Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

Director: Rich Moore
Starring: John C Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer

Synopsis:
After 30 years of being the much put-upon villain of the classic arcade game Fix-It Felix Jr., Wreck-It Ralph has had enough. He wants to show everyone that he has what it takes to be a hero, so he game-hops into the modern shooter Hero's Duty, but the chaos that follows could bring down the entire arcade.

Impressions:
When I first saw the pixel art promo poster for Wreck-It Ralph, I knew this was something I needed to pay attention to. When the trailers started to tease all the cameos of big-name video game icons, I was duly hyped. I was there opening night and I wasn't disappointed. In my opinion, the movie is good for anyone, but for a gamer like myself who grew up in the 80s and 90s, this film is sublime. Top to bottom, this is a dang good movie. Art, characters, story, performances, it's all there.

Regarding main cast members like John C Reilly and Sarah Silverman, I'm ambivalent at best, but I have to given them all due credit. Their performances as Ralph and Vanellope respectively are quite good. I also want to give special mention to Alan Tudyk as King Candy. The way he channels Ed Wynn is a real treat. As I said, you're going to be hard-pressed to find anything not to love. It blows my mind that a film like this came straight from Disney. I realize there's a lot of cross-pollination ever since the merger, but I remember commenting at the time how Brave felt more like a mainline Disney film while Wreck-It Ralph felt more like something coming out of Pixar. Honestly, these days I find myself more eager for what's coming out of the Walt Disney Animation Studios than Pixar. If you told me that ten years ago, I'd never believe you.

Any gamer from back in the day or even the neophytes with a taste for the retro and a working knowledge of video game history will love it for sure. Chances are, if you fall into either of these camps, You've probably seen it already. If not, get out there and see it. It's your duty. And it's a big duty. ^o^

Rating:
Own It