READY PLAYER ONE

When SUGARLAND EXPRESS came out in 1974, I was so knocked out I swore I'd watch anything the director/writer ever made. And I pretty much have, which is why I went to see READY PLAYER ONE. But Speilberg let me down this time.

Usually when his movies don't work for me, it's because they're too perfectly controlled. But this one is just a mashup of moments of great filmmaking and moments of weak-as-shite filmmaking, starting with the young leads—Tye Sheridan and Olivia Cooke—who seemed totally miscast to me. As did many of the adult actors—including Simon Pegg—with the exception of Mark Rylance, who rocks as always, and T. J. Miller, who kills it as I-Roc....

Nothing to see here folks. Or at least not very much (though the pre-teens and early teens in the audience seemed to love it).