If you have the mental age of nine, as I do, then you’ve probably dreamt of basking in the spectacle of a fisticuff brawl between the Iron Giant and MechaGodzilla. Or maybe what you’ve always wanted is a ludicrous street race that pits Marty’s DeLorean against a 1966 Batmobile in a Robocop’s New York City. If the thought of these check any boxes for you, stop reading right now and head to your nearest theater. You won’t be disappointed.

Ready Player One, Steven Spielberg’s latest film, is set in a fictional not-too-distant future. It is here where we meet Wade Watts, protagonist and our tour guide through this weird new world. He, like many, lives in a shantytown of stacked trailer homes and poverty. He’s poor, his parents died when he was young, he lives with his aunt and her scumbag boyfriend; the whole world looks grim. “There’s nowhere left to go,” he says. “Nowhere, except the Oasis.”

People use the Oasis, a massive virtual reality online video game, as a refuge from the unfortunate events that constitute their lives. The Oasis consequently carries tremendous significance to its players. When the genius creator of the game passes away, a competition amongst Oasis players to find a hidden easter egg buried deep within the game erupts. This competition was put in place by the creator as a final gift to his fans. In true Willy Wonka fashion, the first to find the egg gains full control of the Oasis.

And so it begins: a virtual reality fight to the death for the egg. Watts’ journey is met with opposition from nearly impossible challenges, perplexing riddles and Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn).

Sorrento is a megalomaniacal head of a corporate goliath which aims to obtain control of the Oasis so as to squeeze every penny out of the players. He houses and finances an army of elite gamers with the latest and greatest gaming tech to reach the egg first.

We know Ben Mendelsohn from his role as an Imperial Officer in “Star Wars,” and after viewing “Ready Player One,” it is clear to see that Mendelsohn has found his niche. This is the one role he can play like no other: Sci-Fi Dickhead.

Along his way, Watts finds new friends, personal growth and pop culture references. Lots of pop culture references.

The Oasis seems like a game set in a time both fixated on the pop culture of the 80s and devoid of copyright law. As a result, viewers of the film can sit back and unlock their inner nine-year-old. And I mean fully unlock. The film doesn’t simply flash known logos and favorite characters to get cheap “oh, cool,” out of the audience (though there are quite a few of those as well), it utilizes them in full capacity!

You don’t just see King Kong; you see racers struggling to stay on the roads he seems determined to destroy. The Iron Giant does not appear simply as a big dumb war machine; he lives and does as any true fans of the 1999 animated flick would expect.

My favorite scene in the film involves several characters exploring the Overlook Hotel from Kubrick’s “The Shining.” I remember my eyes widening in full as one of the characters stumbles in front of the two red elevator doors. “Oh no! I know what’s next,” I said to myself.

“Ready Player One” really is a gold mine of nerd-dom. But beyond that, it’s an escape. In time, we are forced to grow up and face the real world. If you long for a time past of youth, simplicity and naiveté, hop aboard the nostalgia train of “Ready Player One” and go.