Today, we will look at the stories that are giving physical media enthusiasts a lot of pleasure. We will also analyse why hard discs still hold appeal for audiences. Along with what it could mean for the future entertainment landscape.

Physical Media’s Comeback?

In 2024, Phil Halliday, HMV’s Managing Director, said that the retailer saw visual media sales increase by 5% in 2024’s first quarter, with “4K and Blu-Ray…doing particularly well”. A big deal for a store chain that entered administration twice in the 2010s. Those figures for 4K and Blu-rays proved prophetic of the entire year. The Digital Entertainment Retail Association later reported that 4K and Blu-ray sales had increased from 2023-2024. Blu-ray sales totalled around £81.6 million, with 4K titles bringing in £31.5 million.

Additionally, news like the selling out of Oppenheimer’s 4K release at many major retailers, the continual rise in prominence of high quality physical releases from boutique blu-ray labels such as Arrow Video, Second Sight Entertainment, Radiance Films, 88 Films, Second Run and more, which offer high quality releases of obscure and well-known titles, all packed with extras that provide more insight into the films and who made them, and the physical disc market making £160.8 million (including through rentals), shows that physical media still holds some sway with entertainment lovers.

What is Driving It?

While big streaming platforms still dominate home viewing, there are many reasons physical media remains attractive. Firstly, many titles simply aren’t available on streaming sites. This is especially true when it comes to older, obscure cult films and international releases. So, if an online platform can’t provide, many physical media companies are more than happy to pick up the slack.

Secondly, it provides a sense of security. With rights constantly changing hands, some titles vanishing altogether, film companies gating off their own content for their own platforms, and prices rising for both subscriptions and internet access, access to something is never certain in the streaming age. Some companies, like Disney, even alter projects without making the original version accessible online. Having a hard copy means viewers can always access their favourite properties after one payment, with no danger of them being altered or recalled.

Thirdly, the inclusion of extra materials in physical releases (especially from boutique labels), like commentary tracks, behind-the-scenes documentaries, outtakes, short films and more helps to provide not only more value for money but also gives audiences a much deeper appreciation of the work that goes into making media. Rather than allowing titles to just be seen as content.

Lastly, the disc experience guarantees high quality. Unfortunately, internet connections are still not constant. Many homes have spotty connections, which can lead to constant buffering, quality drops and cut-offs when streaming. There are also many people who still don’t have household internet access (around 2.8 million in the UK alone). Along with this, several big streaming services have now introduced adverts to their platforms, which intrude on the viewing experience. By contrast, barring disc scratches, watching something on a disc means consistent quality with no possibility for interruptions. 

Here To Stay Or Gone Tomorrow?

It’s hard to see streaming losing its market dominance anytime soon. Especially with how streaming services offer convenient access to such a wide variety of work.

However, with all the problems mentioned above, physical media will likely remain a fixture for viewers wanting to access the most artistically satisfying and best quality experience of something they love or can’t access elsewhere.

Physical media may not be able to reclaim its glory days, but as the vinyl revival proves, having a lovingly curated physical version of a beloved piece of art is something that entertainment lovers will always value.

The post Long Live Physical Media: A Rebellion in a Streaming World appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

But don’t worry – it’s very good.

It was one of those “I really need to go see that” movies that I didn’t end up seeing on the big screen, so I had to settle for a much smaller screen at home when it came out on DVD and Blu Ray in July. And I’ve only just watched it, in August.

Anyway, preamble over. Let’s get to it.

The Breakdown

This didn’t feel to me like a Spielberg film largely because so much of it takes place in an entirely CGI-realised virtual reality world called the OASIS. Set in 2045, the protagonist (an orphaned teenager called Wade Watts, whose father was a comic book nerd, naturally) is one of millions of gamers making regular use of the OASIS to escape from their less-than-glamorous lives through their avatars. As his avatar Parzival, Watts experiences this unrestricted world where anything goes and anyone can be whatever they want; he spends most of his time there with Aech, a gaming buddy who he’s never met in real life.

If you’re a parent of online gaming teenagers, this element of the film will immediately strike a chord with you.

The OASIS was co-created by eccentric designers James Halliday and Ogden Morrow. After Halliday’s death, his avatar Anorak delivered a pre-recorded message to the users of the OASIS announcing that whoever locates the Golden Easter Egg hidden in the game will be granted full control of the company – gamers must find three ‘keys’ that unlock the gate to the Easter Egg, each of which are scattered somewhere in the OASIS and can only be found by solving riddles. Naturally, this attracts the attention of every gamer hooked into the OASIS, as well as Nolan Sorrento, CEO of Innovative Online Industries (IOI) and his “Sixers”, labourers forced to pay off debts by working for IOI within the virtual world. Parzival, Aech, and fellow egg-hunter Art3mis team up to find the keys and win the Golden Easter Egg, and ownership of the OASIS.

Phew! I’ve probably made that sound more convoluted than it really is – apologies if you’re lost/bored already.

Actually, Ready Player One is easy to follow, as long as you’re listening. There’s a lot of initial exposition by Watts (played by Tye Sheridan), but not so much that you feel bogged down in it. The film is well-paced with only a few main characters to worry about.

This is very much a movie for teenagers (the very occasional profanity throughout may rule out younger viewers), especially those who make heavy use of online gaming. However, the pop culture references constantly exploding out of your screen will appeal to a certain demographic of adults too.

Pop Culture Overload

And there are a lot of pop culture references in this movie. A lot. I can’t emphasise this enough, actually. Lots and lots.

If you like anything directed or produced by Spielberg in the 80s and 90s or connected with him in any way, this is the film for you. As a pop culture enthusiast, I found myself straining to take in every single movie and gaming reference on the screen. I was amazed that Spielberg – even Spielberg – had managed to acquire the rights to so many instantly-recognisable characters, vehicles and, for a particularly spellbinding portion of the film, sequences from classic works of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. He apparently spent years gathering them, and still didn’t get everything he wanted.

I had a lot of fun trying to take it all in, and I still probably only managed to ingest about fifty percent of it. If you’re like me and you know your DeLorean from your chest-bursting Xenomorph, I think you’ll really enjoy this film. If you haven’t watched a lot of movies, it may feel like a bit of an overload, however.

Technical Brilliance

Ready Player One is visually dazzling from start to finish. Industrial Light and Magic created the film’s extensive visual effects, expertly directed by Spielberg from a Zak Penn script. Sheridan’s lead is supported by Olivia Cooke (Art3mis), Ben Mendelsohn (Sorrento), Simon Pegg (Morrow) and the wonderful Mark Rylance (Halliday), who I loved in The BFG and Bridge of Spies. The actors slip easily between their “real-world” selves and their avatars, the seamlessness of which is a credit to them and their director.

My only real criticism of the film is its length. With a run time of 140 minutes, it can definitely feel long after a while, especially by the time the third act rolls around and you’ve already been blasted fairly relentlessly with dozens of pop cultural references and roller coaster CGI. In addition, adult viewers may sometimes find that the narrative and dialogue are aimed too squarely at the younger audience, who are likely to absorb the video game-like action sequences more readily.

The Bottom Line

But don’t let that deter you. Ready Player One is a totally immersive and entertaining experience as a film. I went into it not really knowing what to expect, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. You can view it as a commentary on contemporary gaming culture, in which people invest themselves to such a massive extent that their identities start to become transferrable between virtual reality and actual reality. Or you can just enjoy the visual spectacle and not worry too much about what it means.

Pop it into the Blu Ray player on your next available Friday night and let Spielberg take you with him on his own pop culture homage train – who better to go with?

Verdict: (4 / 5)

The post Review: Ready Player One [Spoiler Free] appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.