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Eve

Ready Player One: Real Life

July 19, 2018 by J. Alan Sharrer 1 Comment

I have completely forgotten the title of the story. I have forgotten what magazine I read it in. I have even forgotten most of its plot.

All I remember is the protagonist visiting another character she met online, only to discover her initial thoughts were completely incorrect.  The other person lived in a very small studio apartment and spent nearly his entire waking existence ‘living’ inside virtual worlds via cartridges he inserted into a head mounted device he wore. What was a reality to him was a virtual existence to others.*

Every time I think about virtual reality and the possibilities it can hold for our quickly deteriorating planet, I come back to the story I don’t fully remember. Simply put, life isn’t meant to be lived that way.

As the strains of Van Halen’s hit song ‘Jump’ welcome viewers to the world of Ready Player One, a camera snakes through an apartment complex created out of trailers crudely stacked like Jenga blocks (see picture above).  It focuses on the top trailer before panning down to reveal individuals playing tennis, shadow boxing, and pole dancing while wearing virtual reality goggles. The dystopian nightmare revealed in the last paragraphs of the story I can’t fully remember is on full display.

But is there hope?

Ernest Cline’s book Ready Player One, a massively geeky love letter about the 1980s wrapped in virtuality, sold so well that Steven Spielberg chose to direct a big-budget film based on it.  The end result is a movie that is noticeably different from the book yet somehow works well enough that people will come in droves to watch.

Here’s the basic premise: An eccentric video game programmer named James Halladay (Mark Rylance) created a virtual society called the Oasis, a place where anyone’s dreams could come true with a VR suit. Before he died, he hid three virtual keys that, when acquired, would lead one individual to an Easter egg and control of his company, valued at over a trillion dollars. For over a decade, nobody could find the first key.  But after Wade Watts (known in the Oasis as Parzival and played in the film by Tye Sheridan) is successful, it’s a race to complete the task before a company called IOI succeeds and takes Halladay’s company over for themselves. Along the way, Wade is helped by his online friends Aech (Lena Waithe), Sho (Philip Zhao), and Daito (Win Morisaki).  Then there’s Art3mis (Olivia Cooke), a wild but successful gunter (slang for egg hunter) who steals Wade’s heart. But are they who their unique avatars make them out to be?

Wade’s devoted most of his life to claiming the Easter egg, living the virtual life I read about in the story I opened this review with.  But when virtual blends with reality, real consequences happen. IOI discovers his real persona and attempts, through the wiles of Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn), to convince Wade to join their team (known as the Sixers).  When he refuses, Sorrento blows up his real house, killing his aunt—and potentially others—in the process.  It is only then that Wade realizes physical life and virtual life aren’t the same.

As for the main aspects of the film . . . The virtual world was typical Spielberg, that is to say: well-polished, well-designed, and well-executed.  It was chock full of 1980s references that will take multiple viewings (or somebody putting it in a YouTube video) to catch. In the first five minutes, I picked up on Marvin the Martian and Hello Kitty.  Halladay’s library was incredible, as was the race for the first key (although the book is completely different in this aspect).

The real world was a mixed bag. I loved Rylance’s portrayal of the eccentric, quirky, yet charming Halladay. Cook does a great job with Art3mis, blending passion with feistiness and hidden charm.  My one issue comes with Wade.  Sheridan feels wooden and forced playing the real-life version of Parzival, giving him an unrealistic quality. However, his blonde haired-avatar fits in perfectly as a leader to the virtual world, unfettered by size or power.  Give Spielberg credit there. Regardless, this is a film that deserves to be seen regardless of what generation you come from.

There are a number of themes that can be discussed here (Halladay’s attempt at playing God [Genesis 1]; escaping one’s past; games people play; being one’s real self; people will rally to the right cause), but I’ll go with one.  There is a reason we need to be connected with others in real life.  VR isn’t as good as the Oasis (and may never be), but that doesn’t mean we need to spend every minute of every day staring at a phone or other form of technology. It might be fun to chat and mingle with people virtually, but in the end, all that’s left are memories. We were not designed by God to live 24/7 by ourselves (after all; he made Eve because it wasn’t good for Adam to be alone).  We need real people around us to support, encourage, and enjoy life with.  No matter how good VR graphics get, it’s simply not the same experience. Living life can be quite fun and invigorating.

Besides, in online communication, we have the ability to be who we want to be, not what we are in real life.  It’s why I get so frustrated with people on Facebook who always seem to have it perfectly together with constant selfies and successes. Real life is messy and struggles are as common as the sunrise.  A community allows us to be real, be honest, be ourselves.

Real life, with all of its challenges, trumps a virtual life every time.  And you don’t have to read a story to know that.

* If you know what story I’m referring to, let me know in the comments.

The Warner Bros.’ Blu-ray Combo Pack contains special features that take us back to the ’80s (“The ’80’s: You’re the Inspiration”) as well as a series of featurettes going over ninety minutes into details about how Spielberg made the film, like “Game Changer: Cracking the Code,” “Effects for a Brave New World,”  “Level Up: Sound for the Future,” “High Score: Endgame,” and “Ernie & Tye’s Excellent Adventure.”

Filed Under: Current Events, DVD, Reviews Tagged With: Aech, Art3mis, Ben Mendelsohn, Daito, Ernest Cline, Eve, Genesis, James Halladay, Lena Waithe, Mark Rylance, Olivia Cooke, Parzival, Philip Zhao, Ready Player One, Real Life, Sho, Stephen Spielberg, tye sheridan, Virtual Life, Wade Watts, Win Morisaki

The Evil Within (and Without): The Story of God (Ep. 5)

May 1, 2016 by J. Alan Sharrer Leave a Comment

Past Articles in This Series: Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3 | Episode 4
Shrieking Shack
Evil is one of those things that we, as humans, have to deal with on a daily basis.  If you’re not sure about this, all it takes is a few minutes of watching television or browsing the news headlines on a phone. Although our overall desire is to be and do good in all situations (including our thoughts), we aren’t able to do it with 100% effectiveness our entire lives. The Apostle Paul shared this struggle as follows: “I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:18-19 NIV) So where does all of this come from?  Morgan Freeman, in the penultimate episode of The Story of God (National Geographic, 9 PM/8 Central tonight), tackles this subject and reveals some enlightening things about humanity and their propensity for evil.

This episode starts off with a visit to a maximum security prison and a challenging conversation with a person convicted of some pretty heinous crimes (I’ll let you discover what they are for yourself). When Freeman asks the prisoner why they happened, he says, “I had a desire, an impulse, and I wasn’t able to stop myself from acting on the impulse.” He’s also not convinced that if released, he could avoid doing the crimes again.

This brings up the question, “Where does evil come from?”

To attempt an answer, Freeman looks at how a number of faiths deal with the issue. The early Egyptians believed that when a person was filled with evil or sin, their heart became heavy. Their heart would be weighed on a scale upon death against truth; the result would determine their eternal destiny. Hindus think evil may have to do with the spirits of dead ancestors who weren’t happy; they offer sacrifices upon realizing this is the case. Zoroastrians believe evil is a battle within to be fought with good thoughts, words, and deeds (in that specific order). Buddhists try to counter the evil within using meditation and ritual. And Christians believe that Adam and Eve’s sin started a chain reaction of events that transfers evil to each person upon birth. This is why Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection allows believers to combat—and eventually conquer—Satan and his minions.

Morgan Freeman
(Photo credit: National Geographic Channels/Matthew Paul Turner)

Freeman has a fascinating talk with Brian Widener, a former Neo-Nazi, during the episode. Widener was tattooed beyond recognition during this time, but after getting married and having a child, he realized the error of his ways and had them removed from his face over a period of 2½ years. He states he found God in the middle of the process, although he admits he’s not sure what that looks like.  Can evil be contained and washed away? Freeman asks before ending with a baptism ceremony in a river—the Christian symbol of a regenerated life through belief in Jesus.

For me, one interesting point of the episode involved a scientist in New Zealand who showcased an experiment involving kids and the need for a higher being to keep order and control using a game (again, I’ll let you see what that looks like). To me, it reveals the propensity of evil in an individual’s heart when they think they can get away with something.  As the prophet Jeremiah notes, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.  Who can understand it?” Science can attempt to decode the reasoning for why we do things and discover patterns of behavior, but the heart is fatally diseased, prone to evil from the outset. In this way, we are all wretched (there’s the Apostle Paul again), which is the exact reason why we live in a world full of sin. How we deal with the evil within (and without) says a lot about our beliefs and, in many ways, our outlook on the world we inhabit.

Filed Under: Reviews, Television Tagged With: Adam, Brian Widener, Buddhists, Christians, Egypt, Eve, evil, Heart, Hindu, Jeremiah, Jesus, Morgan Freeman, Neo-Nazi, New Zealand, Osiris, Paul, Prison, Satan, The Story of God, Zoroastrians

How It All Began: The Story of God (Ep. 4)

April 24, 2016 by J. Alan Sharrer 1 Comment

Past Articles in This Series: Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3

The Creation of AdamIn the beginning . . . how did the heavens and the earth come to be?  It’s a question we’ve all invariably considered at some point in our lives. Morgan Freeman has been puzzled by creation since he was a kid attending church in his hometown of Greenwood, Mississippi.  What else is out there? If God was the architect of everything, who (or what) created him? Or was chance a major aspect of the whole thing?

The fourth episode of The Story of God with Morgan Freeman (National Geographic, Sunday at 9P/8C) brings the subject of creation to the forefront of discussion. And just like the preceding episodes, Freeman’s curiosity leads him to a worldwide search to find an answer (if one exists). He learns some interesting things along the way that are worth tuning in for.

For most people in the Western Hemisphere, creation is synonymous with Adam, Eve, and a garden in Eden. The two lived there peacefully, enjoying the place—all until the day they chose to disobey the one rule God gave them—eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (see Genesis 2:15-17).  Then they were thrown out by God and forced to work the land in order to survive. Freeman adds, “It’s hard to believe we all come from one man and one woman . . .  but we do.” Freeman has an intriguing discussion with researcher Jodi Magnuss where she mentions a legend about Adam and his dead bones. Supposedly, he was buried right above where Jesus was crucified.  When his blood seeped into the ground, it met the bones and Adam was resurrected. She then has a quick Hebrew lesson with Freeman involving the words adam (man), dam (blood), and adamah (land).

The episode continues with Freeman visiting Gobleki Tepe, an ancient city in Turkey, Egypt, Australia, India, and Guatemala to learn stories of how other faiths describe creation as occurring. Some involve twins and corn (Mayans). Some involve star babies and dreaming (Aborigines). Some are close to the Christian view (Islam), And others just focus on cycles of creation without getting into any details (Hindu).

The Story of God with Morgan Freeman filming in Italy.

(Photo credit: National Geographic Channels)
The Story of God with Morgan Freeman filming in Italy.

(Photo credit: National Geographic Channels)

There is a scientific look at the creation story as well—but the question of the Big Bang is proposed to some high ranking individuals in the Vatican. Monsignor Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo (seen in the picture above) tells Freeman the Big Bang is not creation because “we don’t know what was before” it happened. But the story is compatible with the normal biblical account of creation because, according to Georges Lemaître, a member of the Pontifical Academy of Science, God is outside of space and time.  Creation is an everlasting act, according to Lemaître, one of the first to propose the Big Bang Theory.  I was surprised there wasn’t a quick discussion about whether the account in Genesis 1 took six literal days or simply six equal measures of time, as I’m sure there’s a scholar out there who could provide some perspective on the subject.

It was made abundantly clear throughout the episode that, regardless of belief, there is a standard that someone bigger than us had a hand in the creation of the planet we live on and the universe we look at on a clear evening. Something had to happen – and we’re a direct result of it. It provides us with a sense of encouragement and perhaps purpose. As Gandalf wisely noted in the Lord of the Rings, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”

May we make the most of it.

Filed Under: Reviews, Television Tagged With: Aborigines, Adam, Big Bang, Creation, Eden, Egypt, Eve, Gandalf, Genesis 1, Georges Lemaître, Gobleki Tepe, Hindu, India, Jesus, Jodi Magnuss, Lord of the Rings, Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, Mayas, Morgan Freeman, Muslim, National Geographic Channel, The Story of God

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