Wreck-It Ralph #WreckItRalph

It’s no secret how much I’ve been looking forward to seeing Wreck-It Ralph. Growing up and playing video games during the time of Atari and the original 8-Bit Nintendo, I had high expectations as an old school gamer. So how did it fare?

Solid plot, deep characters, and witty humor make for a full-fledged family movie that will be enjoyed by kids and adults alike. That’s right – not just ‘tolerated’ but actually enjoyed! To find out why, keep reading…

The story revolves around ‘Wreck-It’ Ralph. For 30 years he’s been the bad guy in the vintage arcade game, Fix-It Felix. The only problem is that, after work hours (when the arcade is closed), he’s an outcast and just plain lonely. That’s just part of being a video game villain, right? Everyone seems to think so. Everyone except Ralph. He embarks on a journey to go against the programming code and be the hero for once.

It doesn’t go quite that smoothly though. Complications during Ralph’s personal road of discovery trigger events which threaten all the games in the arcade. With the help of a peppy handyman, a troubled space marine, and a girl with candy stuck in her hair, Ralph must find a way to keep them all from being permanently unplugged.

Ralph crosses paths with many characters along the way, both old and new. In addition to all the classic video game cameos, those of the 25-40 crowd will recognize the sounds, movements, and props from their younger years. Man, typing that made me feel really old. Teens will hooked on the graphics and action. Tweens and older kids will laugh at the typical, irritating mockery they are so fond of. Little ones will be captivated by all the bright colors and silly characters. See? Something for everyone.

There are a few ‘heavy’ scenes but none that would merit being warned against. This is WAY tamer than other kids movies, even the most innocent of them. But, when entering a first-person shooter game, Ralph does draw a comparison to how games have changed when he says, “When did video games get so violent?”

Wreck-It Ralph provides a surprisingly robust storyline. The pacing is perfect and the character development is phenomenal. There was a lot going on so, though it did not detract from the movie, I’m sure we missed a lot of details which could have added to the experience.

My husband was extremely impressed with the quality of the film and even took note of how complex the characters’ expressions were. I had fun pinpointing the classic video game references and basically geeking out. My daughter now wants a race car made of candy. We all agree on one thing – we must see it again when it comes out November 2nd!