I was smiling the whole time while watching this movie. It's heartwarming to see just how faithful to the source material this movie is.
Ratchet, rather than being the jerk he was in the original game is a more relatable dreamer, and is much like his subsequent characterization(s). Clank is largely the same, not that that's a bad thing. Qwark, rather than being the Lovable Coward, and outright buffoon, is able to go toe-to-toe with Ratchet. Though he still retains comedic qualities, but these have more to do with being a Glory Seeker than a buffoon. It's a welcome change from the comic relief who kept getting dumber and dumber.
The Galactic Rangers themselves are all organics who really seem to take after Qwark, save for Elaris who is probably what Dr. Nefarious would be like if he remained a hero.
Drek this time around is more entertaining, and also gives an air of Ax-Crazy while Nefarious is one of the film's highlights, arguably steals the show.
Victor von Ion is a genuine badass and is perfectly voiced by Sylvester Stallone.
The plot, which can be described as The Hero's Journey, is tight and fairly-fast paced which does actually work to its advantage. This allows it to cover a good amount of ground without feeling slow and/or boring.
The voice cast is nothing short of spectacular. Paul Giamatti himself manages to be a better Drek than his predecessor and notable series regular reprise their respective roles. The animation itself is extraordinary; despite a low budget, it's on-par with its competitiors.
The best part of the movie are the jokes, all of which are hits. One of the best is when during Victor's funeral, numerous henchmen text behind Drek's back despite him explicitly stating otherwise. They are jettisoned into space at the end of the funeral. There's even an Emperor's New Groove-esque self-awareness to the film, most notably with those subtitles.
As much as I love the movie, it is still far from flawless. It's a shame that the Blargian Snagglebeast never showed up as that part from the game delivers one of the best exchanges. Also, it should have been longer so the Rangers could be fleshed out more, along with Drek, and perhaps even Grimroth. Then there's Victor von Ion; he exited the movie too early. Still, perhaps he will return in a sequel.
Still, this is one of the few movies I could actually watch repeatedly without feeling any fatigue doing so. The only other movies that I can say that about are: Disney's Robin Hood and The Jungle Book (both the cartoon and the new live-action film), The Prince of Egypt, Treasure Planet, and Kung Fu Panda 3.
3D adds a nice touch but is not required.
I rate this film 3 out 5 stars. It's not Oscar-worthy, but damn is it good. There's also enough material to draw from that they could make a TV show out of it.
A Video Game Movie Done Right
I was smiling the whole time while watching this movie. It's heartwarming to see just how faithful to the source material this movie is.
Ratchet, rather than being the jerk he was in the original game is a more relatable dreamer, and is much like his subsequent characterization(s). Clank is largely the same, not that that's a bad thing. Qwark, rather than being the Lovable Coward, and outright buffoon, is able to go toe-to-toe with Ratchet. Though he still retains comedic qualities, but these have more to do with being a Glory Seeker than a buffoon. It's a welcome change from the comic relief who kept getting dumber and dumber. The Galactic Rangers themselves are all organics who really seem to take after Qwark, save for Elaris who is probably what Dr. Nefarious would be like if he remained a hero. Drek this time around is more entertaining, and also gives an air of Ax-Crazy while Nefarious is one of the film's highlights, arguably steals the show. Victor von Ion is a genuine badass and is perfectly voiced by Sylvester Stallone.
The plot, which can be described as The Hero's Journey, is tight and fairly-fast paced which does actually work to its advantage. This allows it to cover a good amount of ground without feeling slow and/or boring.
The voice cast is nothing short of spectacular. Paul Giamatti himself manages to be a better Drek than his predecessor and notable series regular reprise their respective roles. The animation itself is extraordinary; despite a low budget, it's on-par with its competitiors.
The best part of the movie are the jokes, all of which are hits. One of the best is when during Victor's funeral, numerous henchmen text behind Drek's back despite him explicitly stating otherwise. They are jettisoned into space at the end of the funeral. There's even an Emperor's New Groove-esque self-awareness to the film, most notably with those subtitles.
As much as I love the movie, it is still far from flawless. It's a shame that the Blargian Snagglebeast never showed up as that part from the game delivers one of the best exchanges. Also, it should have been longer so the Rangers could be fleshed out more, along with Drek, and perhaps even Grimroth. Then there's Victor von Ion; he exited the movie too early. Still, perhaps he will return in a sequel.
Still, this is one of the few movies I could actually watch repeatedly without feeling any fatigue doing so. The only other movies that I can say that about are: Disney's Robin Hood and The Jungle Book (both the cartoon and the new live-action film), The Prince of Egypt, Treasure Planet, and Kung Fu Panda 3.
3D adds a nice touch but is not required.
I rate this film 3 out 5 stars. It's not Oscar-worthy, but damn is it good. There's also enough material to draw from that they could make a TV show out of it.