Stars (Vocally) John C Reilly, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Sarah Silverman, Denis Haybert, Ed O'Neill and Alan Tudyk Directed by Rich Moore If Tron and Toy Story got together and had an offspring, this just might be the result. Wreck-It Ralph takes place inside the world of computer games at an arcade, and we get to see what those arcade game characters get up to when the arcade is closed and the customers have left. Of course, part of the fun is spotting those characters that we're more familiar with, having played such games in the past. Why, there's Sonic the Hedgehog, and the loveable Pong bars still bouncing that little 'ball' between themselves even in their off-hours. Ryu and Ken are hanging out, and there's Chun-Li, Cammy, M Bison, Q-Bert and so many more hanging together. Unfortunately, cameos and background is all that it amounts to for these favoured characters while the core story locks on one Wreck-It Ralph (John C Reilly). Like Donkey Kong, he's not the hero. He's the one causing the trouble from atop a high structure while a diminutive hero, Fix-It Felix Jr (Jack McBrayer), struggles to the top of the structure to defeat him. After 30 years of being on the losing end, however, Ralph just wants a little respect. Respect, he thinks, that would come if he could prove he's a hero. So Ralph leaves his game and heads off in search of a hero's medal. Despite it's premise and the idea of visiting various games, we actually spend the majority of the story in one particular game - Sugar Rush, a candy coloured and coated world where cute little (and seemingly precocious) little girls race along a candy track in candy cars. There is another game featured in the movie, Hero's Duty, which is a sci-fi FPS styled game typical of most arcades these days, but it's there more as a plot device than part of the overall story. It also provides a secondary character in Calhoun (Jane Lynch, pretty much doing a variation on her Sue Sylvester character from Glee) who teams up with Felix to go in search of Ralph, who's roped into helping Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) out in Sugar Land. There is a little more there, but, well, best you watch for yourself. If you feel like it. Best to prepare an insulin shot if you're diabetic. Ralph is an intriguing and sympathetic character. he's just in search of some recognition, maybe find a friend and know that his position and purpose in life is not just being the bad guy, pointlessly wrecking a building that's always - ALWAYS - going to be fixed by Felix and his magic hammer. At the same time, he's also got a volatile temper, and pairing him with overbearingly effervescent cutie Vanellope is just a recipe for your typical buddy movie. There are a few surprises throughout the movie even though it is fairly predictable as for the most part. It almost feels like a typical Disney feature, mixed with a touch of Pixar schmaltz, not that it's necessarily a bad thing depending on your point of view. It just feels… safe. The animation is quite good, but severely overshadowed by the little feature (Paperman) that preceded the main feature. While the design of the new characters are pretty good - given the complexity of human characters - it's the cameos that steal most of the movie whenever they appear. The overall design of the featured worlds is quite impressive, given the little time we spend in Hero's Duty and the fair amount of time spent in Sugar Rush - which looks like it wears its Japanese influences on its sleeve (right down to the theme song in Japanese that plays over the end credits). Still, it is entertaining, a little fun for those who used to play those arcade games to spot the various cameo and easter eggs peppered throughout the crowded scenes. It just might be a little too 'sweet' for some who might have been expecting a little more, but ultimately, it's typically Disney. A word on Paperman. If you're lucky, you might catch the short that's on before the main feature which features a combination of hand-drawn animation with some CG effects. It's a very effective and impressive combination. The story is simple and slight, but beautifully and sublimely done in a practically wordless manner (despite having some stars credited as the characters) I enjoyed it so much that it's mostly monochromatic and simplistic animation out-classed the main feature. But that's just the animation fan in me.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
December 2017
|