very unfamiliar part of my hometown Columbus, Ohio called The Stacks (I’ve never been there), it’s also set in a virtual reality universe called the OASIS. *Echo* Oasis. Oasis. Oasis. *End Echo* The Stacks look like SHIT. However, the Oasis is truly a paradise and YOU ARE REQUIRED to appreciate the elegance of something so extraordinary yet impossible—bummer. This universe sucks you in from the very beginning and the cherry on top is the incredibly relatable characters we’re introduced to.

A group who calls themselves High Five. A clique made of some unique individuals, all of whom play their role perfectly. Our main protagonist is literally the embodiment of pop culture. From games to movies to the inability to properly speak to a female, this kid takes the cake—but he’s so likeable. Add in his supporting cast and you will spend the entire film rooting for these underdogs. They bring the Oasis to life for us and I can hear Doc now—“Marty, you’ve got to come back with me!” Well, if Doc is headed to a year when the Oasis exists, don’t mind if I do!

He had a DeLorean.

Score- 5

2. Obstacles/Conflict

Something always gets in the way of our heroes saving the day. In this case, it’s a T-Rex, Kong, and even those creepy ass twins from The Shining (They make me shudder to this very day, so creepy!). A little back story, after the creator of the Oasis dies, he creates a game that involves finding the Golden egg, which requires three keys. The blood of your first born. The hair of a Griffon—you get the point. That’s not the only obstacle standing in their way. They have NO IDEA how to get these keys. Not only that but they are trying to stop the main antagonist and his shady corporation from getting there first.

They must decipher clues and memories just to find a way to stay ahead. Luckily, when your main protagonist has studied and idolized the creator of the Oasis down to the T, you place yourself in great company. Nothing comes easy. Expect loss and real-life human complications to play a role in this. The stakes are already as high as they can be, you’ve got half a trillion dollars on the line, the ownership of Oasis, and the possibility of zeroing out.

For this young group, they have nothing. They come from nothing. And I for one want to see them succeed because through the obstacles they face and the conflicts of real life, you will find no better characters to root for. *THUMBS UP*

Score- 5

3. Tone

This film is an adrenaline rush. It’s an action-packed adventure, one that you will thoroughly enjoy. It goes over and beyond to create this sense of nostalgia and all you can do is watch and appreciate it. You’ll catch yourself pointing out the various references throughout pop culture history, taking you back to your childhood or adulthood—depends on how old you just might be. It’s a rollercoaster of memories and fun the entire family will enjoy.

Score- 5

4. Concept

This film is just an adaption from the book with the same name written by Ernest Cline, who helped write the screenplay. I’ve personally never read the book and we are scoring based off the film alone, so all you diehards should breathe easy and keep your judgement to yourself—kidding. We don’t care. The concept is amazing. The story itself is incredible. Whether it’s an original or adaption, this story is marketable, and we all know how hit or miss science-fiction films can be (We’re looking at you, John Carter). You will sit through this film and WISH this shit existed. I’ve already chosen my avatar. *cough cough* GOKU *cough cough* It encompasses what having an imagination is all about. Nothing is impossible. What’s not to love about that?...

Score- 5

Overall Score- 5/5

Final Verdict- Recommend

Final Thoughts

Overall, this film is a masterpiece and not in the sense of it being perfect because it isn’t. We just didn’t find enough to sway our opinions on it. It’s got something for the entire family and I’m sure you’ll want to watch it more than once—we have. Try to remove the fact that it’s an adaptation and just watch the film purely for entertainment and we can guarantee, you will be.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for stopping by! Until next time, that’s all we’ve got for you guys.

FIRST TO THE EGG!

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About the Creator

Donovan Barlow

Screenwriter, Father, King of the pirates, Demogorgon Killer, and The People’s Champion (Sorry Rock)

Follow me on Twitter

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