Review: Wreck-It Ralph

This may be a bit dated, but there was a time when Pixar considered seceding itself from Disney, and everyone speculated that Disney Animation Studios was irrevocably fucked. I mean, honestly, I get it; the three Disney Animation Studio films being pushed at the time were Chicken Little, Home on the Range, and Meet the Robinsons. Not that these movies are particularly dreadful, but they don’t continue the tradition of magical children’s films that are family-friendly entertainment. Pixar was doing just that; there was insurmountable hype around each and every one of their features, promising an immersive experience that was heartfelt, beautiful, and riveting. Starting in 2009, there was resurgence within the studio; Princess and the Frog and Tangled were both traditional Disney fare that were cutesy and peppered with fairy dust, the kind of films that the studio is so renowned for. Disney shouldn’t become a forgotten relic; sure, the subject material may be a bit more cut-and-dry than exceptional Pixar pieces, but the creative teams obviously aren’t tapped out from providing a zippy, powerhouse ride at the cinema.

There’s really no other way to more accurately pinpoint Wreck-It Ralph. Based heavily on video game culture, the film is ascetically consistent with what’s most engaging about the gaming medium- detailed, vibrant worlds with a barrage of action set pieces, a spastic sensory overload. The story, a cute engagement about a classic video game villain tired of being the bad guy, is merely a vehicle for a twisty rollercoaster of an adventure that rollicks throughout diverse set pieces and carefully attended to details. It’s the kind of sugary-sweet entertainment that jolts you frequently and will have you giggling with glee, despite not really feeling the consequential results of what’s going on. Ralph is a likeable protagonist, don’t get me wrong, and they flesh out his desire to be “good” well, but the emotions don’t really click until the end of the film. Partially, this is because of the clichéd feel of the storyline, but also because of a heavy emphasis on clever elemental details over plot development.

But with a film that’s designed to stir up nostalgia and celebrate geek culture, I understand the direction the movie took. And it’s a blast to look at and study- between pop culture references, jokes pertaining to both antiquated and current trends in the gaming industry, and meshing the two mediums together, the film is frantically fun. The jittery 16-bit movements of the Fix-It Felix crew, the deliciously scored Skrillex beats catered around 80s arcade-room minimalistic beeps and the Villian Rehabilitation group are amongst the many sincerely funny and clever bits that pepper the movie. Moreso, Wreck-It Ralph is a treat for the imagination by creating an unknown world in something that we’re so engaged in. The video games exist in a Universe together, with the ability to traverse to other arcade games and the struggles with the counter-cultural environments of the games themselves. This is where Wreck-It Ralph is particularly successful, by creating something entirely new encapsulated in something that we feel familiar with, and giving us a full sense of what that world is like

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A majority of the film, after the first act, is set within two gaming spheres; one is a Gears of War-esque shooter, the other a candy-colored kart racing game where Ralph becomes friendly with a young “glitch” who wants to be a racer. The worlds, like the rest of the film, are consistent with their actual counterparts and bring about unique challenges to the type of game they’re involved in. The supporting cast embody the stereotypes one would assume from the characters of video games but flesh them out, making each grouping of characters refreshing without meandering in one place, which would cause the film to run out of steam fairly quickly.

Still, for all that Wreck-It Ralph does right in creating the sphere for the film to operate within and an exciting, zippy plotline, it still felt like mindless fun. The emotional elements, and Disney teachable moment felt tacked-on. Unlike the previous Tangled, I didn’t feel really engaged with the characters themselves and their individual storylines, like a video game itself, felt like a stapled on post-humorous thought. But like a Super Mario Bros game, one doesn’t go into Wreck-it Ralph looking for studied character development and revolutionary storytelling. The film goes above and beyond as a well-crafted popcorn movie that will delight the entire family.

Grade: B