Yes, it’s true! In case you haven’t heard, the legendary book Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is set to become a movie from Warner Brothers. I first heard this (or more accurately - read about) this when reading through all of the authors back posts on his great blog – Monkey Making Noise. Highly entertaining for fans of the book or for anyone who just enjoys geeking out a lot. Like me.
Side note: I guess I should also point out that if you read any further there will be plot spoilers abound, so go no further if you are not prepared to find out more than you bargained for!
So, back to the topic at hand… I was pretty dang excited to hear about the book becoming a film. I read it was to become a movie the day I finished reading the book. I was pretty ecstatic, in fact. There were several times during my reading sessions where I’d think – “Damn! That would make a cooooool movie clip.” Like right away with Anorak’s Invitation – that whole thing played out in my head as if it were a movie. I could literally *see* the scenes morphing between invite and 80s clips. And the gunter v. Sixer battles? That I can’t wait to see!
There is chat over on the goodreads forum and there are some people who are definitely in the “Don’t Go There, Man!” boat. Many fear that it will not translate well and may come off as campy or dumb (and I’m paraphrasing here). So that got me to thinking.
The book definitely has a story line brilliant enough to stand up to some spectacular special effects and CGI animation whimsy (I’m thinking battle scenes and such). The soundtrack – well, it’s gonna rock! And the video game graphics for the older games should be pretty cool. I am a bit worried about the OASIS landscape. I don’t know if I want to watch a movie that is half set in Azerothian-land. Could be cool, but could also loose me. I don’t know. On that point I’m torn, and the more I think about it, the more hefty that portion of the story depends on being really, REALLY good, or it’s going to pull the viewer right out of the story.
I wouldn’t be opposed to an all out camp-onslaught either! The insta-classic kind of film that is at once engrossing and laughable all at the same time (think Starship Troopers meets Dogs in Space). I could go for some of that too. What do you think? Do you want to see a rockin’ LOTR genre-flick with lots of 80s tunes and in your face FX? Or are you in the mood for something a little more cultish and downplayed for all the right reasons?
Me? I want both – ha ha! Yeah, see what I did there? I cheated. I want to have my (pac man) cake and eat it too!
