Standard affair

Rating: 3/10 (3 March 2013)

All the creativity and characters you want to see are at the beginning of the movie. Then your left in an unrecognizable world featuring a Mad Hatter rip-off and the standard annoying comedy side-kick for the vast majority of the film. Ralph himself is a good character and John C. Reilly does a great job, it's just a shame he ends up stuck in a dull world/game for most of the movie.
I think the most disappointing part for me was that all those loved characters you see in the trailer and cover art have literally no part to play. I think that the trailer might just about show most of their screen-time. They are simply used for a few quick gags before disappearing. The review is purely my opinion but this is a simple fact unfortunately. It seemed to be enough for most people to get excited about though.
I believe this was an opportunity sorely missed because of how versatile and in-depth the retro characters are. They also look far more interesting from a design stand point. The two 'game worlds' you enter are filled with homogenized characters and lands that you could find in any modern animation. Apart from Calhoun these characters aren't well fleshed out or interesting in anyway.
Overall apart form the start of the movie, which I did enjoy, the rest descends into something closer to a Madagascar or Ice Age experience. Rather than something original and creative like The Incredibles or WALL-E. A standard affair and an opportunity missed in my eyes.