Disney's latest animated feature,
Wreck-it Ralph, is a film that is tailor-made for a certain crowd,
and I am of course referring to the gamer crowd. It's a good thing
too because since the 90's, gamers have never really gotten a great
film based off one of their favorite video games. So, Disney goes for
a mix between Toy Story and Who Framed Roger Rabbit by going for an
original story that pays homage to games new and old of every genre,
from the first-person shooters like Halo and Call of Duty to the
kid-friendly games like Mario Kart to the old-school arcade classics
like Donkey Kong and Pac-Man. Needless to say, this movie surely
delivers on creating a unique universe and it can appeal to all
audiences, even those who are not part of the gamer crowd. The end
result is one of the best animated films of the year, if not the
best.
The film follows the titular Wreck-it
Ralph (John C. Reilly), the villain of a 'Donkey Kong' like arcade
game, Fix it Felix Jr. Having been in the same role for thirty years,
Ralph yearns to be the good guy for once like the hero of his game,
Fix it Felix (Jack McBrayer), who is respected by the characters of
Fix it Felix Jr., while Ralph is always shunned for just being 'the
bad guy who wrecks the building'. Hoping to change his reputation,
Ralph leaves the comforts of his game behind and heads out to explore
new games, including the first-person shooter 'Hero's Duty' and the
candy-coated racer 'Sugar Rush'. While there, he befriends Vanellope
von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman), a glitchy character who, like Ralph,
is shunned by her fellow characters and the two of them strive to
turn their luck around. However, Ralph's antics spell trouble for not
only the world of Fix it Felix Jr., but the entire arcade as well.
Sure, Wreck-it Ralph's plot is your
basic tale of a main character trying to find his place in the world,
but the way Disney handles it here is unlike anything we have ever
seen before. This is not just some film where certain video game
icons show up for brief cameos, though of course there are plenty in
this film. You become immersed in this universe as you learn the ins
and outs of what it's like for video game characters in an arcade.
They travel to other games each night when the arcade closes by way
of a 'Game Central Station', which takes them to their respected
games through each game's power cord. All of the bad guys regularly
meet up in the home of the ghosts from Pac-Man for a support group.
Of course, we also have some great references to both old-school and
modern games that I don't even want to talk about here because they
are so good that I recommend that you see them for yourself.
So how does this movie appeal to any
non-gamer, you ask? Well, this is a Disney film so of course it has a
great message behind it of appreciating yourself for who you are. The
animation is terrific as the filmmakers utilize the many genres of
games, old and new, to their advantage. There are cool homages to
old-school games and we see the contrast between old and new. Of
course, the whole world of Sugar Rush features some great eye candy.
The voice acting is also very solid, as John C. Reilly does a great
job in the role of Ralph, making him very likable even if he's the
villain. Sarah Silverman's character admittedly first comes off as
rather annoying, but as the film went on, this wasn't as big of an
issue. We also have great turns from Jack McBrayer as the truly 'good
guy' Felix and Jane Lynch as the tough-as-nails commander of 'Hero's
Duty'.
Probably my only real complaint of the
movie is that it could have done just a little more when it came to
exploring this gaming universe. For the majority of the film, we are
mainly confined to three worlds; Fix-it Felix Jr., Hero's Duty, and
Sugar Rush. Once Ralph enters the land of Sugar Rush, that's where he
remains until the end of the film. Now I understand why they stay in
this land, because the character of Vanellope is a glitch and she
cannot leave her game because of it. For the record, I'm not saying
that this is an entirely bad thing because it does give the animation
an opportunity to shine. But considering the massive potential that
this film presents through the universe it creates, it feels like the
filmmakers could have done just a little bit more to take this film
to the next level (no pun intended). Still, what they have done here
is nothing short of incredible.
That is why I feel this film has vast
amounts of material that could very much result in a franchise. I
want to see them explore this universe even further. Maybe we can see
what it is like for any of the characters from home console or
handheld video games. Maybe we can actually see some more famous
licensed characters like Mario and Luigi or Link. Still, for what we
got here, Wreck-it Ralph is one of the most entertaining films of the
year, as well as one of the year's best animated films. Like any
great Disney film, it's one that anybody can enjoy, even if you
aren't a gamer. Of course if you are one, this is a must-see that
truly does the gaming community justice.
Rating: 4.5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment