Videogames seem like such a ripe area for comedy – even just of the "hey, remember this game?" variety – that's it's hard not to feel a little disappointed when Wreck-It Ralph turns out to only really feature three kinds of games.
First there’s Wreck-It Ralph Jr, in which Ralph (the voice of John C Reilly), having been evicted from his home by the construction of a new apartment block, swears vengeance and returns to wreck up the place while Fix-It Felix (Jack McBrayer) undoes the damage.
But after thirty years Ralph is getting tired of being the bad guy, and when he discovers the inhabitants of the game celebrating their anniversary without him he gatecrashes the party only to be told (somewhat sarcastically) that the only way he could join them is by getting a gold medal.
Problem is, only heroes get gold medals, so Ralph ends up jumping to the first person shooter Hero’s Duty to try and win a medal there.
This proves to not be the best idea he’s ever had, and he ends up searching for his lost medal in Sugar Rush, a cutesy cart-racing game. There the glitchy Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman) blackmails him into helping her built a cart to win the big race, while Felix – who's searching for Ralph, because without him Wreck-It Ralph Jr doesn't work – has teamed up with Hero's Duty lead Calhoun (Jane Lynch) to track him down.
Aside from the minor disappointment that comes with realising this isn’t going to be riffing off the entire world of games, there’s nothing to be disappointed in with this very Pixar-like Disney effort: it looks fantastic, the story is very well put together, the characters are fun and memorable, and the whole thing feels destined to be a kids (of all ages) classic for years to come.
It's the most fun you can have in front of a screen without controlling the characters yourself.
4 out of 5
Wreck-It Ralph Australian release: 26th December, 2012 Official Site:Wreck-It Ralph Cast: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch Director: Rich Moore
