Now with VR headsets<\/a> becoming more mainstream, the metaverse becoming a genuine possibility and Fortnite<\/a> slowly absorbing every single iconic character ever put to screen, the Oasis is looking less like science fiction and more like a prophetic vision of the future.<\/p>\n So as virtual reality becomes an increasingly tempting alternative to the real world, we\u2019re going to look back at our favourite digital worlds in film.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a small but growing subgenre \u2013 though the majority of virtual reality\u2019s depictions on the silver screen aren\u2019t quite as upbeat and optimistic as Ernest Cline\u2019s Ready Player One book<\/a> or the subsequent adaptation, with The Matrix<\/a> the most famous example of the technology as a deceptive prison.<\/p>\n There\u2019s therefore a healthy mix of cautionary tales of the technology replacing our reality altogether as well as optimistic speculation of the endless possibilities a virtual world represents, with both routes providing juicy premises for classic 2D cinema.<\/p>\n So strap on your VR goggles and make sure not to hit anything \u2013 here are seven virtual reality worlds to explore after Ready Player One.<\/p> While the Matrix may not feature the distinctive goggles we now associate with virtual reality, the 1999 classic is nonetheless the most famous depiction of the technology on screen. For those who are yet to go down the rabbit hole and discover what The Matrix is, the film follows Thomas Anderson, a computer programmer who discovers that humanity is trapped inside a simulated reality called The Matrix and leads the rebellion against the machines responsible.<\/p>\n It goes without saying that The Matrix\u2019s take on virtual reality is a tad darker than that of Ready Player One \u2013 while Spielberg\u2019s film briefly touches on the idea of the importance of logging off to spend time in the real world, in the Keanu Reeves cyberpunk virtual reality has completely replaced the real world, with the unaware human race spending their entire lives alone and isolated in containment pods with their minds locked in a digital prison.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a worst-case scenario for virtual reality \u2013 but it did bring the concept to the mainstream, and is still worth a watch just how good\u00a0<\/em>the film is even though our perception of the technology has changed. Our five-star review<\/a> notes how \u201cthe Wachowskis mix ultra-cool visuals, vertigo-inducing kung fu and a deliciously paranoid scenario for an adrenaline-pumping rollercoaster ride of extraordinary vision and astounding power\u201d that \u201cpushed the boundaries of imagination and digital-effects technology further than ever before.\u201d<\/p>\n Where to watch: <\/strong>NOW<\/a><\/p>\n Taking the name from a Stephen King short story \u2013 and little else \u2013 it\u2019s not surprising that this 1992 sci-fi has a pretty negative take on virtual reality. The Lawnmower Man stars Pierce Brosnan as Dr Lawrence Angelo, a brilliant scientist who experiments on chimpanzees using VR \u2013 but when he puts a gardener through the same treatment, he gains superhuman abilities.<\/p>\n It\u2019s safe to say that Ready Player One has significantly better visual effects than that of The Lawnmower Man, which are pretty laughable by today\u2019s standards \u2013 but shows that anxiety over virtual reality technology is not a new phenomenon. Spielberg\u2019s adaptation shows virtual worlds as fun escapism where players can share their passions together as long as it is not all-encompassing, but The Lawnmower Man acts as a fun sci-fi horror counterpoint speculating about the dangers of a digital world.<\/p>\n As our The Lawnmower Man review<\/a> points out the film\u2019s big draw \u2013 then impressive special effects \u2013 have aged rather poorly, but the movie remains \u201cnotable only for its attempt to combine a variation on the Frankenstein theme with the cinematic opportunities offered by \u2018virtual reality\u201d.<\/p>\n Where to watch:\u00a0<\/strong>Shudder<\/a><\/p>\n Along with Ready Player One, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle might just be of the best video game films around \u2013 despite not actually being based on a video game\u2026<\/p>\n A \u201crebootquel\u201d of the beloved Robin Williams classic, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle follows four teenagers who are transported into the Jumanji video game as adult avatars and must complete the game in order to survive.<\/p>\n While the Jumanji reboot films technically do not use virtual reality technology to realise the game world \u2013 instead they are magically sucked in \u2013 they are still one of the best Hollywood depictions of what it would be like to fully enter a video game VR-style. Both Ready Player One and the new Jumanji films are fun, family-friendly romps that while not based on existing video games nonetheless incorporate several gaming tropes into their story, and thus have become one of the medium\u2019s best translations to the silver screen.<\/p>\n Video game similarities aside, both Ready Player One and Jumanji are two of the best family adventure movies in recent years \u2013 our Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle review<\/a> described the film as being \u201cas good as the 1995 original, director Jake Kasdan\u2019s rip-roaring action adventure takes the bare bones of Chris Van Allsburg\u2019s 1981 book and adds contemporary twists\u201d. It was a box office success too, resulting in Jumanji: The Next Level<\/a> and Jumanji 4<\/a>.<\/p>\n Where to watch:\u00a0<\/strong>Amazon Prime<\/a><\/p>\n Speaking of video game movies, here\u2019s one actually based on a game that uses virtual reality. Based on the best-selling video game franchise, Assassin\u2019s Creed stars Michael Fassbender as Callum Lynch, who explores the memories of his ancestor to become a Master Assassin and take on an evil organisation.<\/p>\n While from the outside it may look as if the Assassin\u2019s Creed series<\/a> makes use of time travel, all the historical scenes in fact take place in virtual reality \u2013 Callum uses a machine called the Animus to relive the memories of a long-dead reality in a virtual world (a handy excuse for any glitches in the games!). Granted Assassin\u2019s Creed does not explore the possibilities of virtual reality quite as much as Ready Player One \u2013 the technology is largely only used to recreate 1492 Madrid \u2013 but it does have one of the more unique VR machines in film, eschewing the usual goggles or chairs for a giant mechanical arm that allows Fassbender to run and jump around in one of the most visually interesting depictions of the technology.<\/p>\n We were fairly impressed in our Assassin\u2019s Creed review<\/a>, describing the film as \u201ca thrilling, visually nightmarish Dan Brown-style conspiracy tale where Mortal Kombat meets Raiders of the Lost Ark\u201d. For some more immersive assassinations, it seems as if an actual Assassin\u2019s Creed VR game is in development, as well as a new live-action series<\/a> at Netflix.<\/p>\n Where to watch: <\/strong>Amazon Prime<\/a><\/p>\n We can\u2019t talk about virtual realities in film without mentioning one of the first-ever video game movies. Tron stars Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn, a computer hacker who is transported into the digital world and competes in gladiatorial games with the help of a security program.<\/p>\n Inspired by the iconic early video game Pong, cult classic Tron was a landmark film in terms of computer animation and gaming in film and paved the way for films like Ready Player One. Indeed Ready Player One makes several references to the 1982 classic throughout \u2013 a light-cycle is seen during the virtual race scene, and features more prominently in the book when Parzival plays the classic game Tron: Deadly Discs.<\/p>\n Ahead of its time \u2013 and the available technology \u2013 Tron was the first film set in an abstract computer world that so many other films on this list owe a debt to. It\u2019s a decent film also \u2013 our Tron review<\/a> described the movie as an \u201cimaginative electronic fantasy\u201d that \u201cbroke new cinematic ground\u201d and likely laid the groundwork for the Toy Story franchise. A sequel, Tron: Legacy, was released in 2010, with Tron 2 reportedly in the works<\/a> with Jared Leto.<\/p>\n Where to watch:<\/strong> Disney+<\/a><\/p>\n Also based on a beloved science fiction book \u2013 Ender\u2019s Game<\/a> by Orson Scott Card \u2013 this film adaptation of the same name explores virtual reality in war. The movie follows Ender Wiggins (Asa Butterfield), a gifted child sent to a space military academy to prepare for an imminent alien invasion from an insectoid species.<\/p>\n As with Ready Player One, Ender\u2019s Game shows the uses of oft-maligned gaming skills \u2013 this time in war, where gifted children train in virtual reality-esque simulations. Given that several militaries around the world have begun to train using virtual reality, this particular depiction of the technology has some real-world ramifications, especially given a third-act plot twist. Ender\u2019s Game acts as a cautionary tale about blurring the lines between virtual worlds and the real one, and how war as a game can easily warp your view of your opponent.<\/p>\n Our Ender\u2019s Game review<\/a> was full of praise for future Sex Education<\/a> star Asa Butterfield, describing how \u201cspecial effects dazzle throughout, Ford and veteran soldier Ben Kingsley add gravitas, but the assured Butterfield is the true star, as the reluctant teen who carries the survival of humankind on his shoulders\u201d.<\/p>\n Where to watch: <\/strong>Netflix<\/a>, NOW<\/a><\/p>\n One of the more recent entries into the growing virtual reality subgenre, Free Guy<\/a> returns to the more optimistic tone of Ready Player One \u2013 and then multiplies that by 100. A mashup of The Matrix and The Truman Show, Free Guy stars Ryan Reynolds on usual wisecracking form as Guy, a bank teller who discovers he\u2019s actually a non-playable character in an open-world video game and teams up with real players to save his world from deletion.<\/p>\n Ready Player One and Free Guy have an enormous amount in common with each other, from the virtual videogame setting to the villainous company CEOs to the many Free Guy Easter Eggs<\/a> and pop-culture crossovers. Indeed, if Ready Player One is a love letter to \u201980s pop culture then Free Guy is the same for modern gaming, featuring several iconic video game weapons as well as cameos from popular streamers. As celebrations of geek culture go, Ready Player One and Free Guy are two of the best options out there.<\/p>\n Our Free Guy review<\/a> named \u201cJodie Comer is the standout in this broadly enjoyable video game movie\u201d which was a surprise crowd-pleasing hit at the pandemic box office, enough for Free Guy 2<\/a> to enter development.<\/p>\n Where to watch:<\/strong> Disney+<\/a><\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for something to watch tonight, check out our\u00a0TV Guide<\/a>\u00a0or visit our\u00a0Movies<\/a>\u00a0hub for all the latest news.<\/strong><\/p>\n The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now \u2013\u00a0<\/b>subscribe now<\/b><\/a>\u00a0to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the\u00a0<\/b>Radio Times podcast<\/b><\/a> with Jane Garvey.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section><\/body><\/html>\n By Daniel Furn Published: Saturday, 09 July 2022 at 12:00 am Sci-fi film, Ready Player One, was perhaps a bit ahead of its time, combining virtual reality video games, a metaverse style virtual world and nostalgic pop culture crossovers long before they became as pervasive as they are today. Now with VR headsets becoming more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":18242,"template":"","categories":[6],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/here-are-7-virtual-reality-movie-worlds-to-explore-next-if-you-enjoyed-ready-player-one.jpg",970,545,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/here-are-7-virtual-reality-movie-worlds-to-explore-next-if-you-enjoyed-ready-player-one-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/here-are-7-virtual-reality-movie-worlds-to-explore-next-if-you-enjoyed-ready-player-one-300x169.jpg",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/here-are-7-virtual-reality-movie-worlds-to-explore-next-if-you-enjoyed-ready-player-one-768x432.jpg",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/here-are-7-virtual-reality-movie-worlds-to-explore-next-if-you-enjoyed-ready-player-one.jpg",800,449,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/here-are-7-virtual-reality-movie-worlds-to-explore-next-if-you-enjoyed-ready-player-one.jpg",970,545,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/07\/here-are-7-virtual-reality-movie-worlds-to-explore-next-if-you-enjoyed-ready-player-one.jpg",970,545,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Daniel Furn Published: Saturday, 09 July 2022 at 12:00 am Sci-fi film, Ready Player One, was perhaps a bit ahead of its time, combining virtual reality video games, a metaverse style virtual world and nostalgic pop culture crossovers long before they became as pervasive as they are today. Now with VR headsets becoming more…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/18241"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}1. The Matrix<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2019\/08\/GettyImages-590691556-e1cf995.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>2. The Lawnmower Man<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/06\/The-Lawnmower-Man-0f698bb.jpg?quality=90&crop=149px%2C0px%2C1621px%2C1080px&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n3. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2020\/03\/Jumanji-Welcome-to-the-Jungle-15f4f83.jpg?quality=90&crop=100px%2C0px%2C1081px%2C720px&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>4. Assassin\u2019s Creed<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/06\/Assassins-Creed-bfca0e5.jpg?quality=90&crop=436px%2C0px%2C1205px%2C803px&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n5. Tron<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/06\/Tron-Screenshot-0362bb0.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C402"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n6. Ender\u2019s Game<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/06\/Enders-Game-Trailer-Screenshot-b1874e2.jpg?quality=90&crop=352px%2C0px%2C1201px%2C800px&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n7. Free Guy<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
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