Wreck-It Ralph (Rich Moore, 2012) Review

It's finally out! My God, it's finally out! For those who didn't know, Wreck-It Ralph was released in America waaaay back in November while here, it came out yesterday. No reason for it, Disney just wanted to annoy EVERYONE (well, everyone that wanted to see it). I'm so glad I can finally review this film but was the film really worth the wait or is it just a massive sell-out from Disney? Well, let's find out.

In a video game called Fix-it Felix Jr, Ralph (John C. Reilly) is the villain of the game who is hated by the people in the game. Turns out, Ralph is a nice guy who ends up telling is villains anonymous group (consisting of characters like Bowser, Dr. Eggman, M Bison and Clyde the ghost from Pac-Man). Having made up his mind, Ralph decides to leave his game and 'game-jump' across the arcade to find a game where he can be the hero. Fix-it Felix (Jack McBrayer) goes on his own quest to find Ralph and bring him back to his game.

Let's be honest, you only saw this film because of the game references and cameos (just look at that image above) and, being a massive gaming geek, I was suckered in too. I'm glad I was. I came for the references and stayed for the heart-warming adventure this film takes you on. The characters are surprisingly well made (If you can make Sarah Silverman likeable, you've done something right) that are subtle homages to exsiting game characters (Ralph as Donkey Kong, Felix as Mario and the such) and has a surprisingly well written story. Sure it sounds like the same plot as Despicable Me and Megamind but it has it's own interpretation on it and even challenges the stock narrative. Innovative is the name of this film...well, Wreck-It Ralph is the name but...never mind.

Are there flaws? Well of course, every film has flaws (yes even ones I've given 10/10. That's based more on recommendation). The first and last thirds of the film are really good but the middle lacks in what the rest of the film has. It goes from video game humour to candy based puns. Not that thrilling and is certainly something we've seen before (was there a video game based on Candyland?). Yes, I do wish there were more references but I think, for what he got, it was well worth the horrendous wait (to which I still see no reason for!).

Wreck-It Ralph is definitely one of Disney's better films that felt we with a heart-warmed feeling. The amount of emotion conveyed is staggering and even has some surprisingly dark stuff (did I mentioned Mortal Kombat characters are in this) for older movie-goers. While I wish it came out eariler, I'm sure glad that I finally got to see this film. It's a great film for gamers and non-gamers alike.

Verdict:
8.5/10
Technically, the best video game film ever. It's filled with heart-warming moments and some excellently crafted characters.