Plot: Video game villain Wreck It Ralph (John C. Reilly) is fed up. He's been the bad guy in the arcade game "Fix It Felix Jr." for over thirty years. But in his heart Ralph doesn't feel like a bad guy. Tired of the dump (literally) that he lives in, and his only solace the occasional drink at Tapper's, Ralph finally decides to confront the good guys of his game in their penthouse and is met with resistance. Hoping to win the respect of his fellow "Fit-It Felix Jr." cohorts, Ralph sets out on a quest to claim a medal in the first person shooter "Hero's Duty." However, Ralph's adventure doesn't go quite as expected. Along with a grizzled "Hero's Duty" commander in Seargeant Tamora Calhoun (Jane Lynch) and "glitch" Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman), Ralph will have to take on the corrupt King Candy (Alan Tudyk) and recover his medal before "Fix It Felix Jr." is shut down for good.
Review: Funny, charming, and endearing, Wreck it Ralph is everything you want in a family friendly movie. Director Rich Moore brings the laughs for kids and adults alike in this ode to arcade nostalgia that was nominated for an Oscar.
What makes Wreck it Ralph so memorable is its simplicity of story. While the scriptwriter Jim Reardon's theme is an old one, a man (or video game character in this case) trying to figure out exactly who he is and if the label "bad guy" really defines his essential nature, somehow Moore is able to inject new life into this old concept. This isn't easy considering the jaded nature of the modern era movie goer.
Dreamworks once again delivers a stunningly visual feast which highlights the high tech hi definition world while maintaining a familiar connection to the arcade era of the 1980s. Nostalgia is a heavy theme in Wreck It Ralph, and the Dreamworks team did a great job of bringing classic characters like Pac-Man, Qubert, and Bowser to life.
Wreck It Ralph would be nothing without it's superb cast. Reilly does a fantastic job of making Ralph a likable and sympathetic character even though he is a bad guy. While Ralph is somewhat oafish he's far from dumb and intensely loyal. Jane Lynch also delights as the gruff and grizzled Calhoun who hides a soft interior beneath a tough exterior. Even Sarah Silverman manages to not be too annoying as Vanellope von Schweetz, and I usually can't stand her.
Overall Wreck It Ralph stands above the crowd as one of the better animated features of 2012. Bravo!
My rating: 8/10
Loved this movie, but of course I'm biased. I hope the sequel ideas I read about getting rolling soon, if they aren't already. Going to press you on your rating - not arguing with it, but why an 8 and not 10? I guess the bigger question is your ratings in general. I just don't know how they work, exactly.
ReplyDeleteWasn't as funny as I was expecting and a little too long. Great question about my rating system. Going to do a post on that. Lol.
ReplyDeleteWasn't as funny as I was expecting and a little too long. Great question about my rating system. Going to do a post on that. Lol.
ReplyDelete