[Review] Wreck It Ralph

If you are a gamer, the last video game movie that you saw that actually had something to do with video games (and was pretty decent) was “The Wizard” starring Fred Savage. Everything else has been a video game adaptation and totally sucked. So, for gamers, you’ll be pleased to know that Wreck It Ralph is easily the greatest movie by gaming fans for video game fans. However, even if you could care less about video games, Wreck It Ralph is the best animated film of the year thanks to its endless wit, charm and nostalgia.

First things first, Wreck It Ralph is not a Pixar movie. However, thanks to the effort put in by Disney Animation, to mistake it for Pixar will be easily forgiven. Like other Pixar films, Wreck It Ralph has an excellent story driven by equally excellent voice acting. John C. Reilly leads the charge as Ralph, the villain in the Fix-It Felix video games. In this world, the characters within video games treat the game like a full-time job and have lives they live afterwards. It’s a world where Sonic the Hedgehog crosses paths with the ghost from Pac Man. Ralph is growing tired of being the Donkey Kong to Felix’s Mario. In the game, Ralph — while shouting “I’m gonna wreck it!” — destroys the building while Felix (voiced by 30 Rock’s Jack McBrayer) comes in to fix the damage. Ralph attends a support group where various bad guys from Zangief to Kano try to make sense out of being a bad guy. It’s a hilariously nostalgic and sets the stage for the rest of the film.

Meanwhile, Felix reaps the benefits of being the good guy. Everyone loves him and they are celebrating another year of success. As for Ralph, he’s sick of being neglected and decides not to show up for work the next day. Instead, he steps into another video game to prove that he can be a good guy. It’s a decision that finds him in the Gears of War-esque “Hero’s Duty” and totally out of his element. He meets the Jane Lynch voiced Sergeant Calhoun but is bounced out of that world and into the King Candy (Alan Tudyk) ruled kiddie cart game “Sugar Rush. Again, Ralph is out of his element but meets the equally outcast Vannelope Von Schweetz (voiced by Sarah Silverman). Von Schweetz is plagued by being a glitch and is pushed out of cart racing by the mean girl drivers. The movie charms as Ralph and Von Schweetz try to help one another overcome their imperfections and form a bond that lasts throughout the movie.

Dipped in nostalgic references is a great story that both kids and adults will enjoy. 80′s babies won’t be able to help but chuckle at the fact that Q-Bert is unemployed and homeless. Younger children may not catch all the references, but it won’t matter as it isn’t too far over non gamers heads to understand. The beauty lies in the art and the story as the voice acting carries a great narrative that teaches us that sometimes our imperfections are what makes us perfect. The story never stales and is chock full of humor that will touch audiences young and old.

This movie is easy to recommend and worth every penny. Surely, there will be many 30-year-old that will sneak into. But don’t be ashamed, it’s really that good.

Rating: 4.5/5