Wreck-it Ralph - 8.8/10
Is this Toy Story with video games? Well...yes and no. The
concept is the same, in that it's about video game characters who come
to life when the people who play with them go away, but the similarities
end there. The first act of this movie is very simple. In fact, I found
myself scoffing at just how simple it was. Ralph is unhappy with his
lot, there's a thing he can get that will make things better, he tries
to get that thing and it's very important...etc. etc.. Looking
back though, I can actually appreciate this. Ralph's game is of an era
when that was how things worked. There's a goal, it means everything,
and you will do what it takes to reach that goal. End of story. It was
also a nice way to contrast the rest of the film, once Ralph realizes
that things are sometimes more complex than just getting that one shiny
thing and making everything great.
There are a lot of cameos from real game characters past and present,
and while they were funny, they were also kind of distracting and so I'm
kind of glad they too were relegated to the first act of the film for
the most part. A lot of video game-based jokes were also sprinkled all
over the place, which anyone familiar with gaming history and/or culture
would appreciate.
Most of the rest of the film was a friendship piece. Kind of like Bolt,
only more of a big bro/little sis kind of way. In any case, it was
actually really sweet, despite what the trailers would have you believe.
Naturally, Ralph's epiphany comes as a result of this relationship, but
not exactly in the way you'd expect, and again it was really sweet.
There was a surprise near the climax that really shouldn't have been a
surprise if I'd been paying close attention, but I count that as a point
in the movie's favor. It means I was so invested with what was going on
that I wasn't trying to figure out all the plot twists ahead of time.
That doesn't happen to me very often and it's always fun when it does.
I'm glad they didn't just make this a straight comedy. The jokes were
good, as I said, but the emotional and relationship aspects were the
best part of the film. It wouldn't be nearly as good without them.
God, I'm such a sap.
