Wreck-It Ralph

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The Top Crusader
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Wreck-It Ralph

Post by The Top Crusader »



...I saw the name of this movie floating around in topic titles on a movie forum I go to, and I thought "what is that? It has a dumb name, I don't want to click on that topic." But then eventually some topics about it mentioned Bowser and such so my interest was piqued and I watched the trailer... and its in interesting premise, at least. Plus its not like... all made up stuff. The main characters are but they are putting in lots of cameos of old classic video game characters, so that's cool for old people like me.

So discuss it or something.
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Post by bookworm »

I’m going to see this on Friday. I think it looks really fun, it’s like Toy Story but with video games.
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Post by Anemone »

I'm might see this movie. I haven't yet decided. :-k
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Post by Catspaw »

I love Jack McBrayer's voice, so when I saw the trailer (maybe before Brave?) that stood out as appealing to me, and it does kind of sound like fun, but to me it would be more of a movie I would rent or watch on Netflix than one I would take the effort to see in the theatres, barring really good reviews. Bookworm, I would love to hear what you think after you see it.
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Post by bookworm »

Catspaw wrote:it would be more of a movie I would rent or watch on Netflix than one I would take the effort to see in the theatres, barring really good reviews.
Yeah, I wouldn’t go see it in the theater normally, but a close family friend (essentially a second mother) invited me because she’s taking her son who is taking a friend, but doesn’t want her to sit by them, and she didn’t want to sit alone. In other words, I’m getting a free ticket. I’m never going to pass up going to a movie with close friends, especially if I don’t have to pay. ;)
Catspaw wrote:Bookworm, I would love to hear what you think after you see it.
I’ll be sure to let you know. :)
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Post by Laurie »

I'm thinking about going. Though I'll have to find a different theater since the one I like is not accessible due to road work.
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Post by The Top Crusader »

Yeah, I want to see it... but I am going to wait on reviews to determine if its a theater watch or something I'll wait for a DVD of. Or compromise and watch it in a couple months at the cheapy second-run theater if it ends up there. But that theater is moreso in the ghetto. >_>

I'm more excited about the cameos than the movie itself. About time Q*Bert got some work again. :x

But yeah if it weren't for Skyfall and Lincoln coming out soon and Looper still being unwatched by me I probably would see this in theaters, but I dunno that I"ll be seeing four movies in the theater in the near future, so...
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Post by Musical Shutterbug »

The Top Crusader wrote:But yeah if it weren't for Skyfall and Lincoln coming out soon and Looper still being unwatched by me I probably would see this in theaters, but I dunno that I"ll be seeing four movies in the theater in the near future, so...
That's exactly what I was going to say ;) I'm planning on seeing Lincoln, The Perks of Being A Wallflower, and The Hobbit...so I'm not really willing to pay to see another movie at this point. Plus, The Silver Linings Playbook come out pretty soon as well \:D/ My funds are limited, so Wreck-It-Ralph will have to wait. I will definitely see it through Netflix or Redbox, though.
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Post by Whitty Whit »

I saw a poster for this recently... I had to run to WalMart for something and I saw this. It was interesting... :D
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Post by bookworm »

Oh. My. Word.
This is one of the absolute greatest movies I have ever seen! For real.
I don’t even know where to begin, the entire thing was thoroughly great.

The story all made sense, nothing was forced, and the depth was incredible considering the scope it was set in. I was just expecting a fun movie, like I said Toy Story with video games, with a moral thrown in. But it was so much more. It had everything; it was funny, it was extremely emotional which I was surprised at, and it even had plot twists. Yes, in the plural. I definitely don’t want to spoil anything, so just to put it generally, the story of one of the characters had not one, but two jarring twists, and the overall story had one major one that caught me completely off guard.

Going back to emotion, this movie ran an impressive gambit in that respect. I definitely didn’t expect for it to touch on so many levels, but it did so masterfully. The relationship between Ralph and the girl he meets evolves so naturally it’s beautiful. Again without giving anything away, parallels are discovered between their characters that cause them to form a true bond as the movie progresses so that when it gets to the climax of plot twist number one the scene that plays out was almost overwhelming because of all the angles that were being set off.

Besides the inspired plot, the movie’s world itself was beyond clever, it was genius. The virtual parallels to circumstances, places, and events were brilliant. And the insight into the life of a video game was a point of view twist that was executed absolutely wonderfully. One of the highlight scenes was when Ralph went into the game Hero’s Duty and we got to witness what it’s like playing from inside the game, as the NPC’s. The player is playing the game, but the game is playing for the player. It’s hard to explain, but you’ll get it when you see it. Like I said, genius. Some of the characters were even animated to mimic the movement you see in old games, a great detail for them to throw in to make the environment feel genuine.

Even the animated short before the movie (Paperman) was great. It was a really cute story that I actually enjoyed watching instead of just sitting through. I don’t remember the last time that’s happened.

In summary, this is not just a movie that I enjoyed and I’m glad I watched, this is one of my all time favorite movies ever. And it’s very rare that a movie makes that list after just one watch, so I know this was something special. I will definitely be buying this as soon as it’s on DVD because I already can’t wait to see it again.

In the midst of all this praise, I do have to make one disclaimer. My movie tastes are not always representative of society as a whole. I like what I like, sometimes no one else does. My brother ended up going with us to see this, and although he did enjoy it, he was definitely not struck by it the same way I was and was actually somewhat shocked that I regarded it as highly as I do. So I just wanted to throw that out in case you’re reconsidering spending the money on a theater ticket based on my review. I stand by my high praise, I really think the one off track is him not me because I didn’t just like this, I loved it so I don’t think I could be that far off base, but anyway you have been warned.

But if you do end up passing on the theater trip you absolutely have to rent it when it comes out. Even if you don’t end up going crazy over it like I did, it is definitely worth at least one watch and I’m positive you won’t regret it.

I’m going to jot down some of the most memorable things from the movie below, while they’re still fresh in my mind, but do not open the spoiler right now unless you are never going to see the movie. I’m serious, you will not want this one spoiled, so come back and read this after you’ve watched it and we can discuss it then.
You’ve watched the movie, right? Just double checking. If you haven’t, stop reading now and close this back up!

Okay, I just wanted to put these down so you can get an idea of what really touched me while I was watching.

As I said in the review, one of the most impressive things to me was the range of emotions that were hit on. I couldn’t go into detail up there because I definitely didn’t want to spoil anything, but down here I can so I’ll try to expand on a few of the parts.

The relationship between Ralph and Vanellope was developed wonderfully. They started out as enemies because Vanellope takes Ralph’s medal. We don’t know why she did it, but we know why it means so much to him. He’s been bullied and outcast because he’s the bad guy in his game which is what caused him to leave. If he brings back a medal he believes he’ll finally be accepted. As we begin to get a grasp on Vanellope’s story, we see that it’s really the same thing. She’s an outcast because she’s a glitch. She’s hated, she’s bullied, and she can’t escape it because glitches can’t leave their games. She took the medal because she needs it to enter the race. If she can win a race she believes she’ll finally be accepted. And the winner gets the money pot, so she can give Ralph his medal back afterwards, she was really just borrowing it.

Ralph doesn’t know this, he’s still angry at her and coming after her to get his medal back, when he sees her being bullied by the other racers. This goes right to his heart because he knows exactly what that’s like, and that is the turning point in their relationship. And here is one of the genius moments that stood out to me. After the bullies break Vanellope’s cart, they throw her into the mud. This one tiny detail struck me so hard. It was very fast, it was very subtle, but I caught that that was what really drove the situation home to Ralph, because that was what happened to him every time, he was thrown in the mud. Very quick, very little, but very powerful.

From here on the parallels between the two continue, and cause them to become genuine friends. They build Vanellope a new cart together, and Ralph helps her learn to race. It’s a thoroughly heartwarming progression.
Enter plot twist number one.
King Candy, the person we thought was the head bully, explains the situation to Ralph. Vanellope isn’t being kept out of racing because they don’t like her, she’s being kept out for her own good. They aren’t being mean after all, they’re literally trying to save her life. If she races, players will be able to start using her. But she’s a glitch. They’ll think the whole game is glitching, not realizing that’s just how she is, report it, and the game will be unplugged. All the characters will be able to get out, except her. Because glitches can’t leave the game.

When that story was explained, I was stunned. I did not see that kind of thing coming at all, it hit me hard. And then came the inevitable scene of perceived betrayal. Lots of movies have this kind of scene, and it’s always an emotional one because there is the one person that thinks the person they thought was their friend is turning on them now, even though they’re really doing whatever they’re doing for a good reason. But this one had more than that running through it. A lot more.
The scene builds to the confrontation with an extremely touching moment that really pushed the stakes over the top. Vanellope gives Ralph a homemade medal, just in case she doesn’t win his back, to show how much she’s appreciated his friendship. That makes the conversation even harder for Ralph, but he knows he has to have it. He tries to explain the situation to Vanellope, but she won’t listen. She wants to race, this is what she’s waited for her whole life. Not willing to let her go to this fate, Ralph gets firm. Vanellope realizes he’s no longer with her on this, and everything comes apart. Like I said, it’s nearly overwhelming because layer after layer of emotion is hammered.
Vanellope is hurt and confused because Ralph had been doing so much to help her get ready to race and he had been so supportive before. Ralph knows how much this means to Vanellope, but also knows the big picture and that this is what’s really for the best, even though it’s hard. Vanellope finds out that Ralph got his medal back, and that convinces her that he’s turned on her. She now thinks that was all he’s cared about the whole time, and he just pretended to support her so she’d win his medal back, but now that he’s got it she’s nothing to him. She doesn’t realize he’s truly doing this because he does care about her. Ralph reaches the only conclusion he can, he has to destroy her cart. The one they made together, the symbol of their bond. On the inside he knows he has no choice and it’s truly done out of love, but on the outside it appears to be the ultimate betrayal, and it feels like it’s not just a cart that he’s breaking, it’s any hope of reconciling their relationship, even though it really was all done with the right intentions.

That was the main emotional journey for me. The second plot twist was as shocking and unexpected, but didn’t hit me as deeply. Probably because it was a twist toward happy outcomes this time.
It turns out Vanellope isn’t a glitch after all, King Candy was lying about everything. He actually made her like that and won’t let her race because if she does it will be undone. Ralph and Vanellope reconcile and return to their race plans.

There are a few other emotional moments after that, but I won’t write on them. Not because they aren’t noteworthy, just because I’m not writing this to go over the whole movie, only to go over the parts that really touched me profoundly, and the arc of the first twist was what did that most. One other thing I will mention is I was touched by when Ralph decided to sacrifice himself to save Vanellope and the world of her game, but I knew he wouldn’t need to go through with it so it was certainly heartwarming, but not really too emotionally profound.

The final plot twist was definitely a big shocker, but it was mental, not emotional. It just changed the situation of the story. Very effectively to be sure, and it totally caught me by surprise, I’m just not expanding on it because it pretty much speaks for itself.

So in conclusion, this movie had an infinitely deeper heart to the plot than I had expected it to, which gives me even more respect for the writers. It would have been great enough to have this cleverly constructed virtual world with a generic feel good plot and moral, but they went all out to give it a story you can actually relate to and care about, one that completely captivates you and takes you through a journey of many emotional angles and nuances. Peaks and valleys isn’t an adequate description, this movie ran the full emotional spectrum.
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Post by Catspaw »

I saw a newspaper review that gave it 4 out of 5 stars, so you weren't the only one who really liked it! I have decided that I would like to see it at some point. I might need to wait for the DVD, but I'm really glad to hear that the movie sounds better than the earlier trailer I saw made it look. Thanks for the review, bookworm! :D
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Post by xiao »

Yep, I recently saw Wreck-It Ralph. Didn't absolutely love it, but it was a solid little movie with some nice ideas, good laughs and nice setpieces. Definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of video games.
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Post by Tea Ess »

Thank you for such a thorough post, bookworm. I simply went ahead and read the reveiw even though I haven't seen the movie yet. By the time I finally see it, I will have forgotten the spoilers, so this way I get to enjoy both a review and a movie. ;)
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Post by bookworm »

Catspaw wrote:I saw a newspaper review that gave it 4 out of 5 stars, so you weren't the only one who really liked it!
That’s great to hear! :D I’m curious why it didn’t get a full five stars though, that’s what I would give it. I can’t think of a single thing offhand that I think they could have done better.
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Post by Woody »

I saw it yesterday! And bookworm is definitely right, it was a wonderful movie. ;)

And I probably wouldn't have gone to see it if not for bookworm's review. So thanks, bookworm. ;)
Last edited by Woody on Mon Jan 14, 2013 1:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by bookworm »

That's great Woody, I'm glad you liked it! :D
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Post by fodo14 »

This is one of my favorite animation movies ever period. Everything to the voice acting to the amazing emotion it expressed. And being an gamer, I loved every little thing about this amazing world they created.
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Post by Catspaw »

Oops, I forgot to post back when I saw this movie. I did really enjoy it. :D I love Jack McBrayer's voice :inlove: so that was fun, and the story was really good. Definitely worth seeing! I will definitely plan to watch it again in the future.
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Post by gunblader3 »

Yeah I admit, this is one of my favorite animated movie this year. What it wanted to do was tell the story of a man who was unhappy with his place find his way to being happier. Using the video game model as the medium for this was great not only because of its funny old school gamer inside jokes but because in a game, heroes are locked as the hero and villains can only be the villain.

This movie hit my funny bones and my emotions pretty hard, which is a good thing because not many movies excel at doing both for me. So overall this is a well made solid movie for me.
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Post by godisawesomeness99 »

Dude that movie was really awesome :mrgreen:
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