Ralph 2.0

As a standalone film this was funny and nice to look at, but as a sequel it was terrible. Thus overall it was average. Wreck it Ralph is one of my favorite animated films - it managed to be an homage to retro gaming whilst telling a story about a misguided but loveable 'bad guy' finding out what really matters in life.

Ralph Breaks The Internet undoes all the good the first one did - Ralph is now an abusive (or should I say 'insecure') friend who has not one, but TWO cliche 'We were best friends and everything was perfect but now you did something that's upset me so I'm going to walk away and DON'T FOLLOW ME moments'. The film lacks any subtletly in dealing with its themes of toxic relationships (both personal and over the internet), and is far more comfortable in its amusing Internet references than it is in trying to make a statement.

There were so many missed opportunities to link it with the first film. For example, it is made clear that the allure of modern games is that they're constantly being updated and feel new. This was the perfect chance for the film to show that retro games, that always stay the same and live in our memory, have merit too. But nope, that didn't happen. To me, it feels like a Disney exec wanted to tell a story of the dangers / joys of the internet, and the dangers / joys of clingy friendships, but forced these messages into Wreck it Ralph where it just doesn't fit. It's used as a vehicle for this message, weaving its way around a bombardment of internet references in trying to do so.

I can understand why people enjoyed it - I laughed a lot during the first half, and one or two of the emotional moments were quite powerful. But in lacking any nuance or any reverence to the first film, I cannot recommend it to fans of the first.

In the antihero's second adventure, he and his friend have a series of online adventures. Probably the most important scene is when Vanellope visits Disney's website (because apparently the Mouse House is a shameless self-promoter). The whole sequence is basically Disney's reminder to us that it's on a mission to swallow all popular culture.

Basically, I got what I expected with "Ralph Breaks the Internet". Just watch it anticipating a bunch of corny stuff that the tykes will find entertaining and you won't be disappointed.

Someone says that this "Ralph Breaks the Internet" is the worst Disney film. I cannot agree because it is not even a film. There is no plot at all. The first half displays some of the Internet products like eBay, YouTube, instagram, etc. The second half shows off the asset of Disney, such as Marvel, Star Wars and Disney princesses. In some sense, this is just a advertisement rather than a film. I do not know how much eBay, Google or Facebook pay Disney, but it is awful to see commercials all through the film.

7/10 - very original and creative, but not quite as good as its predecessor

"Ralph Breaks the Internet" seems like the poster child for "what could've been". I like the concept, and there are a couple of good laughs, but the execution is atrocious. I was really into the opening 30 minutes or so (everything inside the arcade is fun) but as soon as they actually make it onto the Internet, it's a downward tumble.

Not gonna lie, I'm disappointed on almost every level. What was heartwarming about the original "Wreck-It Ralph" is lost here. Yeah, it may be ambitious, but it's a waste of the Ralph/Vanellope relationship, the inherent humor of the arcade culture is gone and Disney hijacked the movie for their own (horrifying) studio marketing. Seriously, the Rodent's footprint is massive in this movie.