Movie Review: Wreck-It Ralph

This week, Papa Kenn reviews the latest animated masterpiece from Disney Animation Studios: WRECK-IT RALPH!

“Wreck-It Ralph”
Director: Rich Moore
Writers: Rich Moore, Phil Johnston, Jennifer Lee, Jim Reardon
Starring: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Adam Carolla, Alan Tudyk, Dennis Haysbert, Skrillex

Review Transcript:
From the very first time I saw a trailer for Wreck-It Ralph, my 8-year-old self (which just so happens to be eerily similar to my current self) has been going insane with excitement! As movie marketing has proven though, we can’t always take what is presented at face value. The previews lead you to believe that the movie will be nothing more than a nostalgia trip for gamer nerds like…well…me. However, I’m happy to announce that not only is the “nostalgia factor” of Wreck-It Ralph mild at best, but non-gamers will enjoy it too!

ANY-WHO!

When people tell you that this movie is the Toy Story of video games, they aren’t very far off. The only reason it might fall short is because of the fact that many people don’t have the same connection to video games as they might with childhood toys.

Throughout Wreck-It Ralph, we experience a broad range of personalities amidst the primary characters that are surprisingly deep for what could be taken as simple parodies of the character archetypes of video games. Ralph is a very Donkey Kong-esque archetype from back in the original arcade days. Fix-It Felix is of course the Mario-like good guy that is heroic to the point of annoyance. Sergeant Calhoun is a badass mixture of Samus Aran, Master Chief, and Gears of War. Finally we have Vanellope von Schweetz who is a…I honestly have no idea what archetype she is supposed to represent other than tiny and cute. I believe my wife described her best, in that Vanellope looks like her youngest sister Corrie, has the personality of her next-to-youngest sister Celia, and the fashion style of her oldest little sister Katie. That means nothing to any of you that have never met them, but trust me when I say it’s accurate.

Overall there are very few gripes to be made, and they’re all fairly insignificant at best. There are moments of “rule establishment” in the arcade world that are a bit jarring and take us out of the story a little, but those moments go as quickly as they came, allowing the story to continue uninhibited.

While non-gamers and the much younger crowd might miss out on some of the insider and nostalgic jokes, Wreck-it Ralph can be enjoyed by any fan of animated films. Its deep, complex, and well made world and characters lead to more than its fair share of laughs, investment in the characters that rivals our favorites from Toy Story, and surprisingly emotional moments that might just leave you fighting back tears.

I want to see more of this arcade world, and I want to see more of these characters that I quickly grew to love and enjoy. Bring on the sequels, Disney.

I rate Wreck-It Ralph: 10/10.

I’m Papa Kenn, and I need to find an Atari 2600 right now!

See you next review!

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