"Ready Player One" Review

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A revival of '80s geek culture has been going on for a while now, especially as evidenced by (maybe caused by?) the dominance of superhero movies and the rebooting of sci-fi franchises. What's more, these often make more '80s references in the form of "easter eggs" and in-jokes. Some are subtle and surprising (Tony Stark catches a SHIELD officer playing Galaga) while others are the sum total of the appeal (practically every other line in Guardians of the Galaxy). Ready Player One author Ernest Cline tapped into this trend in a big way, admittedly slightly earlier than either of those examples (2011).

The thing is, the '80s "wink winks" are starting to wear on me. I don't know if it's because I only really remember half of the '80s, having been born at the first part of that decade, or because the references are becoming a lazy shortcut to humor and audience appreciation.

Ready Player One is a book full of those forced references. The difference is that these aren't usually played for humor. They're at the heart of the plot and setting because both were created by someone even more obsessed with '80s culture than Star-Lord. Sometimes this works really well. Other times it's like reading Wikipedia. For chapters on end. Especially in the beginning.

Despite how it sounds, I enjoyed this book and felt completely engrossed in the plot - especially once it actually got going. It worked on me the way The Big Bang Theory does (and coincidentally, both feature Wil Wheaton as himself). Unfortunately, said sitcom tends to divide audiences, offending some for its perpetuation of geek and other stereotypes. This book has some of that going on, too. Occasionally Cline tries to balance the pure escapism by challenging some of those stereotypes (and pure escapism itself), but these moments feel a little clumsy and disingenuous. See the SPOILERS section below for examples.

That said, this book is really more safe than offensive or controversial, focused more on nostalgia than originality. The cover blurb calls it a cross between Willy Wonka and The Matrix, and it's startling how accurate that is. All its really fun elements are not just borrowed from other games and movies; they are those games and movies, so you can only enjoy it as much as you enjoy watching someone else play Pac Man or watch WarGames. I spent much of the book distracted by the knowledge that this is being made into a movie, wondering how they will possibly get the rights to all those properties or recreate them in a way that doesn't just look like a supercut of unrelated characters and settings. I predict the movie will fall short in its inevitable comparison to Wreck-it Ralph, especially if it keeps the content that prevents it from being appropriate for kids. It will probably be more at home alongside lesser known but successful teen action/comedies like Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

The thing is, Ready Player One knows what it is, which is every gamer's dream: a conflict that can only be overcome by being good at games and knowing otherwise useless trivia! For as long as such a premise can possibly work, this one does.

Ninja Turtles and Other Mutants: An Illustrated History

teenagemutantninjaturtlesmovie.com

Egyptian Gods. Fairy tale creatures. Mickey Mouse. Animals have always been used to tell stories, but in these cases - and many, many others - they don't just talk, as in, say, The Jungle Book or Finding Nemo. They also stand upright, wear clothing, and generally behave like humans. They are anthropomorphic (anthro, "human being" + morphe, "form").

In these past two weeks, two blockbusters featuring humanoid animals were released: Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy with Rocket Raccoon, and the rebooted Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Critics loved the first and hated the second. Neither quite lived up to my expectations. Admittedly, the hype itself was more entertaining in both cases, allowing me to revisit my longstanding love of "mutant" characters and how they have fueled my own imagination. So I give you my TMNT review by way of this lengthy illustrated history!

"Guardians of the Galaxy" Review

marvel.com/guardians

Background: I didn't have any. I knew Guardians of the Galaxy was the 10th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and enjoyed the first trailer so much I showed it to my college students.

The Good: For me, most everything in this category is showcased in the various trailers -- upbeat music, witty one-liners, self-parody, colorful mutant characters, etc. Extra:

• The 1988 prologue shows hero Peter Quill about as old as I was then. Thus begins the long series of fun 80s references. Bonus: His emotional attachment is more than just nostalgia.
• Dave Bautista's character Drax ("the Destroyer!" my boys quickly reminded me, informed by the LEGO Marvel Super Heroes video game) struck me as boring in the trailers, especially alongside the goofy Rocket, Groot, and Star-Lord. Turns out he's funny, too.
• I'd counted on my boys loving Groot. He doesn't disappoint, especially in his final scenes.

What Does Disappoint (some spoilers):

• Underuse of the bad guys, most of whom are whiny and boring (although I still liked Karen Gillan's Nebula). Lee Pace's black face lingerie is weird. And in case anyone's counting, this is the second Thanos tease telling us how scary he is without showing us. What does he do when Ronan betrays him? Nothin'. Granted, they have shown us the power of the Infinity Stones (here and in Thor: The Dark World), and imply that he is strong enough to wield them. I expect this to pay off eventually.
• Very predictable and forgettable plot, like an afterthought.
• For introducing entire new worlds to the MCU, it is surprisingly short on "world-building." You just sort of have to accept that all this is going on outside Earth's knowing, even though Earth culture and dialect is prevalent throughout. It's like Star Trek without the lens flare.
• Scenery is a bit claustrophobic and dull. I actually kind of missed the Star Trek lens flare.
• Worst post-credit scene of all the MCU. Isn't the point of these to show how the different installments are connected? Instead we get a cameo from a goofy character most people don't know belongs to Marvel. (Thanks again to LEGO Marvel, my boys were happily in-the-know.)

Conclusion: Win for my boys! What else matters?