Last night at SXSW, Steven Spielberg’s geek epic Ready Player One rocked the house during its world premiere at the Paramount Theater, where it was apparently plagued with technical problems and speakers blowing out during a massive action scene. Now the Ready Player One reactions have hit Twitter, and with a few notable exceptions, the critics seemed to have very much enjoyed the ride! Check out the reactions below!
Ready Player One stars Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Mark Rylance, Simon Pegg, T.J. Miller, Hannah John-Kamen and Ben Mendelsohn.
The film is set in 2045, with the world on the brink of chaos and collapse. But the people have found salvation in the OASIS, an expansive virtual reality universe created by the brilliant and eccentric James Halliday (Mark Rylance). When Halliday dies, he leaves his immense fortune to the first person to find a digital Easter egg he has hidden somewhere in the OASIS, sparking a contest that grips the entire world. When an unlikely young hero named Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) decides to join the contest, he is hurled into a breakneck, reality-bending treasure hunt through a fantastical universe of mystery, discovery and danger..
A Warner Bros. Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures production, the Ready Player One movie is being directed by Steven Spielberg, who is also producing alongside Donald De Line, under his De Line Pictures banner, Dan Farah and Kristie Macosko Krieger. Bruce Berman will serve as executive producer. Based on Ernest Cline’s novel, the screenplay is by Cline and Zak Penn. Alan Silvestri (Back to the Future trilogy) will compose the music.
Ready Player One gets its game on when it opens on March 29, 2018.
#ReadyPlayerOne is classic Spielberg fun! What a blast, can’t wait to see it again. Rewards repeat viewings. Tons of great references, visuals and heart. So kick ass it blew the speakers!
— Robert Rodriguez (@Rodriguez) March 12, 2018
#ReadyPlayerOne is classic Steven Spielberg. It’s got the references, the ferocious effects and the great ‘80s soundtrack, sure, but also the charm, the heart, the humor and a fantastic Alan Silvestri score. I loved it & so did this #SXSW crowd. Be excited for it! pic.twitter.com/xwPOGwXDxd
— ErikDavis (@ErikDavis) March 12, 2018
I don’t know if I have ever seen a #SXSW crowd cheer on a movie the way they just cheered on #ReadyPlayerOne. We haven’t seen this Spielberg in a long time – it’s just pure entertainment and it’s hard not to watch it without a dorky smile on your face the whole time
— ErikDavis (@ErikDavis) March 12, 2018
TOTALLY engrossed in every second of @readyplayerone. It is one of the most technically brilliant things I have EVER seen. Spielberg is one of the few directors who could orchestrate this kind of visual symphony that SO many people will enjoy. Pretty amazing.
— Grae Drake (@graedrake) March 12, 2018
So yeah, I LOVED Ready Player One. It’s perhaps the geekiest movie ever made. So so so happy right now!
— Eric Vespe (@EricVespe) March 12, 2018
Ready Player One is a whole lot of fun. Those who are stuck in pre-release hate mode better prepare to be disappointed. #sxsw
— Scott Weinberg (@scottEweinberg) March 12, 2018
Bit of technical difficulties during climax of #ReadyPlayerOne sound cut out and it stopped. Don’t they know all they need to do is take the cartridge of the film out and blow on it!? Duh! …Seriously though this film is a gamers dream! Kick Ass so far!
— Joe Vargas (@AngryJoeShow) March 12, 2018
READY PLAYER ONE: So so so much movie. Sometimes too much but what I kept thinking over and over again was “my kids are gonna LOVE THIS.” It is joyous and thrilling for the people who it’s designed to joy and thrill.
— Brian Tallerico (@Brian_Tallerico) March 12, 2018
#ReadyPlayerOne posits a corporate big wig who exploits fan culture for profit as its villain. The irony of that is giving me a headache. This is no love letter to pop culture. It’s a crass play to nostalgia; it offers nothing new or exciting.
— Kristy Puchko SXSW (@KristyPuchko) March 12, 2018
Just. These movies matter so much to people. To just slap on iconography and references like they are stickers on a bedroom door. It’s such shallow use. It exploits your love for these things instead of earning it.
— Kristy Puchko SXSW (@KristyPuchko) March 12, 2018
STANDING OVATION at the end of #ReadyPlayerOne
— Beatrice Verhoeven (@bverhoev) March 12, 2018
If this doesn’t answer whether people loved #ReadyPlayerOne, I don’t know what will. pic.twitter.com/2uXGYCAck7
— Beatrice Verhoeven (@bverhoev) March 12, 2018
Went into READY PLAYER ONE skeptical as hell. Came out largely as a joyous convert. I have a handful of issues with the structure and characters, but it improves on the book in important ways, the action is riveting, and I really bought the humor. #readyplayerone
— Tasha Robinson (@TashaRobinson) March 12, 2018
READY PLAYER ONE is a big Trapper-Keeper stuffed full of smiles, Adventure, and heart.
I adore it.#sxsw
READY PLAYER ONE: The #SXSW crowd ate it up! The pop culture references are a LOT of fun, geeky glee to see everything together on the big screen. I just wanted more of the real world & more character backstory. I definitely recommend reading the book first! pic.twitter.com/afGpsxdzr8
— Alicia Malone (@aliciamalone) March 12, 2018
— Aaron Morgan (@Aaron_Morgan) March 12, 2018
READY PLAYER ONE feels like Spielberg watched a ton of Luc Besson movies and decided to outdo them. In terms of pure spectacle, it’s the most astonishing thing he’s done. Never underestimate Steve. #SXSW
— erickohn (@erickohn) March 12, 2018
#ReadyPlayerOne There were some problems at the screening, however the movie itself is everything a geek could dream of. So much fun.
— Daniel R (@DanielRPK) March 12, 2018
Guaranteed. There will be a special brand of people who will complain about how much others enjoy watching @readyplayerone. The good news is the rest of us get to enjoy watching Ready Player One. Holy shit, I know I did.
— Jon Risinger (@JonRisinger) March 12, 2018
READY PLAYER ONE is full of giant, dorky heart. I both want to hug it and give it a noogie #sxsw
— Meredith Borders (@xymarla) March 12, 2018
Well everyone relax, Ready Player One will indeed be the biggest thing in the world
— Emily Yoshida (@emilyyoshida) March 12, 2018
The biggest suspension of disbelief in Ready Player One comes at the presumption that anyone in humanity would ever colloquially shorten “egg hunters” to “gunters” and it would catch on
— Jenny Nicholson (@JennyENicholson) March 12, 2018
literally my face during every second of Ready Player One. pic.twitter.com/dqZTNeN81r
— Britt Hayes (@MissBrittHayes) March 12, 2018
Ready Player One is a pop culture extravaganza. A truly one of a kind film that combines video games, tv, movies, music, & action figures into one huge crowd pleasing film. Prepare to be wowed & see this on the biggest screen with the best sound system possible. #ReadyPlayerOne pic.twitter.com/Tj6QuqI9oF
— Scott Menzel @ SXSW (@TheOtherScottM) March 12, 2018
Ready Player One was, without a doubt, one of the best experiences I’ve ever had watching a movie. Thank you Steven Spielberg for this masterpiece!!
— Rach (@heythererachy) March 12, 2018
So, yeah, READY PLAYER ONE is the most fun I’ve had watching a Steven Spielberg film since CATCH ME IF YOU CAN #SXSW
— Jordan Ruimy (@mrRuimy) March 12, 2018
READY PLAYER ONE: Good lord I was wrong about this one. It’s oodles of fun and kind of the antithesis of Cline’s novel in terms of its quality. References weren’t too cloying for me, but I was so close I couldn’t pick out too much. #sxsw
— Nick Johnston (@onlysaysficus) March 12, 2018
(Photo Credit: Getty Images)