Actor Simon Pegg promoted his new Stephen Spielberg adventure film Ready Player One on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Wednesday.
Pegg told the host that the future depicted in the movie is not that far off from the direction we're heading. We're already getting a taste of virtual reality experiences now. And maybe puking along the way.
Colbert asked the Shaun of the Dead actor to elaborate on Ready Player One being a "future fact."
It's basically about a virtual reality world. It's 2044. This world is being created and everybody kind of goes there 'cause it's more interesting and more fantastic than the real world is. It's a little bit about a social media allegory, really. It's a place where you can project your own truths, create yourself in your own way. You know, the kind of thing people do on social media these days?
Pegg added that the "future fact" could be our reality. He compared the film to the original 1982 Blade Runner, which is "set a year from now," and commented that we're not quite there yet.
With this, in 2044, I think we could be in a place where you go into a virtual world.
When asked if he's ever experienced virtual reality, the British actor didn't have positive insight to share about the technology. The 48-year-old learned people get sick due to their brains being confused by processing simulated movement while the body remains stationary.
Your brain thinks you've been poisoned and makes you throw up 'cause it thinks something toxic is inside you. That's what travel sickness is.
Both the studio audience and Colbert emitted an audible "ohhh," until Pegg disrupted the moment of enlightenment by getting real. "So people doing VR at the moment, there's a log of spewing. Let's get that sorted. Then we can live in the fake world."
"Well if this one doesn't get sorted out I might want to go to the fake world," Colbert responded.
Looks like we could all use a visit to this fake world. It's a Spielberg movie, after all, and he could definitely transport us.
The film takes place in a dystopian future where people escape from the real world via the virtual reality software called OASIS. The protagonist, Wade Watts, finds an Easter egg within the simulated realm and discovers the winner could inherit the fortunes of its founder and acquire full ownership of OASIS. Watts embarks on an adventure to complete the game before competitive forces from a large company run by Nolan Sorrento can finish first.
Ready Player One is already generating exciting buzz and is projected to earn $53 million to $55 million over the four-day weekend, according to Deadline.
RelishMix's read on the social chatter is that the movie "has an excited fan base, and its cultural references and Roblox effort has activated gamers and moviegoers, too" adding "Fans of the novel by Ernest Cline, Spielberg movies and classic video games are 'all in' and ready to dive in the deep end.