Has there ever been another filmmaker who helped influence and create American pop culture more than Spielberg? In Ready Player One, he dives deep into that self-created nerd-well, throwing familiar references at us faster than Sonic the Hedgehog driving the Millennium Falcon. It's difficult not getting geeky-giddy seeing King Kong swipe at Marty McFly's DeLorean, or a Xenomorph burst from the chest of Mortal Kombat's Goro. Unfortunately, all goodwill is lost under noisy CGI, rampant deus ex machinas, and ham-fisted morality. In 2045, humanity spends most of its time within a VR world called the Oasis. When the game's pop-culture-fanatic creator dies, he leaves behind a mission within the game that gives the winner complete ownership. Visually and conceptually, it's highly imaginative. Even the nostalgia seems to serve a purpose, leaving us with tons of fun "Hey! It's that thing!" moments (ie The Shining sequence is a blast). The story and filmmaking, however, are shockingly inept. We're constantly being forced to suspend our disbelief, and not in the expected fantasy-sci-fi elements, but in simple character choices. Throw in some sporadic and unnecessary narration, underwhelming acting performances, and heaps of underwritten characters, and you remember that Spielberg didn't just make Jaws...he also made Hook. Worst of all is the films overarching message. At first, it seemed to be a smart, meta takedown of corporate bastardization of nostalgia. But then it takes a turn, forcing a sudden push for "reality" over geekdom with a hearty, "You dang kids need to stop your vidja games & snapbooks & go outside, dagnabbit!" Here's hoping Spielberg goes back to creating timeless art instead of simply referencing it.