Movies vs. Books: Ready Player One

I believe that some books should be left alone as they can never fully capture the imagination of the fandom or the author.

Welcome to another episode of Movies vs. Books, where we assess whether a movie adaptation of our favorite book was worth it. 

We bookworms always look forward to seeing our favorite books come to life on the big screen. Ironically, we often have to endure the pain of seeing them fail spectacularly such that we dread subsequent announcements of adaptations for other books we love. It’s truly a love-hate relationship, this business of book-to-screen adaptations.

The producers make another promise, and we have hope. Sometimes our wishes come to pass. But at other times, the result is woeful, and then we go through this over and over, an eternal circle of expectations, pain, acceptance, and excitement. Toxicity at its peak!

I believe that some books should be left alone as they can never fully capture the imagination of the fandom or the author. However, I understand then when you are in a studio with lots of money and want to make more profit, some things just have to go. We, the readers, have to fold our hands and hope for the best. 

Ready Player One was set in 2044, with reality in a sorry state. We are talking about no lawns, stacks, and stacks of trail houses, etc. Wade Watts only derives joy when he is plugged into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. 

Wade has devoted time studying the puzzles hidden within this world’s digital confines, based on their creator’s obsession with the pop culture of decades past, to win the massive fortune promised to whoever can unlock them after the owner’s death.

When he stumbles upon the first clue, he is harassed by players willing to do all it takes, even kill, to win. The race to the finish line is on, and to survive, Wade has to win while confronting both virtual and real-world problems.

I happened to watch Ready Player One before I read it. I read the book and was impressed, but I prefer the film to the book. 

The CGI was excellent, as it brought that world to life. This isn’t something book-to-movie adaptations generally do well, so I was impressed. I am not a gamer or a big pop culture fan, but I got some references in the books because I had read widely. 

The book was quite long, and sometimes I had to speed-read some parts, especially when Wade locked himself up. On the other hand, the movie plot diverted a bit from the source material. The story was great and was delivered effortlessly. The soundtrack was amazing! This is the first time a movie won me over than the book, so I got to celebrate.

Of course, the movie isn’t perfect, and some things could have been done better, but we hope that Wade gets a mentor to help him change the world for good. 

Movie Rating: 4.5
Book Rating: 3.5