Visually, this movie was great. Spielberg and Co did a great job at making the Oasis come to life. Obviously some of the physical items had the animated edge to it, but that works because that is what the Oasis is all about!

My issue lies in the plot itself. I didn't mind the changes from the original book plot - after all, watching video games and movies being played out is not exactly exciting on the screen. However, a lot of the characters major development arcs are cut out or significantly altered. Keeping spoilers to a minimum, Wade's brain wasn't there, and while that let Art3mis and Aech shine, it was eliminated their arcs as well. The plot just kind of kept walking, trudging through what could have been (and was in the book) an engrossing story, but spent more time on how pretty it all is. Halliday may have had something right - what we see on screens is great, but reality is still better.