REVIEW: ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ is pure nostalgic fun
What do video game characters do when the arcades close, the computers are shut down and the consoles are turned off? They go back to their normal lives – whatever those end up being.
For Ralph, a video game character voiced by John C. Reilly and the villain of the game “Fix-It Felix Jr.,” normal means sleeping in a brick junkyard and watching the other characters of his game party in comfort. Feeling down in the dumps, Ralph goes to a Bad-Anon meeting to discuss his concerns about being a villain and his desire to become a hero.
After the meeting, Ralph runs into a worn-out character from “Hero’s Duty,” an intense action game. The soldier tells Ralph of some of the challenges he has to go through – all for a medal. Ralph’s interest is piqued, so he seizes an opportunity to take the soldier’s armor and heads off to “Hero’s Duty.”
He quickly realizes he’s in over his head. A strict commanding officer voiced by Jane Lynch, Calhoun, briefs her unit as the first person shooter – the player on the other side of the screen – moves to the front and leads an assault on the daunting cybug tower.
Through a series of events, Ralph accidently blasts himself into another game, “Sugar Rush.” While trying to get his bearings, he meets a cute and spunky girl voiced by Sarah Silverman, Vanellope, who has a desire to drive in the Sugar Rush Royal Race.
This leads into a crazy roller coaster of amusement and entertainment.
“Wreck-It Ralph” will take you on an exciting nostalgic journey into the world of arcade and other video games. It took the chance to explore the possibilities of what it would be like for a bad guy to be the good guy.
The movie features everything you’d expect from a video game – levels, mini games, and bonus levels. It was chock-full of video game references and classic game villains.
There was plenty of embedded pop culture throughout the film, which brings much of the entertainment for those 10 years old and older.
“Wreck-It Ralph” was not all fun and games. The story had a few emotional parts, which gave more depth to the characters and taught simple lessons that apply to everyone.
Some aspects were predictable, but it’s easily forgivable since the movie is for kids and still highly entertaining. The film was packed with humorous one-liners and fantastically developed characters.
The end credits kept the excitement and nostalgia going with 8-bit fun, so don’t duck out too soon or you might miss something.
This is director Rich Moore’s first feature film, although he’s directed many episodes from the television series “Futurama” and a handful of “The Simpsons” episodes. I was quite impressed with his skills. His two-dimensional animation
skills translated well into the third dimension.
I’m not a fan of Reilly because of his parts in movies like “Cyrus,” “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” and “Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant.” However, I can’t imagine anyone else for the role as a character easy for anyone to relate to. I may give him another chance.
Silverman is hilarious as a fast-talking, fun-loving racer. She’s mostly known for her standup comedy, but also for her roles in “The School of Rock” and “There’s Something About Mary.” Her language is cleaned up for kids in this film, similar to Eddie Murphy cleaning up for “Mulan,” and it takes her to a new level of comedy.
Jack McBrayer, who voiced the titular protagonist of “Fix-It Felix Jr.,” took over-the-top to a new level with his goofiness, which fits perfectly with his prior experience in “30 Rock” and “Despicable Me.” He was a lot of fun as a polite fix-it man with a silly romantic side.
Lynch is perfect as a tough-as-nails military commander with a few soft spots. She easily transfers her strict skills from “Glee” to this position. Interestingly enough, she, McBrayer and Reilly all shared the screen in “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.”
Alan Tudyk did a fantastic job of making the character King Candy sound like Ed Wynn. Wynn played Uncle Albert in “Mary Poppins.” Tudyk’s a fun actor, and those skills are clearly demonstrated in “Serenity,” “A Knight’s Tale” and “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.”
Composer Henry Jackman has really been making his mark over the past few years with “Man on a Ledge,” “X-Men: First Class,” “Puss in Boots” and the upcoming “G.I. Joe: Retaliation.” In his latest film, he draws from his roots in electronica and club music to create a perfect soundtrack full of video game themes.
Jackman effectively ensured each area had a musical theme associated with it to further illustrate the environments.
“Wreck-It Ralph” is a perfect date movie and is well worth your money. Whether you’re a fan of video games or simply like comedic and animated movies, this movie is for you.
– Spencer Palmer is a graduate student working toward an MBA with a recent bachelor’s in mechanical engineering. Email him at spencer.palmer@aggiemail.usu.edu or visit his website, themovieknight.wordpress.com.