Week Eleven : Cyberpunk & Steampunk

This week I decided to read Ready Player One written by Ernest Cline. Although the description for Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson was fairly interesting, I felt far more comfortable reading Ready Player One. I absolutely adore the film. Ever since I watched it, I'd been meaning to get my hands on the book. It's been in the back of my mind for a while, but I hadn't had the time to read it... UNTIL NOW. It was an enjoyable read. I was surprised by how much of the book was felt out of the film. I have to say that I enjoyed Samantha’s/Art3mis’s character wayyyyyy more in the book. She had much more self-assurance than in the film, she is a cyberpunk heroine; a protector and a complete badass. Sure, Samantha describes herself as ‘hideously deformed’ in the book but her sassy personality never ceases. The film, on the other hand, shows her confidence being severely affected by the birthmark. In the film, Samantha’s speech pattern is more hesitant and she appears to be visually upset when talking about her birthmark. She talks about it like it's some grand facial disfigurement when it's clearly not. It's like they switched up the characteristics of Samantha and Wade for the film. How come in the book Wade’s demeanor is all like ‘pity me’, but then in the film he’s the confident hero?
Book:
Samantha: “You only know what I want you to know. You only see what I want you to see… This isn't my real body, Wade. Or my real face.”
Samantha: “... I'm hideously deformed. Or I'm a paraplegic. Or I'm actually sixty-three years old. Take your pick.”

 Film:

 Samantha: “You'd be disappointed. This isn't what I really look like. This isn't my real body or my real face... You know what I want you to know. You only see what I want you to see. That's what you're in love with.”

 Wade: “For the record, I'm not disappointed,” Samantha: “I've lived with it my whole life. You don't have to pretend.”
For this week’s movie, we were supposed to only watch Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004), but the thing is, I didn't want to watch the second movie without watching the first one, SOOOOOOOOOO, I stayed up all night this Saturday and watched Ghost in the Shell (1995), Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004), AND I rewatched Ready Player One (2018) for, like, the 8th time,... just cause I wanted to watch it again. I’m glad to say that I enjoyed the Ghost in the Shell films. I hadn't considered watching them before. I only have a vague memory of seeing trailers for the film Ghost in the Shell (2017) starring Scarlett Johansson. I remember watching the news and hearing the newscaster talk about the controversy behind the film; something about racism and whitewashing. So much drama surrounds this fandom. This is why I only stick to watching fluffy romance animes.
The genre of Cyberpunk deals with themes of overpopulation, pollution, crime, ect. There's always disappointment that comes with every novel or film that deals with themes of augmented, altered or alternative realities. Back to the Future Part II (1989) gave us false hope that there would be flying cars by 2015, and the same can be said for Ghost in the Shell and Ready Player One. Ghost in the Shell (1995) takes place in the year 2029, while Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004) takes place in the year 2032. As of now, it is 2020 but I HIGHLY DOUBT that things like transferring the conscious mind into a machine and obtaining surgical cybernetic advancements to the human body will be available by then. The reality within Ghost in the Shell is far from being an accurate reflection of the present. Although, I gotta give a round of applause to Ready Player One for getting something right. Even though it takes place in the year 2045 and the progression in science and technology is far beyond our reach at the moment, Ready Player One is a great novel that speaks on the isolation, more specifically societal isolation, that comes with technology; distanced connectivity. Society within the novel uses the OASIS as a form of escapism from reality, and similar forms of escapism such as that can be seen today. I know a great many people today who find comfort in video games, and use them as a platform to break free of the responsibilities and pressure of daily life. Even in the novel, Wade says,“The OASIS is the setting of all my happiest childhood memories.” Realities shown within the genre of Cyberpunk are always so bleak.
Here’s hoping that Meet the Robinsons (2007) doesn’t disappoint. Forget time travel. I want to live in a pollution free world. I want to travel long distances by bubble. I want to listen to a band of frogs sing their jazzy hearts out. All by the year 2037. Is that too much to ask? :’(
…..
Here are some other Cyberpunk and Steampunk readings/shows/movies/etc. that I like: Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, and Tron (2010). 

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