Ready Player One has it all: an entertaining plot, fast-paced action scenes, romance, dominant female leads, and a plethora of pop culture references stemming from classic videos games (of course) to 80’s movies.

Ready Player One is set not too far into the future, in the year 2045, where the majority of people escape from their apocalyptic surroundings by playing a virtual reality game called The Oasis. But when The Oasis’ creator dies, he creates Easter eggs all around the game that if found by someone, would make the person the new owner of the game. The movie’s protagonist, Wade Watts, decides to join the search for the eggs, and gets caught up in a world of action and adventure.

The movie starts by fully emerging the audience in the plot and the setting with a quick exposition. A narrative voice-over allowed the audience to understand everything without having background knowledge. Being able to enjoy a movie adaptation of a book without feeling confused by plot holes is an amazing thing, and Ready Player One pulls this off.

The fast-pace of Ready Player One is what will get audiences hooked. The movie starts off with a quick action scene and wastes no time with needless banter about things that don’t pertain to the film. Although there is action, you also have a pretty empowering love story.

I would best describe the movie as a new-age Tron. Like Tron, it revolves around virtual reality video gaming, and has aspects that should appeal to audiences of all ages.

Major pop culture references were spread far and wide throughout the film, with nods made to Halo, The Iron Giant, and Back to the Future. 

Even younger demographics are able to see themselves reflected in the characters in the movie. The youngest character was 11-years-old and is also one of the most talented players in the game, making the movie more relatable for different ages.

Ready Player One also breaks gender roles, giving women room to show just how capable they are. The movie’s female lead, Art3mis, is the best player in the game. And, throughout Ready Player One, some of the strongest and most talented characters were women. The movie allows young girls, even myself, to see themselves represented on screen in a male dominant field.

Overall, Ready Player One is a movie that everyone should go see. It has an amazing plot and even more amazing characters. It is a great adventure story for entire families and, and even story better for teens who want to see themselves reflected in strong characters.