Why do we love nostalgia? For me, a pop culture fanatic of many years, nostalgia means a hearkening back to fond memories, a remembrance of our roots, a connection to something that changed us in small and big ways. Though superficial or geeky to some, nostalgia ultimately amounts to a personal tether that is individual to each and every person.

Steven Spielberg’s upcoming film “Ready Player One”--a sci-fi adventure based on the geek-culture-centric novel of the same name--appears to understand this idea perfectly. Unfortunately, this hasn’t prevented critics from coming out to play, and after the first trailer was revealed at this year’s San Diego Comic Con, many people lambasted the film as a cheap marketing ploy to get geeks into theaters.

Personally, I don’t understand why there’s so much hatred for “Ready Player One,” especially when its old-school, 80s-loving vibe is something that is visible in so many places. Funko Pop figurines provide people with super-deformed, cutesy versions of characters like the Ninja Turtles or Lion-O. T-shirts at retailers like Hot Topic proudly bear the album covers of classic bands like Journey. The point is, 80s nostalgia is everywhere already.

To play devil’s advocate, this is perhaps the primary reason why people aren’t too happy with “Ready Player One” so far; I suppose it would be easy to get overwhelmed by everything 80s. However, consider that fiction such as the Netflix television series “Stranger Things” is also built with nostalgia in mind, and yet doesn’t receive nearly the level of flack that this movie is already getting. So if we weren’t complaining when movies and TV shows like “Stranger Things” showed up, why are we complaining now?

It’s probably got something to do with what footage studio Warner Bros. chose to show us at Comic Con. It is admittedly mostly references and cameos and Easter Eggs, but this is something that pop culture lovers like me and the general populace have been exposed to for years.

Merchandise, media, conversation--all of these avenues can recall things from the past, and we’re okay with it. In essence, it’s kind of hard to label this film’s use of nostalgia as pandering, ostentatious, or overdone because we already reference the hell out of things from decades past.

Like I said, nostalgia, when used correctly, can be used to tell great stories about the human experience. Just look at the likes of “Stranger Things,” “The Lego Movie,” or “Wreck-It-Ralph.”

Thus, to simply write off “Ready Player One” as a superficial “nerd movie” or as an exploitation of 80s references is unfair. I may not have read the source material, and I may not have seen the movie yet, but I’m willing to attest to the fact that there’s some serious hypocrisy going on here.

I could very well be wrong about “Ready Player One” and there could be oodles of narrative and technical issues with the film. But we’re not there yet. So just put your quarters in the machine and give this game a try.