Ready Player One 3D Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Ready Player One 3D Blu-ray Movie Review

The Ignorati Invade the OASIS

Reviewed by Michael Reuben August 4, 2018

Ready Player One is the second 3D release to suffer from the diabolical marketing arrangement between Warner Brothers and Amazon in which the online retailing giant offers an exclusive one-disc edition, omitting the standard Blu-ray with the extras and a superior soundtrack—and charging a higher price for the privilege. Having already recounted this strange alliance in the review of Rampage 3D, I will not repeat myself here, but simply add the same disclaimer, once again in bold and italic: I cannot be certain that the two-disc package of RP1 reviewed here is what you will receive if you click on the Amazon link above. Nor can I be sure what you will get if you use the alternate Amazon link listed here. You may get two discs; you may get only one.

This needlessly confusing situation is particularly unfortunate with RP1, because the 3D disc is excellent, faithfully reproducing the theatrical 3D experience that took full advantage of the medium to expand the wonders of the OASIS beyond the four corners of the frame.

For a thoughtful feature discussion, please see the reviews of the standard Blu-ray and UHD disc of RP1 by my friend and colleague, Martin Liebman.

Ready Player One 3D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

(Screenshots accompanying this review are captures from the 2D standard Blu-ray. Additional screenshots can be found here and here.)

Ready Player One's 3D version is a product of post-conversion, but it's an excellent presentation, and director Steven Spielberg obviously "shot" this film with 3D in mind. (I use quotation marks around the word "shot", because, as shown in the extras on the standard Blu-ray, much of Spielberg's work was more like digital "painting", surrounded by an array of monitors.) The expansion is subtler in the real world, adding depth and texture to the Stacks and to the vast hall of "Sixers" working for IOI. But it's in the imaginary world of the OASIS that RP1's 3D presentation truly shines. With that world's suspension of physical limitations and its rapidly shifting terrain, Spielberg and the 3D artisans have given their imaginations free reign, and the results are a continuous delight.

All of the vertiginous rushes through the ever-changing landscape—faster than any physical camera could ever move—become clearer and more defined in 3D space. You're able to pick up even more of the delightful references and details with which the CG wizards have stuffed the frame. Entire sequences become more tactile and intelligible, e.g., Wade/Parzival's triumphant evasion of King Kong in the race that leads to the first key, with Kong and Wade's rivals raised distinctly above him and Wade watching them from below; or the leap by Parzival and Art3mis into the weightlessness of the Distracted Globe's "dance floor", with its seemingly infinite extension; or the onrush of the river of blood in the simulation of the Overlook Hotel. Objects routinely fly out of the screen, and they also fly into it (watch how Parzival and Aech vacuum up coins from vanquished foes as they attack Planet Doom). Any appearance of one of Anorak's keys is a 3D delight, as they hover and float just in front of the screen.

There is barely a scene in the OASIS that doesn't benefit from 3D expansion. Spielberg is a well-known videogame enthusiast, and you can see throughout RP1 that he's designed many of his OASIS scenes with a "first-person shooter" perspective that's ideal for 3D conversion. I saw RP1 in 3D theatrically, and the dimensionality was impressively realized. I was eagerly hoping that Warner's 1080p, MVC-encoded disc would replicate the experience, and I wasn't disappointed. This is a release that should be in every 3D fan's collection. It's a compelling demonstration of why the format is worth keeping alive.

Ready Player One 3D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

In my 3D review of Rampage, I coined the term "Ignorati" to describe the crew in Warner's executive suite who continue to deprive 3D fans of the advantages of Dolby Atmos. The same bunch has removed from this 3D release the exceptional Atmos track that appears on both the standard Blu-ray and UHD disc of Ready Player One. This isn't to say that the 3D disc's lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 track is bad; on the contrary, the organized cacophony meticulously layered by multi-Oscar-winning sound designer Gary Rydstrom is still a forceful and effective accompaniment to RP1's elaborate visuals. All of the intricately assembled sounds of both the real world and the OASIS are represented in the mix with excellent fidelity and broad dynamic range. The explosion in chapter six that Marty Liebman noted as underwhelming in his review is, I believe, intentionally so. The charges that detonate are small, and the impact involves structures of minimal mass that wouldn't create the same boom as steel girders and heavy concrete. By contrast, there are key events in the OASIS, including the "major wave" (which Marty also notes) that shake the room. I suspect that Rydstrom and his team intentionally drew this contrast between a real-world disaster and the heightened world of the OASIS.

Ten years ago, when the Blu-ray format was still new, this lossless DTS track might have been considered reference. But as I said in reviewing Rampage, the world has moved on, and so has the technology for movie sound. Today, the DTS-HD MA track is a poor cousin to the multi-dimensional Dolby Atmos presentation on Blu-ray and UHD. As good as it is, the DTS track just can't match the precision in placement and the differentiation of individual sound elements that are evident throughout the Atmos track. It's the difference between chaos and organized chaos, and what the 3D disc gains visually in rendering the OASIS more clearly and intelligibly, it loses sonically because the Ignorati apparently don't know what they're doing (or perhaps their authoring facility charges more for Atmos than DTS Master Audio, and they're pinching pennies). Whatever the reason, Warner has once again forced on 3D fans the unenviable choice between a uniquely immersive video experience and the best available audio. Maybe one day the Ignorati will wise up and give us both.

Ready Player One 3D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 3D disc contains no extras. The accompanying standard Blu-ray disc has the extras listed in Marty's review. Let me repeat, however, that if you order from Amazon, you may not receive the accompanying standard Blu-ray—and that would be a shame. The extras for RP1 are substantial, providing valuable insight into the world of the film and how it was brought to life.

Ready Player One 3D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Ready Player One is one of the most enjoyable 3D discs I've had the pleasure of viewing. Its visuals are an apt demonstration of what can be achieved in post-production with a director who understands 3D and is willing to provide the conversion technicians with good raw material. If Warner's Ignorati weren't continuing to cheat 3D fans out of the best available audio, the disc would have my highest recommendation. As things stand, I still recommend it—but make sure you're getting the two-disc version, because the extras are well worth your time.