Wreck-It Ralph

[Beate]

Waiting for reviews!

[TheOnes]

Honestly, i thought this was disappointing.

Saw the trailer a while back and got really hyped for it as it looked like it was something special. However it was a little too paint by numbers for me. I realise that i am probably not the target audience this movie was hunting for, but i just found alot of the dialogue really insipid and just falling flat, as if they were immaturely written with no cohesion. The jokes also fell flat for me most of the time, even though the in-jokes and references were right up my alley and i got most of them. The only three moments that really got a hard laugh out loud moment from me were: [spoiler]The Oreo army chanting the classic: "Orreeeoo!" song, "Programmed with the most tragic backstory of all time" and "You will be executed"[/spoiler] but even then the last joke was ruined a few seconds later, defacing what would've been a fun and excellent new layer to her character.

But apart from those, everything else had me range from a slight chuckle to convulsing in pure cringe worthy pain. It recyled alot of the same messages and morals of alot better movies, and while it wasn't entirely predictable ([spoiler]ie: Didn't call Turbo being the King, or the diet coke acting as a beacon[/spoiler]), it was still pretty safe and you knew the basic story and plotting beforehand, making the action and the tension unconnectable for me. And i got really insulted when [spoiler]everything was suddenly restored at the end[/spoiler], as i hate those type of slap in the face "nothing mattered" endings.

However, those issues aside, it was still a bit of fun, it was inventive and it (i think) tried something new, even though as soon as the movie starts you get a real Toy Story vibe what with the video game characters coming to life as soon as the coast is clear, so it kinda felt like a redesign instead of a unique idea. But i'm still happy i saw it nonetheless

Final Score: 5/10

However the people with me seemed to enjoy it alot more than i did

[EthanRunt]

Funny start, lots of ideas, and then it goes generic Disney animation, lots of heavy handed moral messages, lacking any of the earlier fun and spirit for the sake of heavy plotting and shoving things in your face.
Decent animation and retro references don't carry it, alas.
5/10

[tsoiboy]

Saw this this morning thanks to PXC. Got there at 09:45 and it was about quite full even then.

Before the main feature there was a black and white animated short "Paperman" which was quite charming. Just about boy meets girl, boy loses girl and boy meets up with girl thanks to paper airplanes. Sounds strange but it works.

Now for the main feature. For me I was smiling from ear to ear with the video games references from my childhood days. I personally forgot about the film and was just looking for easter eggs in the film.

The look was big, colourful and well animated. It's a film about a video game villain who is tired of being a villain and dreams of being a hero for just one day and to achieve this he needs to win a "hero's" medal. The film is really a film of two halves. The first is a journey for Ralph to look for his medal and the second his quest to help a little video glitch/character to reach her goal. The second half does slow down a little in pace and really the kids part of the film. Some good jokes which were lost on the kids.

The story was fine. Not deep and it is a kids film. My friend's kids were enthralled and sat quietly for the whole 90 mins. It was not scary and really suited my friends kids of 7 and 5 years old.

A perfectly fine film. Not demanding or taxing and especially good for a wet winter's morning for kids.

7/10

[tilly]

I also saw this today and saw a few fmukers!

I also agree that I was slightly disappointed with the film but like the ones said I don't think I was the target audience.

After seeing the trailer, I had high hopes but it wasn't that funny.trying to better toy story but coudnt. Loved the animation and graphics and will appeal to young children.
6/10

Gutted no fun in the foyer

[jeanelle]

I saw this today and absolutely LOVED it! I do favour animations, the Paperman short shown first was just charming, but the characters, scenery and clever references in Ralph just blew me away!

Tilly spotted some great seats for us in a pretty full screening and it was lovely to meet Rainey properly and say hi to the other FMUKers.

[kevinknapman]

Well I really loved it.

Beautifully animated, highly inventive and frequently hilarious, it ticked a lot of boxes for me. The references to all kinds of arcade gaming was wonderfully done but never at the expense of the story. Sure, once that story kicks in it becomes a little more traditional in it's narrative but that was never a problem for me. Plus I felt it earned it's moral at the end as I'd become engaged with the characters.

I also loved the dialogue, especially that between Felix Jr and Calhoun. I think 'That's not blunt force trauma that's the honeyglow of my rosy red cheeks' is possibly my favourite bit of movie dialogue this year.
The gaming gags and attention to detail was extraordinary (the reveal of the location of the 'bad-anon' meeting was perfect) and it kept my attention throughout. I expect it's also a film that would benefit from another viewing just to get all the gags.

A great animated ode to 8-bit gaming and a must for anyone who's ever fed countless coins into an arcade machine.

I also loved the short Paperman that played before. I saw it at the LFF before Celeste and Jesse Forever and was happy to hear it was going to play before this. A really charming and touching b&w short.

[pcRock]

I loved it too, especially because I love retro games. Wreck-it-Ralph reminded me a bit of Donkey Kong.

[Rainey]

I saw this this too this morning, quite a few FMUKers to say hi to, sadly none of the multimedia type offerings, but I suspected that might be the case with it being a Times screening.

As for the film I was slightly disappointed, as I had really high hopes from the trailer there was so much potential with all the retro video game references but I don't think they were really used enough and it was the usual generic Disney offering.

However, the kids said they really liked the film and have been quoting .......

"I am bad, and that's good. I may never be good and that's not bad. There's no one I rather be than me."

I really liked the Paperman I thought it was very charming.

[TheDude]

It was a struggle to get there this morning but very much worth it in the end for me, yes it's a bit too sugary in places, and predictable too, but it still kept me entertained all the way through. It's a typical Disney story with good messages for the kids and enough humour for the adults/gamers. I would easily give this 8 or even 9/10.

One of the songs on the soundtrack was crap (when the girl is learning to drive), found out during the credits it's Rihanna. Never heard her music before (benefit of living under a rock I guess), such awful grating voice

Anybody notice Arnie's classic one-liner, and the little Tron reference?
[spoiler]"Stick around" and "end of the line"[/spoiler]