Wreck It Ralph

Welcome to another episode of Lights....Camera....Popcorn!

Today's review is Wreck It Ralph.

Directed by Rich Moore.

Written by Phil Johnston & Jennifer Lee.

Screen Story by Rich Moore, Phil Johnston & Jim Reardon.

Review #186

MPAA Rating: PG for some rude humor and mild action/violence.

Run Time: 101 min

Cast

John C. Reilly...Ralph (voice)

Sarah Silverman...Vanellope (voice)

Jack McBrayer...Felix (voice)

Jane Lynch...Calhoun (voice)

Adam Carolla...Wynnchel (voice)

Alan Tudyk...King Candy (voice)

Mindy Kaling...Taffyta Muttonfudge (voice)

Joe Lo Truglio...Markowski (voice)

Ed O'Neill...Mr. Litwak (voice)

Dennis Haysbert...General Hologram (voice)

Edie McClurg...Mary (voice)

Raymond S. Persi...Gene / Zombie (voice)


Video games is a multi billion dollar industry. They are not only entertaining but contain some of the best stories that you will ever see. There are seriously creative people behind these games. It makes me scratch my head to no end how the film industry never follows the model the game creators use to make these amazing adventures. Oh wait, I know why they don't follow the model.

IT'S BECAUSE THEY'RE STUPID!!!!

Since the video game boom, there have been hundreds upon hundreds of film options and adaptations. Of those many films I can only think of two that even come close to being good enough to watch. Mortal Kombat and Resident Evil. Those two films were pretty close to the games origin and had some popular characters for us all to enjoy. Ironically they were both written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson who by most accounts (including mine) is one of the WORST directors in the WORLD!

So here we are with another video game movie. With a twist. Instead of adapting a popular game, an original story was created which surrounded classic games around it.

What a novel idea.

Plot

A video game villain wants to be a hero and sets out to fulfill his dream, but his quest brings havoc to the whole arcade where he lives. 

The first thing I realized that while watching this movie was that while it was made for kids. It was made for kids like me. Meaning this film appeals to the days when I used to go to the arcade and play games like Q Bert, Pacman, Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. Many characters from these classic games appear in this movie. Kids today have no idea who these characters are but they are funny so it works for them. It was nostalgic for me which gave the film a much bigger impact and entertainment value.

What made this film so cool was the simplicity of it's concept. Video game characters actually live in the game and act like it's a job until the arcade closes. It's such a simple idea it's brilliant.Watching the characters live like us. Going to bars and hanging out among each other was so cool to see. Just picture Ryu fighting Ken from Street Fighter then just as Ryu throws a dragon uppercut, the arcade closes. The fight stops then Ryu asks Ken if he wants to have a beer and they casually walk off the screen together. That scene was in the movie and made my heart sing. My only gripe is that I wished there were more scenes like that. The game characters are spread throughout but are seen sparingly. This is obviously because they needed the time to get the main story involving Ralph going.

Moving on to the main story. Again this was a simple yet really cool concept. Imagine a video game villain who doesn't want to be one anymore. Now the trailers depict the film as that plot point being the main portion of the story. It's only the motivation and jumping off point for what happens the rest of the way. In many respects Ralph is the supporting character with Vanellope being the main one. The movie shifts from Ralph's motivations to what Vanellope deals with and how Ralph plays a role in her quest.

As always in films like this, the animation is top notch. Fast and smooth. The character designs are really detailed and defined. This gives them a more life like quality which makes the voice acting crucial. The cast does a really good job bringing these characters to the world they're supposed to be a part of and injecting life into them. John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman highlight the cast. Since the film revolves around their characters it's important they own their characters and they do. John C. Reilly doesn't do anything special to Ralph's voice. He pretty much reads his dialogue naturally but his voice is so comical in nature anyway that it works which is very rare.

The film does it's predictable turn which sets up the heoric finale. However, like it's concept, the final act feels and plays fresh and new. It also brings the story full circle whcih felt a bit draggy in the middle. Wreck It Ralph doesn't redefine the genre of CG animated movies. It does however give fans of the genre like me excitement that future homages of old school stuff that I used to like as a kid resurfaces. The opportunities are limitless.

On the 5 star scale. Wreck It Ralph gets 4 stars with a "Worth Every Penny!" recommendation.

That's a wrap for today. Up next is Cloud Atlas.

Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"

"D"