READY PLAYER ONE Gets A Phenomenal Response At Its SXSW Premiere: "Classic Steven Spielberg"
Ready Player One held its worldwide premiere last night and received an extremely positive reception from a soldout SXSW audience. Come check out over twenty instant Twitter reactions and reviews now!
Never. Underestimate. Steven. Spielberg.
Despite the trolls being out in full force over the past several weeks, the legendary filmmaker has once again proven all the naysayers wrong as his latest, Ready Player One, received an extremely warm reception from an enthusiastic sold-out crowd at its SXSW premiere last night. A brief technical glitch with the Paramount Theater's sound system couldn't even derail fans from singing the film's praises all over social media last night.
Spielberg and the entire principal cast, which consists of Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Lena Waithe, Win Morisaki, Philip Zhao, and Ben Mendelsohn were in attendance alongside Ernest Cline, who, of course, wrote the Ready Player One novel.
Check out some of the reviews and instant reactions below:
To view every reaction at once, simply click on the VIEW LIST (ONE PAGE) button below!
Erik Davis, Managing Editor at Fandango
High praise from Fandango's Erik Davis, who likens the film to some of Steven Spielberg's best. He notes that while the references are fun, it's the charm, the heart, the humor, and score that will make a lasting impression and leave you smiling from ear-to-ear when you walk out of the cinema on March 29th.
Grae Drake, Senior Editor at Rotten Tomatoes
Grae Drake, of Rotten Tomatoes, heaps praise on the visuals, labeling the movie as "one of the most technically brilliant things" she has ever seen. She also has very nice things to say about Steven Spielberg.
Robert Rodriguez, Director
Robert Rodriguez, who directed this December's Alita: Battle Angel, was in attendance last night for Spielberg's latest and like Davis, dubbed the film "classic Spielberg fun!' He also suggests repeated viewings due to the abundance of references.
Beatrice Verhoeven, Film Reporter at The Wrap
Verhoeven went in with low expectations but walked out a big fan of the film. She also describes the premiere audience, which was pretty enthusiastic, cheering and laughing throughout the latest Spielberg blockbuster.
Eric Kohn, Deputy Editor and Chief Critic for IndieWire
Kohn begins his official review with arguably the truest words ever spoken about a film director: "Never, ever underestimate Steven Spielberg." His instant Tweet reaction echoes the same sentiment, labeling the film as "the most astonishing thing he's done."
Read his full review HERE.
Sean Fennessey, Editor-in-Chief at The Ringer
The Ringer's Sean Fennessey weighs in with one of the most to-the-point reactions of the night as he describes Spielberg's latest as "really fun." Several critics seemed to share this viewpoint, which should bode well for its box office potential when it hits theaters on March 29th and runs pretty much uninterrupted until Avengers: Infinity War opens on April 27th.
Tasha Robinson, Film/TV Editor at Verge
Robinson also went in with some skepticism but walked out a fan of what Spielberg has done with the source material, claiming it's a big improvement on the big. She does note that there are some issues, namely with structure and the characters, but the action and humor really make up for it.
Read her official review HERE.
Eric Vespe, Sr. Entertainment Writer for The Know at Rooster Teeth
Vespe loved the film, and dubs it "the geekiest movie ever made." He also shared a quote from Spielberg who said that he made the film from the audience's point-of-view, which is very apparent throughout.
Read his full review HERE.
Brian Tallerico, Editor at RogerEbert.com
Tallerico says the film goes above and beyond, sometimes even too much, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. He goes on to say that fans will be filled with joy and thrilled to their heart's content, with some parts of the film even feeling like the legendary director is sitting right next to you, enjoying every reference and the thrilling action just as much as you are.
Read his full review HERE.
Emily Yoshida, Film Critic at Vulture
Yoshida also had positive things to say about the film, claiming that it will "indeed be the biggest thing in the world." She was also pleasantly surprised by how good the OASIS avatars look and feel.
Scott Weinberg, Film Writer at Nerdist
Weinberg did a little Q&A following the premiere screening and shared a few interesting thoughts, including that he thought the movie improved on several things he disliked about the book. He also has bad news for the RPO haters, saying they're going to be disappointed with how good the film actually is.
Aaron Morgan, Director/Writer
Morgan walked out in adoration of Ready Player One, saying the film will leave you smiling from ear-to-ear by the time the credits rolll with its pure adventure tale and massive heart.
Owen Gleiberman, Variety
"It's an accomplished and intermittently hypnotic movie. Yet you may feel like you're occupied more than you are invested."
Variety's Owen Gleiberman gives the film one of its many positive early reviews but while he believes the feature is absolutely engaging, he seems to have had some trouble fully investing in the characters and/or story.
Read his full review HERE.
John DeFore, The Hollywood Reporter
"A rollicking adventure through worlds both bleak and fantastic, Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One makes big changes to the specifics and structure of Ernest Cline's best-selling novel but keeps the spirit and level-up thrills intact."
The Hollywood Reporter also had a glowing review, claiming that "a much-loved fanboy novel gets the movie it deserves." DeFore notes that Spielberg keeps the spirit of the novel alive while also making some much-needed deviations.
Read his full review HERE.
Joanna Robinson, Vanity Fair
"There is a heart beating at the center of The Goonies, E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, and more-but in Ready Player One, audiences will instead find a gleaming, digital, golden Easter egg... for many, that will be enough."
Vanity Fair's Joanna Robinson walked out with high praise for the film's heart, likening it favorably to several Spielberg films that have come before it. She also says that for those just looking to have a fun time at the cinema, Spielberg delivers exactly that - tenfold.
Read her full review HERE.
Jacob Knight, Birth.Movies.Death.
"Ready Player One is one of the most egregiously set piece-driven slices of pop cinema we've seen in a long while."
If you're looking to have a good time before Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters in late April, then Ready Player One is the way to go as Spielberg delivers one of the most entertaining films in his entire career.
Read his full interview HERE.
Marlow Stern, The Daily Beast
"It is without question the most entertaining film Spielberg has made since Catch Me If You Can."
Many have echoed this sentiment, sharing that it's arguably Spielberg's most mass-appeal and thoroughly entertaining film since the early 2000s when he launched a pretty stellar trifecta that included Catch Me If You Can, Minority Report, and War of the Worlds. The Daily Beast's Marlow Stern had not read the book prior to watching the movie, and still managed to have a good time.
Read his full review HERE.
Britt Hayes, ScreenCrush
"The cinematic equivalent of a pop-culture mashup tee."
ScreenCrush's Britt Hayes offers one of the only negative reviews of the night, not exactly enthralled by what Speilberg had to offer this time around. She was also not a fan of the novel, so her reaction to the film is not particularly surprising.
Read her full interview HERE.
David Crow, Den of Geek
"The adaptation of the Ernest Cline novel is a supremely entertaining crowd-pleaser, and a film that brings something to the table everyone should be wistful for: that classic Spielberg touch."
If you've been waiting for the better part of the last decade for Spielberg to step away from serious dramas for a bit and just bring something purely joyful to the screen, then Ready Player One is the movie for you. Den of Geek's David Crow labels it an absolutely "entertaining crowd-pleaser."
Read his full interview HERE.
Scott Menzel, We Live Entertainment
"A groundbreaking visual spectacle that combines all types of popular media and rolls them into one massive and must-see motion picture experience."
We Live Entertainment's Scott Menzel is the latest to say the film is an absolute "must-see motion picture experience." He wasn't the only one either as the housefull crowd erupted in applause the second the credits began to roll, standing in awe of Spielberg's latest masterpiece.
Read his full review HERE.
Warner Bros.
Following the worldwide premiere at SXSW, Warner Bros. released a pair of tweets that offer up some of the best pull quotes. Get ready to enter the OASIS on March 29th.
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.
Ready Player One features:
Director: Steven Spielberg
Tye Sheridan as Wade Owen Watts/Parzival
Olivia Cooke as Art3mis
Ben Mendelsohn as Nolan Sorrento
Simon Pegg as Ogden "Og" Morrow
Mark Rylance as James Donovan Halliday/Anorak
T.J. Miller as i-R0k
Hannah John-Kamen in an undisclosed role
Lena Waithe as Aech
Win Morisaki as Toshiro Yoshiaki/Daito
Philip Zhao as Akihide Karatsu/Shoto
Ralph Ineson as Rick
Letitia Wright as Reb
Mckenna Grace in an undisclosed role
Ready Player One logs into the OASIS on March 29