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davidahallnum5
Jul 610 min read

Wreck-it Ralph 3D Blu-ray Review

MOVIE REVIEW

Wreck-it Ralph is a 2012 Disney-animated film about its titular character of the same name who performs as a villain in an arcade game called "Fix-it-Felix." For 30 years, his video game role of being the guy who destroys a building has not gone down well with the building's inhabitants, and little do they know that deep down, Ralph wants to show everyone he's truly not a bad guy. So one day, he sets out to prove he can be a good guy by going out to a different arcade game called "Hero's Duty" to try and win a medal. Unfortunately, his personal quest doesn't go according to plan, and he somehow ends up in a "MarioKart" knockoff called Sugar Rush. But in an attempt to get his medal back, he ends up running into a loner girl named Vanellope Von Schweetz who tries to become a racer. And what follows is a tale of unlikely friendship, beating the gaming code, villains, and a threat to the entire arcade.

2012 was a bit of a weird year for Disney. In the summer, Pixar released a princess film that nowadays is commonly looked at as mediocre. And around the holiday season, Disney's main animation studio released a creative, well-crafted endeavor that felt more like a Pixar film than anything else. In the case of Wreck-It Ralph, I mean that as a compliment. Not only is this one of Disney's most unique animated films, it actually might be one of its best, from both a technical and story perspective. This is one of those films that, at first glance, someone might take a look at and say "Oh, it's Toy Story but with _____." And it is, with the term "video games" there to fill in the blanks, and if by saying "Toy Story", you are referring to its imagination, humor, and heart rather than just its gimmicky premise.

I'm dead serious. The way Wreck-it Ralph turns a simple arcade into an open, yet well-defined world with its own rules, bright and colorful visuals, and three-dimensional characters is simply something that has to be seen to be believed. Unlike The Emoji Movie where famous brands and icons are there just for the sake of it, this film uses video game references and 80s nostalgia as a means of expanding upon its own little world while also displaying the love and affection the creators have for video games. And to me, I even think the real love and understanding of arcade video games comes though the original properties the film creates such as the games "Fix-it Felix" and "Sugar Rush" which feel not only like they could exist in the real world, but also seem like they'd be genuinely fun to play if they did. That really solidifies the film as a bona fide passion project rather than a cynical cash grab banking on nostalgia from the adults and bright colors for the kids. It takes something we all know and love and builds something fresh from it.

But what benefits the most from Wreck-it Ralph's video game-fueled joy is the actual story, which is very character driven and surprisingly quite believable. Despite the programming the games all come with, none of it ever seems to dictate anyone's personality. Ralph may be programmed to be the meany. But in reality, he's a loner just looking for acceptance from the folks around, who decline him simply because of the video game job he's been given. He goes out to look for approval by trying to gain a higher status amongst his peers. But it really isn't until he meets Vanellope, a person going though a similar situation as him, that he learns that sometimes changing who you are isn't what matters, but rather who you decide to be for the ones you care about. It's an inspiring little arc, and the chemistry between Ralph and Vanellope feels distinct yet real, with a sense of understanding between both of them. Even setting aside the main leads, the background characters also feel like real people. Felix, the guy who's supposed to be Ralph's main nemesis, is funny and does have a sense of sympathy about him. The bad guy meeting at the beginning of the film does a brilliant job of demonstrating how the bad guys have more going with them than just what the players are allowed to see. And even the straight-faced Sergeant Calhoun from the game "Hero's Duty" who becomes important to the plot later undergoes some subtle character development. Wreck-it-Ralph doesn't simply use video games characters, it creates three-dimensional characters who happen to live in video games.

Oh, and yeah, did I mention how funny this film is? Yeah, there's an ample amount of plenty of video games-related humor (once they get into Sugar Rush though, it kinda all turns into candy puns). But the real mortar here comes once again from the characters and their interactions, which work in a situational sense like the first Shrek movie. There's plenty of wisecracks, sarcasm, and funny decision-making that land pretty much all the time. And part of the reason it does so is because of how natural it all is.

There's virtually nothing to complain about with Wreck-it Ralph. It tells an engaging, thoughtful story with well written characters and clever comedy. But above all, it does all that while also being acting as a love letter to arcade games everywhere, be it new or old, by creating an environment that utilizes them and respects them. The result is a blast of a film that will delight everyone of all ages. I know I sound like a broken record as of now as I've just reviewed Shrek 2 and the Inside Out movies. But if you how those films succeed at being expertly crafted and highly creative animated features that never stumble in their efforts to entertain audiences while also getting across some resonant messages, than you'll know what to expect from Wreck-It Ralph. It's a fun time well worth 25 cents (ok, that analogy doesn't work, but it's still well worth spending money on).


OVERALL FILM RATING: 4.5/5


3D REVIEW

I've reviewed more animated films on this site than I can count. And to say that Wreck-It Ralph automatically earns 3D points for simply being animated and thus adding more to the 3D experience would just be repeating myself. But honestly, even if you're quite picky about what 3D films you choose to spend your money on, Wreck-It Ralph is highly recommended. This video-game centered movie was quite the surreal experience in 3D. Of course, any film such as Inside Out that builds a unique world of its own benefits highly from the third dimension. But Wreck-it Ralph is quite special. Rather than turning the human mind into something you can walk right into or featuring characters made of fire and water, Wreck-It Ralph revolves around arcade games, most of which feature worlds that we know are expansive and engaging, but that we only ever see in two dimensions. And from the film's beginning, the first shot shows us Fix-It Felix being played on a flat game cabinet screen. But the movie, of course, takes us into these games the characters inhabit, which not brings us closer to the people in these games, but also allows the 3D to enhance the visual side of things and make the story feel more immersive as a result.

That aforementioned first shot is a bit of an interesting 3D view in an of itself as the camera moves into the Fix-it Felix game cabinet which itself has 3D space. But when the camera bursts through the 2D screen and into the game itself, the 3D brings Fix-It Felix to life in a similar way to the color in The Wizard of Oz. And not only is the depth top-notch making the world feel large and immense, even allowing some neat views of the game screen that let's the in-game characters see the outside world, but the camera also pans around the tall building, allowing us to soak up Fix-It-Felix's environment in all its 8-bit designed glory. The same can be said about anywhere else one can visit in the arcade, even if its not in 8-bit. Everywhere from the cable tunnels the characters travel through to get to the charging station, the charging station itself which looks and feels like a train station, a void full of glowing code blocks all linked together, Hero's Duty with it's tall tower and swarms of glowing bugs, and Sugar Rush with its vast hills and candy cane forests, large open race track, crowds of candy people, and even the inside of a mountain which isn't only big, but features stalactites of Mentos held up above a hot spring of Diet Cola (you know what happens next). Not to sound like an inhabitant from Sugar Rush or anything, but put quite simply, Wreck-It-Ralph's environment is simply eye-candy. And the 3D takes everything about it that makes it so intriguing and engaging and puts it along the z-axis.

So I've already pretty much described the environments set before us. But you're probably wondering if the movie uses 3D in any unique ways. And on that front, Wreck-It Ralph earns plenty of points. It's not the kind of film that's going to be popping stuff out at you constantly, although there is some occasional fun when you get someone's finger pointing at you, Calhoun's gun, a gum-ball flying in your face, a race car, some snow, some Laffy Taffies, a couple of shots of coins falling into a void and dissipating into bits of code, or dangerous bugs. For the most part, all the cool 3D usage is kept within the screen and made somewhat subtle. But it is none the less effective. As I said earlier, some of the environments, particularly the ones in Fix-It Felix, have designs that are all 8-bit. You can see it in even in the more modest moments such as the building's penthouse or in the yard with its square bushes. Even the end credits, which are in 8-bit, somehow carry mesmerizing 3D depth within them.

Setting that aside, though, the 3D also gives Ralph clear volume and weight compared to the other characters, it makes the jerky movements from some of the people feel all the more surreal, and it makes all the chaotic action in the Hero's Duty and Sugar Rush all the more chaotic by enhancing all the little details in the frame such as explosions, glowing lights, flying bugs, crowds of people, and more that you probably wouldn't give a second glance at in 2D. For the fun of it, they even add 3D to a couple of first-person shooter shots in Hero's Duty. In Sugar Rush, the race scene takes all the highly deep candy coated scenery with fast paced action to make the action all the more mesmerizing. There's even a couple of menacing top-down shots of Diet Cola mountain in an intense story moment. A lot like The LEGO Movie, the story's breakneck pace makes it so you occasionally feel the need to pause every once in a while to take in all the 3D detail. If that's not the mark of a great 3D movie, I don't know what is.

A lot like Meet the Robinsons and Elemental, Wreck-It Ralph is one of those movies that doesn't particularly need 3D to be appreciated as a story, but it adds so much to the picture that I'd be a fool not to give it anything other than an "excellent" rating. This is a film that makes full use of its extra dimension to not only draw you in closer to its characters, but also help these imaginative and nostalgic video game worlds pop in a way that simply doesn't happen in 2D. While that's true of plenty of other animated film that I've given a "great" rating to, Wreck-It Ralph is one of those films that actually demand immersion, I'd say on the same level as Monsters Inc. or The Polar Express. It might not have the same level of effort put into its 3D as The Polar Express. But I try to judge a film on how well the results appear in the final product rather than how much effort was put into it. And in the case of Wreck-It Ralph, there's nothing here 3D-wise that I'd say needs any "fixing." Whether you're a 3D collector or someone looking to check this film out in the best way possible, this is one 3D experience you ought to not pass up on.


3D RATING: EXCELLENT


OTHER SOURCES THAT REVIEW THIS MOVIE'S 3D






FINAL THOUGHTS


As I've said before, Wreck-It Ralph feels like one of the least "Disney" things in Disney Animation's catalogue. The story doesn't center around a princess, it doesn't take place in olden times, and there's no romance. Instead, it's a world-under-our-own movie about video games, and it works way better than it has any right to. It has characters who all talk and feel like real people who undergo real, interesting characters development, and they do so in one of the most innovative uses of the "what if this place was a whole entire world" premise that I've seen in quite a long time. It manages to pay love and respect to video games as a whole while also feeling unique and fresh. Is Wreck-it Ralph Disney's objectively best movie? I don't think so. But I still enjoyed every minute of it and I appreciated that Disney Animation once again proves their storytelling potential doesn't just have to be used on fairy tales. It can tell its own creative stories. Disney probably doesn't have it in them nowadays as we've seen with the likes of Wish and Strange World (Inside Out 2 may have technically been under the Disney banner, but it's still definitely a Pixar movie). But back in 2012, with great flicks like Princess and the Frog, Bolt, and Tangled just being very recent, Wreck-it Ralph serves as an example of the genius flowing through them at the time. And even nowadays, it still remains a resonant, heartwarming, hilarious, and just sheer fun animated feature for all ages. If you haven't checked it out yet, do yourself a favor and do so. And do so in 3D. The 3D pairs with Wreck-It Ralph's imaginative video game environments like peanut butter and jelly. Not only does it add seemingly limitless depth to the picture, but it also bring to life all the little details, making the action that much more entertaining and the emotional character moments feel more personal. It truly is the definitive way to experience the film. If you can, certainly pick up the 3D Blu-ray of this Wreck-It Ralph. With an excellent story and excellent 3D, Wreck-it Ralph is just the whole package.


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