Are you a 30-something parent? If so, you can safely ignore this review and buy your advance tickets for Wreck-it-Ralph when it hits theaters on November 2nd. Your kids will enjoy yet another Disney soon-to-be-classic, and you will have a great time with the subtle nods to your own childhood. If you're one or the other, but not both, read on.
The eponymous main character in Wreck-it-Ralph is a villain in the hit arcade game "Fix it Felix Jr." Tired of being ostracized by arcade character society for his inherent bad-guyness, Ralph goes on a journey to find respect and recognition as a hero, specifically by acquiring a medal of honor in the hot on-rails shoot-'em-up "Soldiers' Duty." Jumping from one video game to another, or "Turbo-ing," is a big no-no in arcade world, and so Ralph goes on a crazy adventure, where along the way he learns to love himself for who he is.
A cynic would call Wreck-it-Ralph little more than Toy Story with video games instead of toys, or Monsters Inc. with video arcade characters instead of monsters. That argument can certainly be made: Toy Story's influence, in particular, can be seen in the film's plotline, with its themes of self-acceptance. But, hey, if you're going to crib, crib from the best, right? Wreck-it-Ralph is still a ton of fun, with plenty of high adventure and a few decent laughs that will make kids and parents alike happy.
One special feature that Wreck-it-Ralph has over its predecessors are the arcade game references. Ralph is absolutely stuffed with references to arcade classics like "Q-bert," "Donkey Kong," and "Pac-Man." The references, however, are almost entirely on arcade games; younger gamers who started on the X-Box or PlayStation may feel left out, or at least not find the jokes as funny (there is, however, one Nintendo reference that was my favorite in the film, concerning the use of a certain cheat code as the combination to a vault). Also disappointing (but understandable, given the copyright headaches involved) is that Ralph and the worlds he has his adventure in are all "fake" arcade games, although they are clearly influenced by arcade classics.
Those caveats aside, Wreck-it-Ralph is another solid film in Disney's lineup. The CGI is decent, complete with nostalgic visual and audio touches to evoke the arcades of the 80's and 90's. Don't waste your money on the 3-D version, however, as I found it didn't add anything to the story or the experience. The voice acting is solid; this is one of the "voice acting jobs done right" where the actors where chosen for the characters, rather than shoe-horning big names into the film for easy advertising. Fans of the genre can and should flock to it; there is a lot to love.
4 out of 5 stars
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