Rating of
3.5/4
Video Game Movie Done Right
Chris Kavan - wrote on 11/04/12
There have been oh so many movies that try to capture the spirit of video games. And time and time again, they fail. Let's face it, even the best video game movie can only be described as "adequate". Yet Wreck-It Ralph achieves something special - not only does it capture that spirit - it makes a great film. The kids will love the animation and comedy, the adults will get all the sly references (if they know video games). All in all, it's not just a lot of fun, it's one of the best films, animated or not, I have seen all year.
We are introduced to Ralph (John C. Reilly) a villain in a game that looks like a mix of Doneky Kong and Rampage - his home ( a nice stump ) is destroyed and high-rise apartment takes its place. Naturally he is angry and goes about wrecking it. Enter Fix-It Felix, Jr. (Jack McBrayer) - the hero of the game. He undoes all the damage, gets a shiny medal (and tasty pies) - meanwhile, Ralph gets tossed off the building into a pile of mud. And that's his entire life - for thirty years.
But that's not all. In a Toy Story-like twist - after the arcade is shut down our video game characters go about regular lives - whether it's Ken and Ryo going to Tapper's for a drink or Ralph going back to his pile of brinks and hunkering down to sleep. But here's the think, as the 30th Anniversary of his game approaches, Ralph is tired of being the bad guy. For once he's the one who wants a medal.
Thus begins an adventure that takes Ralph to the dangerous bug-infested game Hero's Duty, where the no-nonsense Sgt. Calhoun (Jane Lynch) leads her troops against the massive insect hoard. After thoroughly mucking things up, he gains his medal only to find himself unceremoniously shot into Sugar Rush - a super sweet kart racing game where he comes across the impish Venellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman) - a glitch in the game looking for a way back in - and Ralph's medal is her ticket. Soon, Felix and Calhoun make their way to the game - Felix looking for Ralph before their game is unplugged for being "Out of Order" and Calhoun going after the dangerous bug who hitched a ride along with Ralph.
While most of the film takes place inside the world of Sugar Rush - where we meet such characters as the Mad Hatter-ish King Candy (Alan Tudyk) and the donut cops Winchell (Adam Carolla) and Duncan (Horatio Sanz). There are some particularly fun scenes here - whether it's Ralph and Vanellope building their dream kart, Felix and Calhoun being moon-eyed with each other or the many wondrous sites such as the Nesquik Sand or Diet Cola Mountain (with boiling cola and a Mentos geysers).
The film itself is filled to the brim with awesome touches: whether it's cameos from familiar characters, sound effects familiar from other games or simply the look of the different games - director Rich Moore did an excellent job with creating entirely original game concepts yet making them feel perfectly at home with games that well and truly exist. They get each of the three games right - the 8-bit Ralph looks like it would fit in well right between Pac-Man and Centipede. Hero's Duty has the pounding music and non-stop action that would feel right at home with any Halo fan. Sugar Rush looks like a manic kart game (complete with ultra-peppy music) that would fit right in with Mario Kart and Mod Nation Racers.
However, the film goes beyond making me feel all nostalgic - the story is quite good as well - for an animated film it has some great emotional scenes and it pulls off something that almost no film has done to me in quite a long time - thrown in a twist I didn't see coming. That earns points all on its own. If they did a great job with the music - the vocal cast was also a hit. I especially got a kick out of Silverman's sweet little Vanellope - well, sweet with an attitude. Tudyk was hilarious as the over-the-top King Candy while Reilly brought surprising tenderness to a big oaf of a "villain".
All in all - this gives Disney a certified hit and I say it easily stands in the same category as my favorite Pixar films. Being a video game fan helps, but even if you don't get all the references, this is still an excellent animated film filled with memorable characters, great music and a strong story.
