Tag Archives: tye sheridan

READY, PLAYER ONE (2018) – My rating: 8/10

Ready, Player One is a  science fiction adventure film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, and written by Zak Penn and Ernest Cline, based on Cline’s 2011 novel of the same name.  Ready Player One is half real life and half virtual reality.  It’s shows what the world could look like in the future, everyone as obsessed with virtual reality as they are with Smart Phones.  This is all shown via a movie featuring a game — not my usual film preference however, this adventure is pretty good.

In 2045, many of Earth’s population centers have become slum-like cities. To escape their desolation, people engage in the virtual reality world of the OASIS (Ontologically Anthropocentric Sensory Immersive Simulation), where they can engage in numerous activities for work, education, and entertainment. Users have discovered Anorak’s Quest inside OASIS, a game programmed by the late OASIS creator, James Halliday (Mark Rylance). The first player to find the Easter egg, locked behind a gate requiring three keys within Anorak’s Quest is promised full ownership of OASIS, among other gifts. This has attracted a number of Gunters (“egg hunters”) to play the game. Innovative Online Industries (IOI), a video game conglomerate and manufacturer of most of the virtual reality equipment used to access the OASIS, also wants ownership. The new CEO of the company, Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn), has amassed an army of debt-indentured players, known as “Sixers” (due to their six-digit identification), to seek the prize. However, to date, no one has managed to finish the first quest, a vehicle race across an ever-shifting version of New York City.

Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), an orphaned, 20-year-old Gunter, lives in a Columbus, Ohio, slum with his Aunt Alice (Susan Lynch). In the OASIS, Wade goes by his avatar, Parzival, and has partnered with Aech (Lena Waithe), a male avatar that serves as a virtual mechanic. He later befriends well-known player Art3mis (Olivia Cooke) after saving her from dying in-game – referred to as being “zeroed out” – which would reset her avatar’s character progression and remove all her goods. Wade decides to study the virtual OASIS library to learn about Halliday’s personal life, hoping to find a hint to finish the race. Wade learns that Halliday felt regret when he had to accept the resignation of his partner, Ogden Morrow (Simon Pegg), over a personal falling-out, musing, “Why can’t we go backwards for once? Backwards really fast, as fast as we can – really put the pedal to the metal.” At the next race, Wade reverses from the start line, finding a hidden, safe path to the finish line of the race. He gains the first key and a clue to the next quest. Aech and Art3mis, as well as players Daito (Win Morisaki) and Sho (Philip Zhao), follow Wade to finish the quest, and the five appear atop the global scoreboards, becoming known as the “High Five”.

IOI takes interest in them, desiring to learn their real-life identities. Bounty hunter i-R0k (T.J. Miller) overhears Wade tell Art3mis his real name, disclosing it to Sorrento, who approaches Wade in an attempt to convince him to join IOI to solve Anorak’s Quest, but Wade refuses. In retaliation, Sorrento has his assistant F’Nale Zandor (Hannah John-Kamen) attack Wade’s slum, killing Wade’s aunt and her boyfriend. Wade is rescued by Art3mis’ real-life friends and is taken to a Gunter hideout in Columbus, where he meets Art3mis’ player, Samantha Cook (Olivia Cooke). The two discover that Halliday had once dated Kira (Perdita Weeks), who later became Morrow’s wife , and was the source of their falling-out. In the virtual OASIS archives, Wade wins a bet with its Curator regarding whether Kira’s memory remains anywhere within the archives, winning a 25-cent coin and access to Halliday’s memories of Kira, which turn out to be the entrance to the second quest. In a re-creation of The Shining, the High Five team each gain the second key and the clue that the last quest is in Castle Anorak on Planet Doom.

Ready, One Player get more intense that includes blackmail, hiding in a van, a rescue, deception, IOI, a kidnapping, and finally the winning of the company.  I found this film interesting but more for the younger folks.  You’ll stay in the game throughout the entire movie, making Ready One.. almost a total animated movie. If you like this sort of venture, you’ll love this movie but if you older and not into computer games, don’t bother.  Check it out if you dare!

 

X-MEN: APOCALYPSE (2016) – My rating: 9/10

XMenApocalypseX-Men: Apocalypse may very well be the best of the X-men series I’ve seen.  What made it so good was the clear, simple story that was still full of action, adventure and special effects galore.  I loved that the story wasn’t over the top, full of a million sub plots and tons of flash backs that you couldn’t put together until the end.  Instead, the story flowed and was kept simple and focused mostly on the current issues.  Of course that makes the film a little more predictable but you won’t have a king size headache when you leave the theater.  The plot is nothing I haven’t heard before.  Between Heroes (the TV series) and Marvel’s, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV series) it seems the “Mutants” are in the same boat all over the universe.  They’re considered dangerous and a threat to society, so they must be stopped by any means necessary.  In Apocalypse, the plan is to take control of them and use them to help rule the new world, headed up by an ancient “god” named En Sabah Nur / Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac) who was resurrected in 1983 after being entombed by worshipers who betrayed him in 3600 BC.  Claiming to be the first all powerful and immortal mutant born in ancient times, this god is able to give and take powers from other mutants at random.  Some of his powers include telekinesis, telepathy, technopathy, superhuman strength, and size-control.  His philosophy is to kill off backward civilizations. In other words, if you’re not modern, you’re history. He feels the world has lost its way without his leadership and wants to rebuild after destroying the present one. Apocalypse meets, recruits and upgrades the power of a pickpocket named Ororo Munroe / Storm (Alexandra Shipp – who can control the weather)  as one of  his 4 lieutenants. In the meanwhile,  Raven Darkhölme / Mystique, (Jennifer Lawrence – a shape-shifter) who is on her own, helping rescue mutants who are oppressed or enslaved, investigates an underground fight club and discovers Warren Worthington III / Angel / Archangel (Ben Hardy – A mutant with bird-like feathered wings on his back and is a champion fighter)  and Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee – a teleporting mutant). Raven rescues Kurt and employs the services of Caliban (Tómas Lemarquis – a  black marketeer and transporter) to safely transport him to the United States. En Sabah Nur discovers Elizabeth Braddock / Psylocke, (Olivia Munn – Caliban’s enforcer who is a mutant with telepathic and telekinetic abilities). He recruits her as the second of Apocalypse’s horsemen, known as Pestilence.  She leads him to Angel who he also recruits, upgrading his wings to metal.  He now needs one more recruit to complete his 4 horsemen.  He encounters a disgruntled  Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto (Michael Fassbender – a mutant with the ability to control magnetic fields and manipulate metal, who becomes the last of Apocalypse’s horsemen, known as War.)

New to the school of mutants, is  Scott Summers / Cyclops (Tye Sheridan – a mutant that fires uncontrollable, destructive optic beams and wears a visor or sunglasses to stabilize and contain them).  He is also the younger brother of  Alex Summers / Havok (Lucas Till – a mutant who has the ability to absorb energy and release it with destructive force from his body).

For you “Game of Thrones” fans, (Sophie Turner) plays Jean Grey a mutant who is scared of her telepathic and telekinetic power, and one of Charles Xavier’s most prized students.  Sophie gives a powerful performance in X-men and lends an aura of innocence missing from everyone else.  She is perfect in this role.

Logan / Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) makes an appearance in the movie that is unique and adds a bit of comic relief at just the right time.  Peter Maximoff / Quicksilver (Evan Peters – a mutant who can move, think, and perceive at supersonic speeds).  Quicksilver also has a secret everyone is going to want to know about.

As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Raven with the help of Professor Charles Xavier / Professor X,  (James McAvoy) must lead a team of young X-Men to stop their greatest nemesis and save mankind from complete destruction.  I urge you to see this sequel as it is loaded with surprises, twist and turns and is just down right good.   There are many more mutants and much more to this story.  I know I’ve given you lots of spoilers but it’s a needle in a hay stack compared to the what’s left to see.