Pich-perfect voice acting, relatable humor open film up to multiple audiences
Video game movies don’t work for a multitude of reasons. Among them is the fact that they attract a specific type of audience, and they just serve as a simple way to capitalize on a video game’s popularity.
But with “Wreck-It Ralph,” we get a different style of video game film — a much better style. This isn’t a movie based on a single video game, but it instead takes a different approach to a more “Toy Story”–like concept: Video game characters have lives of their own once the arcade is closed. More importantly, it has something for everybody, not just the video game player.
John C. Reilly voices the title character, a villain within an arcade video game called “Fix-It Felix Jr.” He’s a good guy at heart, despite being a 9-foot hulk with the massively oversized hands and propensity to destroy everything around him. Nonetheless, every time a little kid drops a quarter in his video game, he’s forced to wreck everything while his counterpart, Fix-It Felix (Jack McBrayer), basks in the glory of being the hero.
Wanting to be the hero for a change, Ralph goes off to another game, shooter game “Hero’s Duty,” in order to win a medal that will mark him as a good guy. But things go awry, and Ralph causes serious havoc throughout the arcade world.
The story direction here has to be the only disappointing factor within the movie. Instead of piling on the originality and creativity that comes with the concept, the movie settles halfway with a racing game world called “Sugar Rush.” Here, Ralph befriends an adorable yet irritating girl named Vanellope (Sarah Silverman), and their friendship becomes the emotional center of the film. She’s just like Ralph, an outcast within her own video game world because she’s a “glitch.”
This friendship sparks the movie’s “be true to yourself” and “we’re all special” messages, both generic themes Disney films have spread before.
Still, the whole “game within a game” concept is just too interesting to pass up. And what actually works here is that director Rich Moore remembers video game lovers are not the only audience members of this film. We’re not just barraged with a series of video game references but a series of punch lines that keep us entertained. This helps the movie remain interesting and grows the audience base.
Most of the fun “Wreck-It Ralph” has to offer lies within the meticulous detail Moore has brought to his imaginary world of video game characters. There’s plenty of homage to the simple low-resolution arcade hits of the ’80s mixed in with slightly more sophisticated graphics seen in today’s video games. The inclusion of retro sounds and effects can make the hard-core gamer pine for the old days of gaming.
The writing here by Phil Johnston and Jennifer Lee is wonderfully pop culture–savvy, especially when it comes to all of the cameo appearances by classic arcade characters like Q-bert, Sonic the Hedgehog and “Street Fighter” characters. There are also plenty of video game terms like “boss level” and “power-ups.”
The visuals are gorgeous, the voice casting is pitch-perfect and it’s one of the most original animated projects 2012 has to offer. The young ones can enjoy the childish humor while an older audience can appreciate how much heart the film has to offer.