Wreck it Ralph

                               

         


      Video games and movies go together like peanut butter and chocolate to a geek, I should know because I am one. Video games have had a bad run when it comes turning them into movies, with most of them being forgettable.  Even more so now, video games have become inherently cinematic.  So we all have been waiting for someone to figure it out, to tie the two together with the right story and characters to make a movie work. Well thankfully someone found the secret and we have a movie that will be enjoyed by all ages.

      Ralph (John C, Riley) is a bad guy in a game called “Fix it Felix Jr.”. He is been doing it for over thirty years, and is starting to wonder what it would be like to be a good guy. Ralph sees how the other characters in his game love Felix (Jack McBrayer) and wants to know that feeling. During a meeting for bad guys in video games, Ralph voices his feelings to everyone. He is told just because he is a bad guy; it doesn’t make him a bad guy. Ralph does not listen and game jumps into a game called “Hero’s Duty”, hearing that is a place he can win a medal. After getting what he wanted he accidently goes into another game, a racing game that takes place in a world of sweets. It is there he meets Vanellope (Sarah Silverman), who is an outcast in her game, because she is a glitch. Ralph learns what it is like to have a true friend with Vanellope, who he helps build a car so that she can be a closeable character in the game. It’s in doing that, which Ralph discovers, what it truly means to be a good guy.

      Disney has always made great animated movies. It seems over the last fifteen years that Pixar has stolen that magic and made the better films. With “Wreck it Ralph” Disney recaptures that magic and makes a film that can stand up to their best work.  Animated movies depend so much on the voice talent, and that is what this film has got completely right. John C. Riley is perfect as Ralph as is every other character in the movie. I believe “Wreck it Ralph” took a page out of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” when it comes to why this movie works so well. Like Roger Rabbit, you see some of your favorite characters interacting with each other, only from the video game world. This film is hard not to love, especially when you can capture a magic that you don’t see often in movies, even less so this year. This movie made me feel like I felt after I saw “Toy Story” and I am sure you will understand that after experiencing this movie for yourself.

Brian Taylor