Game Master

Rating: 10/10 (3 November 2012)

I've been a gamer ever since I was six years old and I still am to this day, I've been there from the video arcades to the console gaming we have now so yeah that's how far my video gaming experience and love for the genre has gone. This film is a dream come true, it's one of those movies I feel were just made for me, I'm glad that finally someone had the guts utilize this idea because like any great video game it actually works.
There is just so much I love about this movie it's both a fun and touching underdog story but also a love letter to video games. The animation is just top notch, I just love the character designs from the video game characters were familiar and had cameos like Q-Bert, Pac-Man, Ryu, Ken, you name it. Down to the character focused on my favorite design is Vanellope because she so darn cute. But what impresses me more are the background designs, like the arcade itself and the arcade cabinets animated, for the record most of the video games cabinets seen are actual video games. And the video game worlds were great my favorite one was the Suger Rush world, the game was a mix of both "Mario Kart" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".
I simply love the concept that the world of video games is real and that each of the video games are businesses where they work. The humor is great both visual and verbal. There are just so many jokes, homage jokes, and in jokes on some of the clichés and elements in video games, it would probably take more than one watch to catch most to all of them, but there there. From big jokes like the fact there is some sort of group therapy session for bad guys, Oreo Cookie guards, to even tiny jokes like how some of the characters in Ralph's world move which is a little stiff it makes sense since most old games were restricted to certain movements as contrasted with the games we have now where we have more freedom of movement.
Even though the film and the characters aren't so serious you do care about them. From supporting characters like Felix (Jack McBrayer) whom is a Mario like protagonist that is unsmooth. Calhoun (Jane Lynch) is a "Gear of War" like heroine that despite being tough as nails is a softy at heart. I just love how much spit fire she has though another thing that's funny about her is her tragic back story. This is funny because it's true, it's a common cliché with a lot of our current video game heroes and heroines because by it's nature it's a motive device to give them a reason to do what they do. I like the back and forth between them both are sort of a conflicting and correlating dynamic where Felix is the representation of old school gaming and Calhoun new school. Even like the romance between them which is strange (well not that strange if you think of Mario and Princess Peach) but sweet.
Ralph (John C Really) is great, he's a gentle blue collar giant who really isn't a bad guy that's just simply his job, but is really a good guy. He's sympathetic because he's an underdog that really gets no respect or even credit for doing his job. This guy has a dream of just having more in his life or at least for life to get better. My favorite line from Ralph is, "When did video games become so violent and scary?" I always cracked up because it's really not a bad question.
But my favorite character though is Vanellope, from the fact she's voiced by one of my favorite comedians Sarah Silverman but I just love her character because she funny as hell. She just has loads of hyper energy makes sense since she lives in a world of candy, has some of the best darn lines, but also just like Ralph her character is an underdog which makes her sympathetic because she's a person with a dream of just wanting to do what she loves racing but is just always getting crap canned because of the fact she glitches, but trust me that glitch is a gift in disguise. I like the back and forth dynamic with Ralph and her, it's pretty much like a buddy buddy comedy.
If the film has a message it's about being more than what you are and to not let labels define you.
Wreck it Ralph scores.
Rating: 4 stars