Movie Review: Wreck-It Ralph 2, An "Okay" Two Hour Long Commercial
We loved ‘Wreck-It Ralph’. Most people liked ‘Wreck-It Ralph’. Did they rush the sequel? Did it live up to the hype? Well…
Jeff Lowe (73/100): In one of the more disappointing movies of the year, ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’ brings back great animation and a stellar voice cast but offers a lackluster story that feels like a two-hour long commercial. While the sequel to ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ isn’t bad and will be loved by kids, it does little to impress from an animation studio that usually pumps out fantastic movies.
Last year, I, along with most everyone, tore ‘The Emoji’ movie to pieces. It was one of the more absurd movies in recent memory, laced with a bad script, bad animation and, most of all, tons of forced product placement. It would be massively hypocritical to not note that ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’ also shoves a ton of product placement in your face. While some of the companies they reference (example: BuzzzTube) are fake, the logos of Google (in a pivotal scene), eBay (the center of the plot), Spotify, Twitter, Instagram and more are all plastered throughout the movie. There is also a major scene revolving around Disney’s own app and website, Oh My Disney. I get that making a movie based inside of the internet makes it hard to avoid these references, but it feels like the audience is being cannibalized here.
Even looking past the fact that the movie feels like a commercial, the story for ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’ feels incredibly hollow and uninteresting. The first movie had a fresh, fun angle, where this one just tugs on the normal tropes and issues with the internet. Is the message good? Yes, of course. Do they present it in an interesting way? Not at all.
It’s a shame the movie falls flat because the voice cast is really great. John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Gal Gadot, Taraji P. Henson and Bill Hader are outstanding and bring life to their characters. The look of the movie is great and some of the smaller concepts they use inside the internet are cool. Walt Disney Animation Studios has done a wonderful job with creating a distinct and recognizable look for their movies.
All in all, ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’ isn’t awful by any stretch of the imagination. There’s fun to be had here and there and it definitely gets a passing the grade. The issue is, when you are following up a movie nominated for Best Animated Picture, you have a high bar to reach. Unfortunately, Disney’s latest addition to their lineup, ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’, doesn’t have enough jump to clear that bar.
KenJac (76/100): I wish this tweet could be my entire review:
Unfortunately, I’m a BTMB, so I persist. It’s a sort-of-disappointing and soulless movie that felt like the only reason it was made was to make money. The storyline is uninteresting and hollow, which really lends to the idea that it is just Disney porn.
It is, however, a beautiful movie to look at with great animation, decent pacing, and a few funny lines and self-referential moments. The returning voice cast (John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch etc.) were all fine, and I loved the newer additions in Gal Gadot, Taraji P. Henson, and Alfred Molina.
I think my biggest issue is that I don’t think they thought they had a good concept when they decided to make this movie. It felt like they just decided they want to make money and had recently seen ‘The Emoji Movie’ and thought they could do it right. There is plenty of redeemable moments and lines that make it worth watching if you have kids or love Disney nostalgia, but it’s otherwise disappointing.
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This movie is not yet Officially Buttered and we will find out its fate on Thursday’s Lights, Camera, Barstool with Trillballins’ official score. Coley will also be a guest on the show to review this movie, along with ‘Creed II’. Remember to rate all 2018 movies below.
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