![]() Limiting the spazzy references to Zack and his closest buddies, for instance, would make him a distinctive character instead of just another cog in the reference machine. For Armada, Cline and Mazeau could easily pare them down a lot further. Ready Player One needs its cultural baggage to make its plot and setting work, but the film pares down the references to what’s necessary for the action, and pushes the rest of them to the backdrop, as set dressing instead of centerpieces. ![]() ![]() ![]() It’s self-indulgent and repetitive, and it makes widely diverse characters from around the world all feel like identically drawn Ernest Cline clones. Even Zack’s mom uses Lord of the Rings’ line “You shall not pass!” when scolding him. But that doesn’t explain the way Cline turns every sympathetic character in Armada into a quote-slinging, trivia-arguing fan nerd. Protagonist Zack Lightman has a reason to care about ‘80s culture, since it connects him to his long-gone father, who left behind a conspiracy theory tied to old movies. Focus on the action, not the lists of references.Īrmada practically chokes on its pop culture references, and unlike Ready Player One, it doesn’t make them integral to the plot. ![]()
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