A video game villain wants to be a hero and sets out to fulfill his dream, but his quest brings havoc to the whole arcade where he lives.
The script is brilliantly witty; the visuals sweep, swoop and sparkle; and the message about flawed individuals finding their own way to be heroes is a kindly one, intelligently expressed.
Mostly it’s a charming, funny, beautifully animated little kick, at a time when there’s been little to beguile kids over the winter season.
Ralph’s odyssey through these 3D vistas is sparky enough, but becomes increasingly manic and never matches the wit of the in-joke loaded opening.
A Who Framed Roger Rabbit for the joystick generation that, despite a mid-act dip into generic Disney territory, high-scores on laughs, invention and 8-bit affection.
Exciting, innovative and funny.
It’s a little frantic at times but great fun, clever and well-crafted.
With potential like this, though, the chubby 3D animation, smart-alecky product placement and potty humour all capped my enthusiasm about halfway to total delight.
With a conceit that gives the writers plenty to play with and an impressive voice cast, Disney’s latest has something for all ages.
Disney's retro-tinged comedy about a video-game bad guy who wants to be the hero is beautifully rendered, but never quite comes alive.
There are some rousing chases and races but we are always aware that the characters are one-dimensional figures from ancient arcade games. The mawkishness is as cloying as the gloop that Ralph encounters on his journey across Sugar Rush.
Wreck-It Ralph has a promising setup and the opening will strike a chord with gamers of a certain age, but it never recovers from a dull midsection which gradually squanders a great idea.
Try Again? Confusing and cynical, the film fails to deliver on its scintillating premise.
Any anachronisms or over-familiarity from which the film's plot might suffer are compensated for by its joyous mood, its visual exuberance, and a firing-rate for gags so rapid that you could get to level 10 of Space Invaders with it.
Graphically lively, narratively confused and wildly overlong.
The teen audience who will enjoy the game references will be bored by the plot and the younger kids to whom the plot appeals won’t get the references. But for parents/geeks this film isn’t without enjoyment.
How Wreck-it-Ralph recruited Sonic, Pac-Man and Bowser
General release. Check local listings for show times.