Film: Wreck-It Ralph
Cast: Voices of John C Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch.
Director: Rich Moore
Rating:****1/2
Just as video gamers always suspected during their childhood, the characters they push around in the virtual world have lives of their own. And just like real life, there are those who are deemed winners and there are the misfits, the bad guys. The titular hero (voice of Reilly), is a ham-fisted Donkey Kongesque baddie in a game called 'Fix-It Felix, Jr'.
After 30 years of being disregarded and isolated, he has bigger things on his mind. In order to win a medal and be hailed by all as a hero he jumps games to enter a realistic first-person shooter 'Hero's Duty' and then the sugar-coated world of a candy-themed kart-racing game where he meets the glitchily designed Vanellope von Schweetz (Silverman), a fellow outcast.
With the do-gooder 'Fix-It Felix, Jr' (30 Rock's McBrayer, goofy as ever, and with a hammer that fixes everything Ralph wrecks) and hardened Sergeant Calhoun (Lynch) a grunt from the 'Hero's Duty' tailing him, chaos ensues as Ralph must help the boisterous Vanellope do the one thing she has always desired – to win a race.
When the words video game and adaptation are used in the same sentence, they rarely signify a good thing with all the Uwe Bolls and Paul WS Andersons out there. You don't have to keep your eyes peeled to catch a glimpse of all the character cameos. And yet the film is more than an assemblage of mostly forgotten characters across gaming consoles and arcade machines from the 1980s and 90s.
Yes, Wreck-It Ralph is more than just a tribute to video games, rendered in gorgeous and brilliantly detailed animation. It is, at the same time enthralling, witty and packs several emotional punches. Take the wicked humour of Shrek, the lump-in-the-throat moments of Toy Story and you have Wreck-It Ralph.
Wreck-It Ralph doesn't really leave much to be desired. While colourful and vastly original in terms of visuals it carries a subtle message with grace and courageousness that hasn't been seen in an animated film in a while.
A delightful romp through virtual worlds with painfully human characters, the film is not to be missed by lovers of sensible animated films, children of the 80s or just about anyone.
