Welcome To Movie Recall. In Today's video, we will be going through the 2018 science
fiction movie : Ready Player One.
It's Time To Recall.
Let's Get Started.
Spoilers Ahead!
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In 2045, in a place called "The Stacks" in Columbus, Ohio, Wade resides with his aunt,
Alice, and her boyfriend, Rick, in a low-income community filled with precariously stacked
trailers and vehicles. As he heads out from their house, his neighborhood seems drawn
into their own world using virtual simulation. Like millions of others, Wade finds himself
escaping into The Oasis, a virtual world where everything is possible. He accesses the Oasis
via a visor and haptic gloves as he hides in a scrap van. In this virtual reality world,
people can enter as avatars to play video games, entertain themselves, and seek pleasures
they can't find in the real world. It is a world where imagination is the limit. People
can design their own look however they want, either they want to look like their favorite
cartoon or their ideal self. They can do whatever they want and go as far as they can. The Oasis
serves as both a massively multiplayer online role-playing game and a virtual society, and
its currency is the world's most stable currency. Once people accumulate items in the Oasis
and their avatar dies, they will lose everything. Wade's avatar in this world is Parzival. Despite
never meeting them in person, he frequently interacts with his best friend Aech, a massive
muscular mechanic, and samurai Daito and fighter Sho.
James Halliday and Ogden Morrow created The Oasis in 2025. Unfortunately, Halliday died
in 2040 and has left a contest in which whoever finds his Easter egg will gain ownership of
the Oasis and its parent company. Since the company is worth billions of dollars, many
users have been trying to figure out the clues that lead to Halliday's Easter egg for years.
Wade enjoys deciphering the contest that James Halliday created before he passed away.
After his death, Halliday's company releases his video detailing how he had hidden an Easter
egg within the Oasis. In the video, Halliday uses an avatar named, Anorak the All-Knowing,
explaining the contest's mechanics where there would be three challenges to complete.
Upon winning the challenges, they will get a key and a clue for the next challenge. Whoever
obtains all three keys, and the egg first will inherit Halliday's personal fortune of
500 billion dollars as well as complete control of the Oasis.
Wade primarily searches on his own, even though many egg hunters, also known as gunters, have
teamed up such as the "Sixers" under Innovative Online Industries, or, I.O.I. for short. Though
the company's C.E.O. Nolan Sorrento makes most of his money from products and other
gear that allow people to have the advantage inside the Oasis, he wants to find the egg
primarily to increase money's influence from the virtual world.
The company even has Halliday's Scholars, who spend all their time studying pop culture
that Halliday's obsessed with, hoping to find clues. The hunt has been going on for five
years, yet no one has been able to locate the first key. The only thing found was the
first challenge, which is a racing game set in a simulated City of New York.Wade and Aech
attempt to race through the event once more. While most competitors are riding their well-equipped
race cars, Wade rides the one-of-a-kind Delorean from Back to the Future. While waiting for
the race to start, Wade sees a female racer on a bike, and she captivates him. The race
begins and immediately players are eliminated. Since Aech happens to be a mechanic, he uses
his knowledge to upgrade his truck, crushing all other cars along with the race. However,
when Kong arrives, it destroys the road, leading to his failure to end the race. Still, he
cheers for his best friend, Wade, who takes another route. During the race, Wade takes
advantage of getting the coins from those who didn't make it, but when Kong appears,
he suffers the same fate. On the other hand, the female biker, named Artemis, is still
on her way and planning to jump over the broken road. Wade realizes that Kong hides beneath
the destroyed road as a trap, causing him to grab Artemis. They stumble upon each other
while Kong crushes Artemis' bike. Near the end of the challenge, no one can get past
King Kong. Afterward, Wade persuades Aech to assist Artemis in repairing her bike for
the following race. While Aech is repairing her bike, Wade and Artemis talk about Halliday
and the race. While conversing, Artemis reveals that she's willing to risk everything to save
Oasis from I.O.I. She argues that a real gunter won’t just do it for the money.
In the real world, Wade is lying on his bed and remembers Artemis' words earlier about
how Halliday hates making rules. Using the visor, he goes to the Halliday Journals, a
place in the Oasis that serves as a personal shrine to Halliday. With the help of the mechanical
Curator, Wade observes a memory in which Halliday and Morrow discuss the future of their creation.
While watching, Wade seems to know what the video is about as he recites Halliday's lines.
When he is about to leave, he hears Halliday claim he despises rules and wishes they could
be reversed.
The following day, Wade returns to the first challenge. While the rest of the cars move
forward, he reverses his Delorean, revealing an underground roadway that leads him beneath
the race track, past obstacles, and even Kong.
Finally, he arrives at the finish line at Central Park, where he encounters Anorak,
who bestows the Copper Key, a hundred thousand coins, and a clue. Upon getting the prize,
his avatar name, Parzival, appears first on the scoreboard.
At I.O.I., several board members express their concern to Sorrento now that Parzival's name
has been added to the scoreboard. Sorrento, on the other hand, is reasonably sure there
is nothing to be concerned about.
Despite this, he enters the Oasis, where he meets I-Rok, a bounty hunter, obtaining a
powerful item known as the Orb of Osuvox. Sorrento also hires him to keep an eye on
Parzival and kill him in the Oasis.
At the same time, Wade spends his newly acquired wealth on a shopping spree, impulsively buying
the Zemeckis cube, grenade, and finally the X1 suit, where he can wear it in the real
world while playing the Oasis. It allows the player to feel everything in the simulation.
He then informs about the secret passage in the race with Aech, who tells Daito and shares
it with Sho. Artemis also makes it upon seeing Wade race backward during the race, making
them the top 5.
Meanwhile, Wade spends his free time pondering the clues about the next challenge, leading
to a woman named Kira.
To confirm his theory, he visits the Halliday Journals with a swarm of fans until Artemis
arrives and helps him disguise himself. They head into Halliday's journals and watch a
recording of a meeting between Halliday and Morrow.
Halliday recalls taking a woman named Kira out on a date, but instead of going dancing,
he took her to see a movie. Kira eventually married Morrow, but Wade notes that despite
her apparent importance in both of their lives, this is the only time they mention her name
in the Journals.
The Curator mulls it over but concludes that Wade's analysis is correct. Wade then receives
a quarter from the Curator and a dance invitation from Artemis at the Distracted Globe, a unique
club designed by Halliday. That night, while Wade is ecstatic to meet Artemis, Aech warns
him that she could be using him or that Artemis could be a dude, warning Wade to limit his
expectations and focus on their goal.
Despite Aech's protests, Wade decides to dress up as Buckaroo Banzai, an outfit from his
favorite movie. When Wade arrives at the Distracted Globe, fans greet and take a picture
of him until Artemis approaches him from behind.
Later that night, Artemis leads Wade into a zero-gravity dance floor located at the
center of Distracted Globe.The pair get their grove on and dance to 70s disco music. Since
Wade is wearing the X1 suit, he can feel Artemis from the simulation and finally confesses
his feelings to her and asks to meet her in real life.
Artemis dismisses his idea, for he might be disappointed. Still, Wade doesn't seem to
bother, eventually telling her his real name. Unbeknownst to them, I-Rok is listening intently.
Upon revealing his identity, the I.O.I. crashes the party, attempting to assassinate Wade
before the bounty hunter can strike. Fortunately, he and Artemis manage to flee using the Zemericks
cube, bringing back time 60 seconds.
Once safe, Artemis reveals to Wade that her father died in the I.O.I. loyalty center while
paying off his debt. She can't afford to get distracted from her mission to find the egg
and potentially prevent further harm to others, so she dismisses Wade's confession and leaves.
Meanwhile, i-Rok conducts additional research and quickly provides Sorrento, Wade's complete
profile. Sorrento then informs Finale Zandor, one of his associates, about Wade, hiring
her to eliminate Wade in real life. The following day, Sorrento offers Wade many incentives,
including a $25 million bonus to help the company find the egg.
Wade is unimpressed and sees through Sorrento’s facade. Wade declines, but not before Sorrento
admits that he knows where Wade resides in the real world and tells him he plans to destroy
it. Wade rushes out of his secret hiding spot in the real world to warn his aunt and her
boyfriend, but it's too late.
The stack on which their home is built explodes and crashes to the ground. Wade then tries
to contact his friends, but an unidentified man with a tattoo on his face knocks him out
and kidnaps him. The following day, Wade wakes up while still hand-tied. Artemis, whose real
name is Samantha Cook, confronts him, which he suddenly knows that she's Artemis in the
Oasis.It turns out that she and a few others have a base of operations near The Stacks
and I.O.I.
Samantha then takes her to a rooftop and tellsher about their operation. While a large birthmark
on her face bothers Samantha, Wade assures her that he is not disappointed with how she
turns out to be in real life. When they are about to kiss, Samantha thinks she may have
figured out what the first challenge's clue meant.
Artemis realizes that the clue, "the leap not taken," was Halliday referring to not
taking the step to be with Kira. The group gathers in the Oasis and heads to Halliday's
Journals to test her theory and inquires about the films that Halliday may have taken Kira
to on their date.
Among the movies that Halliday watched in that time frame, the next clue leads to "The
Shining." The Curator then directs the group at the Overlook Hotel. They aim to find the
key somewhere in the Hotel. While inside, Aech, who hasn't watched "The Shining" has
no idea what is in store for them.
He gets separated and encounters the twin children and the naked lady from the movie.
Despite his ignorance, he overcomes several terrifying situations. Still, when they hear
music coming from one of the rooms, they begin to doubt their initial assumption of a specific
key in the film set.
Artemis discovers that Halliday's biggest fear is not the movie or any books, but his
greatest fear is to kiss a girl, which is the leap not taken. They enter a ballroom
where they come across Kira, who dances with a group of zombies over a large pit. Artemis
takes the leap by jumping into the hole, making the rest of the group dragged out of the film.
Artemis eventually makes it past the zombies and invites Kira to dance, then suddenly Anorak
appears and offers her the Jade Key to the next clue. The rest of the group soon receive
their own Jade Key, only to be followed in by a swarm of Sixers, who are then attacked
by the horrors of "The Shining."
Sorrento now knows that Wade is still alive, and he immediately informs Zandor about an
unidentified, tattooed man who took Wade from the stacks. She eventually tracks down one
of Samantha's associates. She follows him to her hidden location.
I.O.I. personnel storm their secret cooperation, and Wade tries to persuade Samantha to accompany
him on his escape, but she sacrifices herself so that he can escape. Zandor then confronts
Samantha, claiming that I.O.I. now owes her outstanding debts and is taken to I.O.I. 's
Loyalty Center. As Wade makes his escape, he runs into a woman, Helen, who reveals herself
to be Aech in the Oasis.
They hide in a van where Wade meets Toshiro and 11-year-old Shoto, who is Daito and Sho,
respectively. Meanwhile, at the I.O.I., they already hacked the third challenge and discovered
that it leads to Castle Anorak on Planet Doom, the most dangerous place in the Oasis. The
final challenge is revealed as an Atari 2600 with all the console's games, but only one
will unlock the last key. Sorrento activates the Orb of Osuvox, preventing anyone from
entering the castle. At the same time, Sorrento orders many Loyalty Center employees, including
Samantha, to plant explosive charges outside the front door.
On the other hand, Wade tells Aech what he remembers of Sorrento's office to save Samantha.
The two of them create a digital parallel of the location, hijacking Sorrento's online
feed before he can return to the real world. Sorrento falls into their trap and eventually
reveals Samantha's cellar, leading her to break free.
Knowing I.O.I. plans, she decides to remain in the facility and disguises herself as an
I.O.I. soldier to deactivate the Orb of Osuvox. Meanwhile, Wade and his friends then send
out a live message across the Oasis, informing everyone of Sorrento's actions and requesting
that anyone who believes in justice come to Planet Doom to assist them. As a result, many
people arrive, ready to fight against I.O.I. forces, while Samantha manages to bring the
orb's protection down.
A massive mob of video game characters, as well as people from sci-fi movies and iconic
films, appear ready to help Wade. A little while later, she makes it outside the castle
and finds Wade, but not before Sorrento unleashes his Mecha-Godzilla armored suit on them.
Aech activates the Iron Giant hoping it could defeat Mecha-Godzilla, and Daito transforms
into a Gundam to battle the massive mech, but both fail. Samantha manages to take down
Sorrento by launching a Madball bomb into Mecha-Godzilla’s head. Sorrento then goes
on a maniacal rampage through his real-world facility, convinced that Samantha is still
inside his company.
Realizing the consequences of killing Sorrento's avatar, Wade kills Samantha's character in
the Oasis to save her, and she flees I.O.I. and meets up with the rest of the group in
Aech's truck. Once Mecha-Godzilla is taken down, Sorrento orders to release the explosives
planted in the castle's front gate, causing the passage to be destroyed.
However, the Aech's Iron Giant sacrifices himself as a bridge to allow Wade and Sho
to pass through the broken way. Finally, Wade and Sho return to the game and make it
to the final challenge. They watch one of the Sixers plays "Adventure," which he wins
but still fails to get the price. Upon further observation, Wade realizes how to get the
final key. Sorrento and i-Rok arrive, offering one last deal to Wade, but not before threatening
to unleash "The Cataclysm," a weapon that will wipe out every avatar on Planet Doom.
Wade tries to stop the madman, but Sorrento activates the device, killing all the avatars
inside the Oasis. To everyone's surprise, Wade is still alive in the aftermath of the
explosion. It turns out that the quarter the Curator gave him at the Halliday's Journal
was apparently an Extra Life Token. Wade then starts playing adventure, and the Oasis starts
broadcasting what he's doing.
The goal of the final challenge, according to Wade, is to find the game's hidden Easter
egg, which some consider being one of the first in video game history. As a result,
the ice crystals shatter, forming Anorak holding the final Crystal Key. Anorak hands him the
crystal key, and Wade heads into a massive vault with three keyholes.
On the other hand, I.O.I. and their forces have located Aech and his truck in the real
world, causing Wade to invite anyone in the vicinity to help them since the I.O.I. associates
are trying to get rid of them. After the long attempts of unlocking the vault, he finally
opens it leading to a castle filled with gold. His spectators seem delighted, including the
scholars, to finally see the end game of the contest. Anorak then offers papers to sign.
When he is about to sign the contract, Wade remembers when Halliday forced Morrow to sign
over his company shares, telling him that it is the biggest mistake in his life and
that he doesn't want to make the same mistake. Upon passing the test, Anorak's avatar transforms
into Halliday, and the chamber transforms into Halliday's childhood room. Inside the
room, Halliday shows Wade a particular button, which can erase the entire Oasis. Halliday's
younger self appears to be inside the room playing a video game.
Halliday then heads into his drawer to search for the Golden Egg. Halliday then gives Wade
the Easter egg, telling him that while the virtual world can be entertaining, the actual
world and interacting with real people are more important. When Halliday is about to
leave, together with his younger self, Wade asks if he's really dead, but he doesn’t
answer and simply bids goodbye and leaves.
Later on, the group makes it to The Stacks, but not without being thrown off balance by
Sorrento. He almost kills them, but when he notices that Wade is holding the Easter egg,
he’s startled and surrenders. The police suddenly arrive and arrest Sorrento and Finale.
Shortly after, Ogden Morrow arrives at the truck, congratulating Wade and talking about
the Oasis.
However, Wade excuses himself as he confesses his love for Samantha and wants to take a
leap with her. They kiss inside the truck while the rest of their friends are watching.
When suddenly, Morrow and some of the company's lawyers arrive, demanding Wade's signature.
He claims, however, that he wants to share the prize with his friends, to which Morrow
agrees. A little while later, the group, named High Five, heads out of the bus as the
people praise and cheer.
Meanwhile, while Morrow and Wade talk about Halliday, Morrow hands him a coin, revealing
that he was the Curator, praising Wade's detective work for finding out about Kira. Though he
was instructed not to give players any direct hints, Wade's insight into their relationship
impressed Morrow and decided to give him a little boost.
Wade even tells Morrow that Halliday's greatest fear is not to kiss Kira but to lose his only
friend, Morrow. Delighted about the new owners of the Oasis, Morrow willingly joins them
as the consultant. The new owners prohibit any Loyalty Centers from operating in the
Oasis, forcing I.O.I. to shut down.
They also turn off the Oasis on Tuesdays and Thursdays, following Halliday's advice to
get out and experience the real world. This story shows an escapism allegory that uses
technology to engage all the senses, giving the impression that this fictional world is
real. The Oasis presents itself as a possible alternative to the miserable and depleted
world that humanity has created in 2045.
At the same time, it also represents a dream world, where people could envision what could
be accomplished if people focused their efforts on the actual world rather than wasting their
time in the Oasis.
It is a world of heroic quests, zero-gravity nightclubs, and a stable society with excellent
education systems and delimited combat zones. It achieves a level of safety while also providing
access to jobs and education that the real world cannot offer.
The story also shows the importance of focusing
our attention on the real world, where everything really matters. Halliday has to spend a long
time looking for the Easter Egg on his desk and his drawers towards the ending. However,
when it's time to hand it over to Wade, he gives it to him as if it was never essential.
That is because it isn't. What matters most to Halliday is that Wade understands his regrets
about his life. Halliday has always felt more at ease in video games than in real life.
He always felt more at ease in the past than in the present. After losing his chance at
love and his friendship with his best friend near the end of his life, Halliday realized
the importance of reality, which he described as "the only thing that's real."
He gave Wade a greater price than anything else in the game when he taught him that lesson
of realization that he can't spend his entire life escaping. The button's existence suggests
that the world would be a better place without systems like the Oasis.