More than any other kind of adapted media, videogame movies have
a higher fail rate. While the super heroes in comics are enjoying their current
renaissance and TV shows and novels have appreciated some kind of cinematic success
for quite a while, the transition from game to frame has always left something
lost in the translation. “Super Mario Bros”, “Mortal Kombat” and any of the
“Resident Evil” movies might bring in the revenue but rarely do they satisfy the
gamers or live up to the complex narratives and adventures that keep the gaming
industry alive. However, movies about video games, such as 2010’s “Scott
Pilgrim Vs. The World” or the 1989 Fred Savage film “The Wizard”, seem to
circumvent this pitfall. In this tradition, the Disney produced “Wreck-It
Ralph” conveys an excitement and imagination that most movies based on existing
game properties severely lack.
Set in
the world of arcade entertainment,
“Wreck-It Ralph” tells the story of a video game villain of the same name
(voiced by John C. Reilly) whose job is to wreck an 8-bit building, while a
hero handyman named Fix-it Felix (voiced by “30 Rock” star Jack McBrayer) has
to put it back together with his magic hammer. Though the details of the game
they occupy is simply their day job—living casually in an established society
with other video game characters while the arcade is closed—Ralph is still
shunned by this civilization because of the social norms that dictate that game
villains must be segregated from the other characters. In order to find
acceptance, he tries to be the hero of a modern first-person shooter, and in
doing so accidentally cross contaminates elements from that game into a cutesy,
candy-inspired racing game called Sugar Rush.
While there, he meets another outsider, a glitch names Vanellope (voiced
by Sarah Silverman) who only wants the chance to race among the characters in
her game.
While
this movie was directed by Rich Moore, who has previously worked on a lot of TV
animation such as “The Simpsons” and “Futurama”, it was produced by Pixar
co-founder John Lasseter—though not released by Pixar Studios. Knowing that,
much of this movie reminded me of many of the successful plot devices of the
“Toy Story” franchise, in which Lasseter was the creator. The plot dwells heavily in a secret world
where our entertainment treats being a play-thing like its business as usual.
We also have a story of an outsider who is looking to fit within a tightly
protected world by breaking its rules. Lastly,
it also shares the ever-prevailing “Toy Story” theme of the fear of becoming
outdated and obsolete, as the players get older and game graphics advance.
However, that isn’t to say that this movie doesn’t use these well-tested archetypes
in a fun or interesting way. “Wreck-It
Ralph” explores its different game genres with an enthusiastic energy and love
for the medium. All throughout the movie, recognizable game characters are
sprinkled in the background of the plot, as well as the fabricated main
characters, patched together from many other popular arcade personalities.
My only
reservation with this movie is that the conflict seems unnecessarily bifurcated.
By the beginning of the third act the two different concerns that Ralph must
resolve starts to compete for screen time, causing some minor, but forgivable
pacing issues.
Like
“Toy Story” this movie melds childhood nostalgia with a mature sense of retrospection,
done in way kids can enjoy while they’re young but will grow with them as they
get older. While much of this movie
refers to contemporary video game aesthetics, it knows how to draw the audience
in with the joy and wonderment of the classic Disney model, crafting a good
story and likable characters.
Grade: B+
Originally published in the Idaho State Journal/Nov-2012
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