Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One has been met with some skepticism, with people on Twitter getting catty and South Park co-creator Trey Parker calling it “the most Member Berry thing ever.” The movie was also projected to have an opening weekend gross of only $45 million, which may need to be revised based on the rave reviews coming out of the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas, early Monday morning.
The movie held its “surprise” world premiere at SXSW on Sunday night, with Spielberg; cast members Tye Sheridan, Lena Waithe, Ben Mendelsohn, Win Morisaki, Philip Zhao, and Olivia Cooke; Ready Player One author Ernest Cline; and screenwriter Zak Penn in attendance.
The cast of #ReadyPlayerOne with Spielberg on the far right. #SXSW pic.twitter.com/bt5SIYw4Cr
— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) March 12, 2018
Spielberg cracked some jokes before the two hour and twenty minute (!) movie started, saying, “This is not a film that we’ve made, it is, I promise you, a movie.”
https://twitter.com/emilyyoshida/status/973025110041997313
"This is not a film that we've made. It is, I promise you, a movie." Steven Spielberg introduces READY PLAYER ONE #sxsw
— Mark Olsen (@IndieFocus) March 12, 2018
Spielberg just said he makes many films, like The Post, from behind the camera. He made Ready Player One from the audience. That’s the perfect summation of this experience.
— Eric Vespe (@EricVespe) March 12, 2018
The screening was beset with technical difficulties. About 100 minutes in, an action scene overloaded the sound system. The sound cut out a second time when the projectionist restarted the scene, but the third try worked. Moviegoers reportedly made their own sound effects for the silent versions of the scene. (There better have been plenty of “pew pew pew“-ing, or we’ll be very disappointed.)
Sound has gone out two-thirds of the way through Ready Player One and instead of getting mad the crowd is supplying its own sound effects and dialogue like it's The Room#sxsw
— Steven Zeitchik (@zeitchikWaPo) March 12, 2018
https://twitter.com/DRMovieNews/status/973061028559847425
#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
The audience reaction was overwhelmingly positive, and Warner seems to be encouraging critics to speak up:
Guess WB is confident in Spielberg and Ready Player One if people are allowed to post their reviews in the morning.
— ManaByte (@ManaByte) 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
— Erik Davis (@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
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) March 12, 2018
https://twitter.com/scottEweinberg/status/973062374470094849
https://twitter.com/InfernoLeo9/status/973079778097057792
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
https://twitter.com/graedrake/status/973067082148601857
Ready Player One: Legit great. This is why we love movies…why we need pop culture. Major Spielberg
— Sean Cordy (@sean_cordy) March 12, 2018
I’m so happy to be right about READY PLAYER ONE. That movie is everything that a great blockbuster needs to be. All the cynicism and negativity everyone’s been spouting is nothing compared to this film’s massive heart. Thank you, Mr. Spielberg, for make me a kid again for a night
— James Preston Poole (@JamesPPoole) March 12, 2018
https://twitter.com/xymarla/status/973062464916086784
https://twitter.com/frankpallotta/status/973061452192976898
https://twitter.com/SeanFennessey/status/973064575557033984
https://twitter.com/JacobQKnight/status/973062367872512000
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
https://twitter.com/Aaron_Morgan/status/973061563337924608
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
Some people pointed out the obvious:
Steven Spielberg's track-record of sci-fi movies …
– Close Encounters
– ET
– Jurassic Park
– AI
– Minority Report
– War of the Worlds… and you expected Ready Player One to suck?
— Danny Baram (@DannyBaram) March 12, 2018
All these surprised "wow Ready Player One is actually good!" reactions from film Twitter who have just been introduced to relative newcomer and unproven filmmaker Steven Spielberg
— Cal (@wyattyhalpert) March 12, 2018
And at least one viewer isn’t looking forward to a particular type of complainer:
https://twitter.com/JonRisinger/status/973070331639488512
Speaking of complaints, not everyone was thrilled:
literally my face during every second of Ready Player One. pic.twitter.com/dqZTNeN81r
— britt hayes (@britthates) 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
https://twitter.com/marrythedarkk/status/973064069761634304
#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 (@KristyPuchko) March 12, 2018
https://twitter.com/JonathanBarkan/status/973062694394826752
I'm seeing positive reviews of Ready Player One & I'm getting really scared. Not that I'm too cynical to enjoy a movie, but you know how when a movie does really well, other studios try to copy it? I'm not prepared for Ready Player One knockoffs
— 🔞 Cruel Angel's Pepis 🔞 (@SJWMEGATRON) March 12, 2018
Ready Player One opens March 29th.