RACE FOR THE PRIZE

READY PLAYER ONE

Steven Spielberg scores a gloriously entertaining victory against the video game generation in his latest blockbuster sci-fi adventure. Combining stunning technique and astonishing CGI effects, it rockets along like Christopher Nolan’s brainy thriller Inception remade with the manic energy and humour of The Lego Movie.

Packed with references to your favourite films, songs and games of the 1980s, it’s based on Ernest Cline’s bestselling 2011 novel of the same name.

Tye Sheridan is a hugely likeable lead as Wade Watts, a trailer trash youth who spends all his time in the Oasis which, in 2045, is the world’s most popular virtual reality game. It was invented by the late James Halliday, whose will stipulated whoever could solve his grand puzzle would inherit the Oasis and its mind-boggling wealth.

Everyone uses an online avatar to protect their identity as they compete to win the prize, including Olivia Cooke’s ultracompetitive Sam, and the corporate bad guys intent on a hostile takeover.

Mark Rylance appears as Halliday and Spielberg uses the Brit actor as his own avatar to give us a touching reflection on his own life.

The world’s greatest living director cleverly uses cinema to reinvent a book about virtual reality to emphasise the importance of real face-to-face human interaction. Additionally, Spielberg turns Cline’s homage to pop culture into a satirical swipe at the monetisation of the health and criminal justice systems.

He also includes warnings about online trust and celebrity, and a critique of corporate exploitation of the young.

But none of this is allowed to weigh down the fun or the thrills and it’s full of optimism for the youth of tomorrow.

Demonstrating his enduring ability to entertain while embracing the latest technology and remaining relevant to a modern audience, Spielberg proves beyond doubt that he is still Hollywood’s number one player. Opens next Wednesday Cert 12A Running time 139 minutes Demonstrating his enduring ability to entertain and remain relevant, Spielberg proves he’s still number one in Hollywood