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Gamers rejoice; Steven Spielberg<\/a> has a treat for you in a Virtual Reality world. To some this is a dream come true. To others it feels like a living nightmare, as the end suggests in the usual moralistic manner about the importance of human interaction. This is sci-fi fantasy fodder for anyone dreaming of escaping reality and \u2018starting over\u2019. At the same time, it is homage to the 80s in sound, visuals and attitude.<\/p>\n It\u2019s 2045 and people can escape their harsh reality in the OASIS, an immersive virtual world where you can go anywhere and be anyone, all designed by \u2018geek\u2019 Anorak\/James Halliday (Mark Rylance<\/a>). After his death, players discover they can win control of the OASIS by collecting three keys to unlock the next round, the clues leading to where they are hidden in this immense world.<\/p>\n Player Parzial (Wade, played by Tye Sheridan<\/a>) enlists help from co-player Art3mis (Samantha, played by Olivia Cooke<\/a>) to solve the puzzle, but not before being pursued by Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn<\/a>) who runs the \u2018evil\u2019 big corporation trying to gain Halliday\u2019s OASIS before anyone else does.<\/p>\n Think The Matrix<\/em><\/a> for gamers, and Spielberg\u2019s fanboy amusement mixes nostalgia and action in IMAX grandeur, assaulting your visual senses as it pulls you into the VR world and makes you as much part of the search as its leads. If it all gets too futuristic, there are the 80s \u2018comforts\u2019 to cling to and enjoy for a split second before you are dragged onto the next onslaught.<\/p>\n There is no resting until the puzzle is solved. In fact, what might be thrilling for some is too \u2018virtual\u2019 for others with only smatterings of \u201821st<\/sup> century reality\u2019 to compare events to. As exciting as the VR visuals are, there is a sense of being lost that makes you want to check out for a moment and take off the headset yourself, before Parzial does. Indeed, Spielberg succeeds in reproducing the gamers\u2019 paradise that feels alien to the rest of us.<\/p>\n While Mendelsohn donates any scene he appears in, this is not about the characters \u2013 whether intentional or not. There are no solid character arcs. What drives the film is the visual navigator that plunges us into the spectacular worlds, with the film not lacking imagination. For this reason, it is fully realised on the IMAX screen, and totally immersive.<\/p>\n