Kiss Me First

Virtual Reality Bites

- Richard Edwards

Scheduling Kiss Me First to debut within days of Ready Player One landing in cinemas did the Channel 4 show few favours. This story of teens using a VR world to escape their real-world problems initially looks like a cut-price take on the Steven Spielberg blockbuster, but it’s more than that. Where Spielberg made a fun, popcorny actioner, Kiss Me First tackles considerably weightier themes like online bullying, gender identity, assisted dying and mental health – all wrapped up in a gripping (if sometimes too conventional) thriller plot.