Tuckerscreator
(4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
11/14/2012 00:00:00
Seems an honest review. I myself thought the movie was pretty standard at the beginning, even worried that it would stay that way, but it seemed to gradually get more creative at the end, especially as the Chekhovs Guns started to come into play.
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Mostly standard Disney story, with a creative concept behind it
Much like Toy Story, the characters in Wreck-It Ralph are entirely aware that they are created for the entertainment of others, and being video game characters, they have roles to play. "Quarter alert! Get into your start positions!"
This leads to a lot of imaginative scenes such as the characters being forcibly moved by the player using the joystick, or glimpses of what players would be seeing on the screen if they were there to witness the characters crossing over into each other's games, or living their personal lives. One particularly creative idea deconstructs the modern, scripting-filled First Person Shooter in Hero's Duty. The player is represented by a screen with hands that carries a gun, serving as the player's point-of-view in the game world, and all the other heroes merely act out their scripted dialog and behaviors for the benefit of "immersing" the player. I had always been critical of first person shooters being overly scripted, and it was nice to see that concept parodied. And I also liked the over-the-top "tragic backstory" of a certain character, which seems to parody action games that take themselves too seriously.
The three main games themselves are all original creations that are not themed after one particular game, or even a blend of two, but rather, a mishmash of general ideas. Fix-It Felix Jr. contains elements of Hammerin' Harry, Donkey Kong and Rampage. Hero's Duty takes elements from Time Crisis, Call of Duty, Halo, Metroid and the movie/book Starship Troopers. And Sugar Rush is an anime-esque Mario Kart-esque game with a Level Ate theme and J-pop theme song.
The main building blocks of the movie, though, are standard Disney. Standard Disney morals, standard Disney plot twists, standard Disney character types. They're used to do creative things, but so many of the non-game-related jokes, and so much of the plot, all felt very familiar to me. It isn't bad, but it's not as original as I would have hoped. The originality came from the movie's usage of its video game theme. However, the plot can still be followed even if one knows nothing about video games.
This is one of Disney's most original concepts, but not their most original execution. Still, it's enjoyable and memorable.