4k Movie, Streaming, Blu-Ray Disc, and Home Theater Product Reviews & News | High Def Digest
Film & TV All News Blu-Ray Reviews Release Dates News Pre-orders 4K Ultra HD Reviews Release Dates News Pre-orders Gear Reviews News Home Theater 101 Best Gear Film & TV
Ultra HD : Recommended
Ranking:
Sale Price: $24.98 Last Price: $41.99 Buy now! 3rd Party 12.45 In Stock
Release Date: July 24th, 2018 Movie Release Year: 2018

Ready Player One - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Overview -

Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One is a nostalgia-fueled ride through a virtual world made up almost entirely of pop-culture references, and the legendary filmmaker manages to make the whole spectacle into an entertaining piece of escapism. The movie plugs into the world of 4K Ultra HD with a fantastic Dolby Vision presentation, a demo-worthy Dolby Atmos soundtrack, and a healthy set of supplements, making the overall package Recommended for fans and the curious.

We've also reviewed the movie on Blu-ray.

In the year 2045, the real world is a harsh place. The only time Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) truly feels alive is when he escapes to the OASIS, an immersive virtual universe where most of humanity spend their days. In the OASIS, you can go anywhere, do anything, be anyone—the only limits are your own imagination. The OASIS was created by the brilliant and eccentric James Halliday (Mark Rylance), who left his immense fortune and total control of the OASIS to the winner of a three-part contest he designed to find a worthy heir. When Wade conquers the first challenge of the reality-bending treasure hunt, he and his friends—known as the High Five—are hurled into a fantastical universe of discovery and danger to save the OASIS and their world.

OVERALL:
Recommended
Rating Breakdown
STORY
VIDEO
AUDIO
SPECIAL FEATURES
Tech Specs & Release Details
Technical Specs:
Region Free
Video Resolution/Codec:
Dolby Vision HDR
Length:
140
Aspect Ratio(s):
2.39:1
Audio Formats:
Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles/Captions:
English, Spanish, French, Portuguese
Special Features:
Digital Copy
Release Date:
July 24th, 2018

Storyline: Our Reviewer's Take

Ranking:

Steven Spielberg's latest sci-fi blockbuster Ready Player One is a strange sort of creature — a complete hodgepodge of blatant allusions specifically intended for sparking the nostalgia feels, which it does with manipulative effectiveness. The whole thing is Christmas-wrapped in a tale about saving a virtual reality game, and the rest of the world by extension, called the OASIS from falling into the hands of a greedy corporation controlled by self-centered businessman Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn). The high-concept plot is straightforward and uncomplicated, specially designed so as not to interfere with the smorgasbord of cultural references largely making up the film, which is, after all, the main attraction. Of course, the script, based on the book of the same name by Ernest Cline, introduces a few challenges and mild complexity in the way of reluctant, would-be hero Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) and a band of resistance fighters, but ultimately, audiences book a passage to this adventure fantasy purely for the sake of wistful escapism.

And this is precisely what makes Spielberg's adaptation a strange and fascinating piece of entertainment. Wade explains in voiceover that many of the world's economies are in ruins, forcing much of an unemployed society survives in overcrowded ghettos or congested cities where trailer homes are piled on top of each other like skyscrapers. Rather than deal or face the problem, however, people ignore the sad, deplorable conditions of their reality by escaping into the OASIS where players can be whoever or whatever they want. And most participants, as far moviegoers can see, choose fanciful, almost futuristic looking characters. But the world is an amalgamation of a past they never personally experienced because it was long before their time, rendering the pop-culture references throughout meaningless outside of a fondness established by the game's creator James Halliday (Mark Rylance). After his death, his fondness has grown into society's obsession, attaching a sense of identity to a romanticized pastiche of an imaginary "carefree" time.

There is something strangely familiar and relatable to this dystopian future — beyond the obvious idea of escapism through social media and video games. It's the preoccupation with the pop-culture of the past, of a contemporary society failing to create something new and unique. And because of this fixation with pointless abstractions, the more problematic it becomes to live in the present, which admittedly, is the plot's central theme. What's really interesting though is how this theme also seems to be an indictment of us, an audience also seeking an escape from the troubled times of the present. Similar to Wade, we put on our rose-tinted glasses as to be whisked away to an imaginary world that feeds our nostalgic yearnings. For some, it's almost like a game where we're spending a majority of the time pointing out and guessing the references instead of a story about the game's creator hiding three difficult challenges in order to find a new owner. Funny enough, the plot is itself a subtle reference to Willy Wonka's efforts passing on his legacy.

Perhaps even more curious is Spielberg somehow making the whole spectacle entertaining rather than its downfall. The legendary filmmaker embraces the irony and even revels in it, a man partially responsible for creating much of what is seen on screen in the first place. His signature style for the grandiose and child-like wonderment are in full display, providing the production with a great deal of its charm though it tends to drag its feet in the middle of the second act. The subplot with love-interest Art3mis (Olivia Cooke) feels forced and distracting at times, but Spielberg eventually reigns it in and makes it fit into the storyline by the end. But again, this is not a tale to challenge viewers as much as simply enjoy the phantasmagoric visuals, to wallow in the momentary delight of escaping the real world with the imaginary. As Wade explains its when playing the classic Atari game Adventure, savor the pleasure in simply playing the game, wandering through the world its creator gifted participants, and Ready Player One is most definitely not about the absurdly predictable conclusion but about the fun of being immersed in pop-culture references of the past.

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Warner Home Video brings Ready Player One to Blu-ray as a two-disc combo pack with a flyer code for a Digital Copy. When redeeming said code via WB.com, Movies Anywhere and VUDU, it includes the SD, HDX (1080p) and UHD with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. The triple-layered UHD100 disc sits comfortably opposite a Region Free, BD50 disc, and both are housed inside a black, eco-cutout case with a glossy slipcover. At startup, viewers are taken to a menu screen with the usual options along the bottom, full-motion clips, and music playing in the background.

Video Review

Ranking:

Spielberg's latest adventure fantasy readies to play on 4K Ultra HD with a totally tubular HEVC H.265 encode that shines as bright as the mystical Orb of Osuvox. Spot-on contrast supplies the picture with pitch-perfect and resplendent whites, making the brightest sections, such as the aforementioned orb and digital explosions, radiate with eye-squinting luminosity and the clothes glow with a sterile intensity. Specular highlights are a mixed bag, providing certain objects and areas with a lustrous, dazzling glisten, but then, in others, the whitest spots bloom just enough to engulf the finer details, such as the orb from a distance or explosions. Brightness levels shower the 2.39:1 image with rich, silky blacks while showing superb gradational differences between the various shades, making the OASIS all the more beautiful to behold and admire. Velvety shadows also penetrate deep into the background while still exposing the tiniest aspect in the darkest corner and generating a lovely three-dimensional feel.

Janusz Kaminski's cinematography makes for a fascinating watch in Dolby Vision, as it ignites the screen with a rad blend of neon colors when in the OASIS while still seeming somewhat restrained and slightly dulled. This is all intentional, of course, for making the real world seem gloomier and dourer, but there are splashes of electrifying blues and deep, crimson reds in the advertisements and several other spots. The rest of the 2160p video is also layered with various shades of grey and blues, but once we enter the virtual world, the screen is suddenly bathed in a wide array of secondary hues and spatters of vivid primaries, with greens, in particular, popping out the screen in a dazzling emerald, parakeet glow. Artemis is a combination of grays, rose and ruby with sprinkles of bubblegum and hot pink while Parzival is a variant of softer blues. Gameplay is ablaze in fiery oranges, vibrant yellows and icy, arctic blues while the sunsets are a gorgeous display of marigolds and dandelion yellows fading into fuchsia and vivacious magentas, making the OASIS a fantastically romanticized and mesmerizing delusion.

Shot on a combination of digital cameras, capable of 3.2K resolution, and traditional 35mm film, which was later mastered to a 2K digital intermediate, the 4K presentation is, for a majority of the runtime, razor-sharp with a few softer moments sprinkled throughout, none of which are terribly distracting. Viewers can clearly make out the cracks, chips and rust stains along the walls of the cluttered, disheveled houses in the stacks, and the tiniest piece of furniture decorating Wade's gaudy retro home is plainly visible while every line, railing, and gaming equipment at the sterile, perfectly organized offices of IOI. Healthy facial complexions are highly revealing with lifelike textures while a tad on the paler side, which is also an artistic choice, but there is a tad of rosiness in the cheeks. In the virtual world, individual hairs are sharp and move with extraordinary realism, the stitching and threading in the outfits are very well-defined, and every pebble, debris, and piece of litter on the ground is distinct, making the film an entrancing watch on UHD. (Video Rating: 94/100)

Audio Review

Ranking:

Audiences plug into the chimera-like world of OASIS thanks to a superb, demo-worthy Dolby Atmos soundtrack that brings virtual reality to life.

At the start, classic retro music spreads across the screen, filling the room with fantastic tunes while generating a wide and welcoming soundstage. Along with Alan Silvestri's nostalgia-driven score, the music also lightly bleeds into the top heights and sides, exhibiting distinct clarity and separation in the instrumentation while generating a highly-engaging and broad soundscape full of warmth and excellent fidelity. Background activity flawlessly moves from one side of the room to the other while maintaining precise, well-prioritized vocals, never drowned out by the crazy battles and the wildest visuals. Added to that, a powerful low-end provides palpable weight and presence to the explosions, an amusing rumble during the car race and a room-energizing grumble in the final fight for Planet Doom.

Displaying outstanding definition in the mid-range, the loudest, action-packed segments are layered with precise, detailed noises, like bits of debris and rubble, that move into the heights with fluid panning and rain down around the listener. Occasionally, vehicles also seem to fly overhead from behind and to the front before appearing on screen, and battles are riddled with a variety of video game effects discretely traveling in every which direction, creating an awesomely immersive hemispheric soundfield. Quieter scenes remain busy with various subtle atmospherics in the sides and rears, which from time to time spread into the ceiling channels as well. Of course, the best demo-worthy moments are the car race in early on, especially when King Kong swings between buildings, and the climactic war where Godzilla's roar reverberates everywhere, but my personal favorite is The Shining sequence where various understated noises create a terrifically spooky environment before growing scarily bombastic and grandiose. (Audio Rating: 96/100)

Special Features

Ranking:

Game Changer: Cracking the Code (HD, 57 min): Hour-long EPK-like documentary made of cast & crew interviews touching on various aspects of the production with tons of BTS footage strewn throughout.

Effects for a Brave New World (HD, 25 min): Like the title implies, a piece dedicated to the visual effects, from concept art and the practical effects to the CG images and the use of motion capture.

Ernie & Tye's Excellent Adventure (HD, 12 min): The star and writer reunite in their hometown of Austin, Texas as they prepare for the premiere and reminisce on their time spent making the movie.

High Score: Endgame (HD, 10 min): Discussion on the music of Alan Silvestri, and his work marks his first collaboration with the legendary filmmaker.

Level Up: Sound for the Future (HD, 8 min): A closer look at the sound design and the amount of work that went into complementing the visuals.

The '80s: You're the Inspiration (HD, 6 min): Cast & crew talk about how the decade played an integral role in the movie and heavily influenced the story.

Final Thoughts

Steven Spielberg's latest sci-fi blockbuster Ready Player One is a strange sort of creature, driven mostly by an effort to make audiences feel nostalgic, which ironically, is also most of its attraction and charm, allowing viewers to revel in the visuals and savor the simple joy of it all. The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray plugs in with a gorgeous Dolby Vision presentation that makes the OASIS all the more mesmerizing and a demo-worthy Dolby Atmos soundtrack that brings the virtual reality to life. With a healthy set of supplements sure to keep owners further entertained, the overall package is Recommended for fans and UHD enthusiasts hungry for more Dolby Vision HDR.