Wreck-it Ralph follows Ralph a villian in a video game called Fix it Felix, the only problem is Ralph doesnt want to be villian. So he leaves his retro game and jumps into other games in search of a medal to show his bravery and prove he can be a hero.
I am a huge gamer and I love movies so Wreck-it Ralph is a rare beast, a movie about games that doesnt put the gaming industry to shame (seriously just watch anything by Uwe Boll and youll understand what I mean). The concept of Wreck-it Ralph is similar to Toy Story except with arcade games rather than toys. The film is clearly a labour of love with more gaming references than you can shake a controller at, my favourite being a bad guy support group featuring a group of iconic gaming villians. Smaller touches like how the characters in Ralphs game move or how everything in the apartment he smashes up is square shaped give it a geeky, knowing feel that make it smarter than most animated movies.
Ralph is instantly lovable thanks to some great voice work by John C Reily, Jayne Lynch also provides some humour with her tough chick persona fitting perfectly. Sarah Silverman although a little annoying at first gave Venelope a cuteness and vulnerability that made be grow to care for her. The animation is very pretty with the worlds looking distinctly different from the grungy dark Heroes Duty to the sickly sweet bold colours of Sugar Rush. The humour for me was the only odd point, there were moments of genius like the tragic backstory programme or the bad guy support group or any of the gaming refrences. However when Ralph got into Sugar Rush some of the dialogue (especially between Ralph and Venelope) was so childish and stupid no one laughed. Now I understand I might not be the intended audience the film is an animated PG so it could be argued its aimed at kids. However some of the gaming refrences wouldnt be understood by most non-gamers under 20, one kid behind me barely recognised Pac Man. Also there have been animated movies (most Pixar films) that are funny on many levels and adults can enjoy too.
Also while I liked both worlds Ralph visited I would have liked to have seen more because Ralph stayed in Sugar Rush for too long and the pace really slowed down, which felt like a missed opportunity.
Verdict:
Wreck-it Ralph is a highly inventive, warm and witty film with some great characters and while it is let down by inconsistent humour and a mid-way dip in pacing its a great watch for gamers and animation fans alike.
7.7/10
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