Wreck-It Ralph

I was supposed to be be seeing either Flight or Argo today, but to my disappointment I missed both showtimes, and I was in a tight time frame where I could see anything. So my friend really convinced me to check this one out. Boy, what a great time it was.

Wreck-It Ralph is really wonderfully created. Its visual design is brilliant and its action pieces pretty amazing. The world it builds, and all of the little details from various video games, is pretty wonderful to look at and experience. Even some characters move in the precise way they actually do in video games. But what makes this gloriously colorful spectacle of a world work is the screenplay. The jokes hit all the right places, the characters are all lively and written with skill that goes beyond what we have come to expect from a simple kids' film like this. The few commercials and trailers I saw had been sure to let audiences know just how "pretty" this film looked, but what makes it a truly great film is that it has a great story and great dialogue to back up the visuals. The voice performances are pretty incredible, and perhaps because I recognized such people like Reily, Silverman, McBrayer, and Lynch, but even others did wonders with their characters.

Overall, the film follows a clear pattern and formula for kids, but the real surprise is that none of it made me roll my eyes or cringe. It's incredibly entertaining and enjoyable for anyone. Pretty much everything is done in a very respectable manner, and the film hits greatness in the writing, direction, voice performances, and visual design. The only real flaw in it that I gathered was the inclusion of a Rihanna song, which really took me out of the world the film created and kinda put a plaster on it from pop culture. Or maybe it's because I hate the song... Still, this is another truly great animated film that does stand out from others this year in its own way, and one that's admirable and satisfying in all the best ways. I loved it. Highly recommended.

first of all i'm a 29 years old guy and everyone consider me a very logical person (and not an emotional one). today i saw Wreck It Ralph. During the movie when i heard each laughter of Venelope or her excitements ,it was just like i saw my own baby girl doing it(BTW i do not have a child) and i could not stop my tears (even right now that i'm think of it) and She was so sweet and full of life that i have not seen in anyone for a long time... And about Ralph,he was just what i call a true friend and true human being(even if he is just an animation character). what more do i need to learn from an animation movie???

Thanks Disney for giving me all this GREAT WARM FEELINGS that i have not experienced it for a long time... Thanks.

Let me start by saying this: I am the ideal demographic for this movie. I am in my early/mid 30s, I grew up with videos games starting with the ColecoVision 30 years ago, which is, in the movie, when Wreck-It Ralph was released. I still play games. I have a four-year-old son who plays games. He knows who Pac-Man, Zangief and Sonic are, and you can bet that on top of that I know who Sheng Long, Tapper, Q*Bert and Burger Time are.

That's what makes me nervous about blanketly recommending this movie to everyone...not just that I'm obviously going to catch more references, in-jokes and cameos than the average movie goer, but that I'm going to recognize the archetypes they're playing off of and the mechanics they're referencing as the stories progresses.

It feels a bit like Mallrats, in that I'm so ideally in the target demographic for the movie's release that I'm not sure I can accurately gauge how it will be received by people outside of that demographic.

That said, I don't think you need to be a video game fan to enjoy this movie. It's a very well crafted movie with characters that are more Pixar than Disney. I was concerned that this was a "Disney" movie as I haven't seen a 3D CG "Disney" movie that can hold a candle to the Pixar and Dreamworks hits that I'm a huge fan of. And yet, for me, this movie was better than recent Pixar movies and better than Dreamworks movies, with characters and a story that felt worthy of of the Pixar name.

I even greatly enjoyed the animated short at the beginning. Again, something I would expect more from a Pixar film than a Disney film. The whole theater experience for this film was a delight, all the way through to the very, very brief bonus scene at the end of a credits, which is something you really, really need to be a gaming nerd to get. (Gamers who have seen The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters will definitely get it.) I went into this film with high hopes and expectations, and I was blown away. My wife, who is not a gamer at all, enjoyed the film, and when my four-year-old son was asked by her what his favorite part was, he replied, "Um... Every part! I liked the whole movie!" That he was able to talk to her and I in great detail about the plot and characters while I was able to appreciate the whole film to the level I did as an adult speaks volumes to me about how well this story was told.

If you played in arcades in the 1980s, if the games Q*Bert, Burgertime, Pac-Man, Street Fighter II and Sonic all mean something to you: You're enough of a gamer to appreciate all the references. If you have a youngster who's played video games, they're enough of a gamer to get the movie. And even if you aren't, while you may not relate to the subject matter the way I did, you're still in for an enjoyable story, with great characters, masterfully told.

Highly recommended, and a 10 out of 10 for me, as I expect this will be on both my son's and my short list of favorite movies for years to come.

It's all fun and games at Litwak's Fun Center, until someone gets hurt. While this cliché'd line seems to reflect the simple plot in most movies (while the moral outcome does, too), the setting makes Wreck-it Ralph a wonderful, refreshing, and unique pleasure. Inside a family arcade, all the game characters (both old and new) are real, and travel among the other games when the doors have locked. Ralph, from Fix-it Felix Jr., desperately wished to be a good guy, and be rewarded, so he sets off in search of a medal. By doing this, he sets off a chain of events that puts multiple games at risk, and unveils a hidden threat.

Disney has made this film equally accessible by both parents and children, and I find that wondrous. At times, Vanellope sounded quite mature, and at others, just like a tod. Soon, kids will squeal in excitement when they find a Fix-it Felix Jr. game, along with other last-gen arcade delights. In this way, the film has rendered itself timeless, if only in that small way. Although it doesn't feature many of the games themselves, you are able to see many characters, including retired ones.

Being inside a game world gave the artists a great deal of freedom, but they didn't waste it. At every new turn, another extremely creative point would grab your attention, and I'm sure I missed many (which would enhance a second viewing). Another big enhancement is the 3D atmosphere. I doubted I would ever say this, but I urge you to see this in 3D, or turn around and go home. Because of all the pixel-related artwork, and 3D modeling, it is natural to have such a dimension added on. It's the perfect film to have it for!

Now, for all the extra material surrounding the movie. Similar to Pixar, Disney has included an animated short right before, called "The Paperman". It doesn't feature any voice acting, but it's hilarious, and very well-made. I am sure you'll enjoy it. Second, the end credits are worth watching through, but not because there's an extra scene (there isn't one). It's only worth it for the visuals during the credits themselves, in 3D.

In conclusion, Wreck-it Ralph is family-safe, and highly enjoyable. See it in 3D as soon as you can!

This is a great movie.

For someone who grew up with computer games from their conception, I found lots of little nuggets in here to make me smile.

The story is surprisingly sophisticated for a cartoon and the characters are quite fleshed out considering its target audience.

I saw this at the pictures and I was glued. The child we took to see it (and some others in the cinema) didn't seem as gripped.

I would have liked it if they had visited a few more games.

I would recommend this, especially if you like computer games and want something you can enjoy as well as the kids.