Thursday, September 26, 2013

Movies in Your Spare Time- Wreck it Ralph

I watched Wreck-it-Ralph with my siblings last weekend and have seen it before in theatres for my little brother’s birthday. I’ve always had a love for video games and when I saw the trailers I was pretty excited to see it. I normally don’t go to the movies to see a kid’s film but this was an exception. The movie cast has a lot of comedic characters such as John C. Reilly, who was in my favorite movie Step Brothers, Sarah Silverman, John Corrolla, and Jane Lynch who most know her from Glee or to me someone who was born in my hometown. There are tons of other famous celebrities that lend their voices to this movie but I’m going to hold back from typing them all out. This movie is for all ages and many of those who have enjoyed video games like myself. The story is about a video game character named Ralph who happens to be the villain in the game Fix-it-Felix which is like an alternate version of Mario and Donkey Kong. Ralph has been doing the same gig for years and at the end of the day the hero wins and the villain ends up alone while the rest celebrate. He can’t accept this kind of life and in order to be happy, and impress his fellow videogame characters, he tries to win a medal by game hopping into different worlds which does more harm than good in his journey.





Picking a key scene is not easy because of the amount of detail they put and respect they have for each videogame they cameo but it would have to be at the very first ten minutes of the movie. It starts with Ralph, played by John C. Reilly, leaving a villains meeting which is pretty much  like an AA meeting. Ralph is saddened because he is tired of being the villain. He travels through a hall where all the arcade video game characters meet after the arcade closes which serves as a HUB for them. However in reality it is just a power outlet connecting and keeping the arcade games on. This serves has the base between the different kinds of game worlds Ralph visits on his adventure and where many people will recognize old and new faces in video games I really enjoyed seeing how it was like outside the arcade machines and allowing us to see what it was like for Humans. It was just a normal arcade game for humans but something different for the actual video game characters. Basically what im trying to say is that it is just like Toy Story. In general the setting itself serves as a nice homage to adults who have played these old school games who no longer have the time now that they are adults or those who just plain old enjoyed playing them. I just wish that it would show more of it because there is a lot of cool stuff to be seen. The animators for the movie even left some easter eggs leaving references to other games which is cool to look out for throughout the movie.

There are no unusual features in the movie and is everything to expect from an animated movie. I did enjoy the amount of detail they put into in each of the game worlds. They make each new setting something unique but familiar to the viewers. They use a lot of fast paced action in its scene and bright colors to help make certain objects stand out among the rest. The overall style is hip and new to the audience with a couple scenes with cool nostalgia to show its roots. The music score is good and it’s everything to expect from an animated movie.  When comparing it to much bigger animated movies such as Monsters University or Toy Story 3 it doesn’t really compare, mainly due to the movies before, but with a sequel in the works it might just be an original to the younger generation.


Before I give my final score I want to make it clear that you don’t have to have a knowledge of videogames at all to enjoy this movie. Its just in my opinion that a greater love or liking will be added to those who do. The movie is cute and both boys and girls will enjoy this movie as well as adults. There are funny parts as well as some sad parts. Is it an amazing movie? Well as an adult I cant really say because my childhood wonder isn’t as strong as it was before but it is a great movie that all ages can enjoy. It has humor, it has action, and it has a great story with a nice tie in at the end, and it is for all ages.


 That’s why I give it a 4/5.  

Heres a quick trailer which shows the story and the different kinds of scenery within the movie.

1 comment:

  1. Nice job here Shawn. Good job explaining your interest in this movie. I've had a number of students discuss their love of this movie. It sounds pretty good--I should check it out. Nice job exploring this. Maybe just a little more with the "cinematic" elements would help, but nice work.

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