Wreck-It Ralph announces itself in a maelstrom of
gamer geek goodness - all nods, winks, whistles and icons. The set up and our
introduction to the backstage world of these characters after a hard days work
in the arcade borrows shamelessly from Monsters Inc. and Toy Story, and that's
no bad thing.
Its inventive and fun as Ralph shares his
disillusionment with the Big Boss support circle – kudos to Bowser for his
cameo. His nemesis Fix It Felix Jnr is an equally fleshed out character
becoming aware of their interdependence when Ralph goes on his personal crusade
for a medal. And crucially, like Toy Story, the characters never forget that they
are the vessels for the whims of children.
The first act is fab. However the action becomes stuck
in "Sugar Rush" a teeth-rotting confection of a gaming landscape
where despite the fast cars and primary colours the narrative begins to drag
and the action falls far short of the underrated Speed Racer to which it pays
more than a passing nod.
The biggest issue is Vanellope the ‘glitch’ in both
the machine and the movie. The bastard child of a Spice Girl and a Powderpuff
Girl (spice-powder?) she is no doubt a new heroine for the under-tens but it
doesn’t make her any less annoying.
And this exemplifies both the strength and weakness of
the movie. It tries to balance coming to terms with a thirty-year unfulfilled
career and knowing nods for old gamers alongside a
hyperglycemia empowerment for little girls and boys, and it doesn’t quite
pull it off. It’s still racing ahead of much of the pack but, in comparison to
those two pillars of the genre, doesn’t reach the final level.
7/10
No comments:
Post a Comment