Monday, November 12, 2012

Wreck it Ralph - Nostalgic, Timeless and Current



Imagine the movie Tron if that computer based world that those characters resided in actually reflected what's been trending in video games. That's Wreck it Ralph. A world where video game characters travel from arcade machine to arcade machine and meet and greet at a grand central gaming station - a power strip.

The story revolves around Ralph. Ralph is a villain in a video game called Wreck it Ralph. The look and feel of the game seems to recall the original Donkey Kong arcade machine in which Donkey Kong would hurl barrels at Mario (before he became Super Mario). In Wreck it Ralph, the game within the movie, Ralph damages buildings as the Mario type hero, here called Fix it Felix, fixes the damage done to said building. Ralph however is tired of being the villain and decides to venture out of his console into Hero's Duty to prove he is a hero. Circumstances land him in the ultra cute world of Sugar Rush, a racing game that recalls the cute look of anime and the awesome world of Mario Kart. Katy Perry would feel at home in this candy decorated world.



 Directed by Richard Moore from The Simpsons and FuturamaWreck it Ralph does the uneasy task of creating a film that is nostalgic, timeless and current.

Part of the beauty of Wreck it Ralph has got to be it's various cameos of characters from established video game franchises. Repeat viewings of the film are almost necessary. The video game characters represented reference everything from Sonic the Hedgehog, to Pac Man. From Call of Duty (Hero's Duty here) to Racing Car Games old and new. From Resident Evil to Street Fighter. I especially loved the shot of Cammy and Chun-Li walking across the screen, supposedly hanging out at grand central gaming station.


The movie is enchanting and incredibly eye catching. The soundtrack reeks of 80's nostalgia and the story represented is very multi-layered. This one is defintely going to stand the test of time, as all Disney films should strive to do.



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