Wreck-It Ralph - Review

Wreck-It Ralph follows Ralph, the bad guy in a 30-year old arcade game who strives to be accepted and to finally be classified as a "good guy." As Ralph jumps between different arcade games he encounters unlikely allies, challenges, and new friends who help him find who he wants to be.


I was excited for Wreck-It Ralph since I first saw a trailer back in May or June. I thought the concept looked awesome and, being quite the nerdy type, I thought it would definitely be right up my alley. I must say that I was not wrong. This was a great movie. The story was great, the animation was fantastic, and it was really funny. It had aspects that were for both adults and children and it even could lure non-gamers and give them something to enjoy.

I liked how each game's generation showed. Fix-It Felix Jr., the game where Ralph is the "wreck-it guy," was a lot older and one of the first arcade games around. The characters were jumpy and more old fashioned. As you were taking through the rest of the arcade you see how the newer games have smoother transitions and graphics and are better overall. That was an awesome touch. I also liked how the abandoned games and characters like Q*bert are technically abandoned in the real gaming world. That was an old Atari game that seemed to die along with the system and didn't quite keep up with newer games or classic games, like Pac-Man, that have stood the test of time.
I also loved how the arcade was set up. The Game Central Station was basically the main surge protector with all of the consoles plugged into it. The characters move between games via power cords after the arcade is closed. It gave a similar feel that Toy Story gave; when you aren't using your toys then what are they doing? This time it was the question of, when you aren't playing your video games what are they doing?

I also must mention the awesome references to video games. We had references to Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario Bros., Frogger, Pac-Man, Street Fighter, Doom, Tomb Raider, and last but not least... Metal Gear Solid. When Ralph was looking through the lost and found bin and the classic " ! " popped up with the sound I just started clapping. I loved it! That was definitely for the big kids, like myself, who went to see this movie.


But gamer geek aside, I thought Wreck-It Ralph had a fantastic message for not just the children but for everyone. You might have a label pinned on you and even though it could be true that doesn't mean you have to let it destroy who you are and make you unhappy. It was a great story about Ralph accepting who he is as a labeled "bad guy" but also realizing that doesn't mean he is incapable of doing good and making friends. I thought it was fantastic. The clip in the trailers pretty much says it all, "just because you're bad guy doesn't mean you're 'bad guy'."

I definitely recommend this one. Take the kids with you or even see it with other adults. My boyfriend and I saw it together and had a blast. It's just a lot of fun.


I also want to give a shout about the opening short film called Paperman. It is a black and white silent animated short by Walt Disney Animation. It basically tells the story of a man and woman who cross paths at a train station. He encounters her in an adjacent building downtown and tries to get her attention by making paper airplanes but it doesn't work. The airplanes then get minds of their own and lead the two together again where they finally speak to each other. It was very cute and for having no dialogue it did a great job of telling the story. My kind of short, for sure.