Wreck-It Ralph

Directed by Rich Moore

Reviewed on: 28 December 2012

(Image source: http://returntofleet.com/2012/09/13/disneys-new-animated-film-wreck-it-ralph-gets-a-second-trailer/wreck-it-ralph-poster-title/)

Wreck-It Ralph is one fun ride of a movie. If you enjoy playing games and is born in the era when penny arcades and console gaming first started, you should definitely jump onto this enjoyable ride.

As someone who considers herself a casual gamer, I loved seeing familiar game characters coming to live and ‘living’ a ‘live’ (in a digital sense). I recognized most of the games featured inside the movie and picking the characters out in the movie and naming the games they came from was especially satisfying. There was Sonic the Hedgehog in its pixelated two-dimensional glory, Street Fighters (notably Chun Li, Ken and Ryu) and the round yellow ball with a mouth and the floating ghosts from Pac Man. There were some other games and characters that I do not recognize.

The whole enterprise was built on the concept of characters from games having a ‘life’ outside their games, so to speak. They sleep, they eat, they go to bars to have an after-work drink and they have parties to celebrate anniversaries. They even go to each other’s games and interact with each other, off work that is. Work is when the arcade opens and they return to their respective games. It is an innovative concept. My mind was blown when I learnt that they have a Game Central Station where all the characters congregate to meet other characters. It is also a place where you travel to other games. It is a world of the games and what great fun it is watching the characters you know so well ‘living’.

The storyline is sufficiently interesting for both young and adult viewers. Watch out for the twist at the end! I reckoned that grown-ups would enjoy the movie more since they would have fun recognizing the various games and characters. One thing to note for grown-ups watching this, you will be inundated with cuteness as the movie takes place mostly in a super cute, super pink racing game called ‘Sugar Rush’ (as the name aptly suggest).

The storyline is not played down but is universal. There is something for everyone. You may derive some life truths or epiphanies from the movie but I will leave that to you. The cast is also amazing. John C. Reilly is convincing as the title character, Wreck-It Ralph. He brings strength to his character yet is vulnerably charming. But the character I love best is Vanellope, one of the characters in ‘Sugar Rush’. Voiced by Sarah Silverman, she is a combination of cute, sweet, fierce, tough-as-nails cookie but also shares the same vulnerability that Ralph possesses. This makes them relatable. Another winner was Jane Lynch as Calhoun. I declared that the character was created with Jane Lynch in mind. Without giving away too much, I would say that Calhoun was one ‘dynamite’ character!  

I will keep this review short to avoid spoilers. Go watch it! Enjoy the ride! You will not regret it.