Wreck-it Ralph Review

Fixing something for a change

Full spoiler-free review by Isaac Handelman

It’s probably best to get this out of the way up front; Wreck-it Ralph is, almost undoubtably, the best video-game movie ever. Of course, that’s really not saying too much. I mean, what’s it up against? Angelina Jolie’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Mark Wahlberg as Max Payne. Jake Gyllenhaal’s bizzarely-caucasian Prince of Persia. Oh, and 1995’s Mortal Kombat. So, have video game movies finally crossed into the realm of greatness? Not exactly. But I’m happy to report that they have finally crossed into the realm of good-ness. Baby steps, right?

Ralph’s biggest strength lies in the fact that it’s not trying to emulate any specific video game or franchise. Instead, the film centers on, you guessed it, Wreck-it Ralph, the good-natured bad guy in Fix it Felix Jr., a riff on classic 1980s-era arcade games. The thing is, Ralph’s tired of playing the bad guy for all those years, so he sets out on a journey through the other games in his arcade to seek out a medal that’ll prove his legitimacy as a hero and earn him a coveted place alongside all the other goods guys.

Despite what its trailers may have you think, the film doesn’t jump around from game to game all too often after its first third. After about forty minutes, Ralph finds his way into a kart-racer called Sugar Rush, which ends up as the setting for the majority of the proceedings. In fact, the film contains almost as many candy-related puns as it does video-game-related ones. But it’s important to note that “almost”. 

Wreck-it Ralph was quite obviously constructed from the ground up with an ingrained passion for video gaming. It contains an often overwhelming volume of references to all things game, from Sonic the Hedgehog to Street Fighter; Metroid to Call of Duty; Pac-Man to Mario Kart; I could go on and on, but for the sake of time I have to stop there. Needless to say, if you’ve got any level of affection for gaming as a medium, Wreck-it Ralph will function as a gold mine of nostalgia and nerd-dom. And that’s a very, very good thing. Some of the references are of the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it variety, but this factor adds to the experience, as viewers will have to be attentive if they hope to catch every nod to games that is thrown into the mix.

Fortunately (and rather surprisingly), none of this bogs Wreck-it Ralph down. The film doesn’t fall back on its pop-culture references to carry the narrative. Instead, it crafts a gang of somewhat stereotypical but nonetheless likable and charismatic characters, some of whom, by the end of the film, have grown and changed to impressive degrees. They’re helped along by a voice cast that’s perfectly suited to each of their respected roles; John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch each do wonderful jobs embodying their onscreen personas. Unlike in similar CGI-outings, I didn’t find myself identifying the voice actors when they spoke.

However, Ralph’s biggest strength is also one of its weaknesses. Ralph lets its central narrative take the spotlight instead of its gags and references, but its central narrative isn’t going to win any awards. Though it’s presented in a new, innovative way, the conflict basically boils down to a pretty generic “just be yourself!” message by its close. Those seeking a fresh emotional experience will be harshly put off by this facet, but it shouldn’t bother most of this film’s intended audience, as the backdrop surrounding this setup is so radiantly fresh that the cliched plot elements don’t stand out as much as they normally would.

Though most of the rules of Wreck-it Ralph’s world are creative and well constructed, a few notable and irritating exceptions exist that feel shoehorned in just for the sake of creating some extra drama or conflict. At times, Ralph’s characters simply state facts about their world out of nowhere, which then suddenly become applicable in the ensuing scene. For instance, a character in the film at one points states that, unlike most game characters, glitches are unable to leave their game, and will therefore die upon the unplugging of their game. This fact then goes on to quickly apply in one of the following scenes, and for no good reason other than to drum up a bit more tension. 

Wreck-it Ralph will probably end up being a bit over-credited. If it had nothing to do with gaming, it probably wouldn’t stir up too much attention. Then again, if it had nothing to do with gaming it wouldn’t be much of a movie in the first place, and that’s the first time I have ever been able to say that with confidence. Though it may not entirely deserve all the praise it’s bound to get, Wreck-it Ralph definitely needs to be commended for its many accomplishments. This is, in all seriousness, the first good video game movie ever created. Hopefully, ten years from now, we’ll look back to this film as a trailblazer: the first of its kind, but not the best of its kind. For now, Wreck-it Ralph is the best of its kind by a long shot.

Final Score:

7.0/10

“Good”