Hello, all!
With today’s film, the foray into family-friendly fare comes to an end with the great follow-up to WRECK-IT RALPH, a little flick called RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET.
In the write-up for yesterday’s flick, I mentioned how the protagonist was motivated by an immutable sense of kindness and politeness. Well, the protagonist here discovers that the Interthingy isn’t the best place to find either of those qualities, which makes me wish on occasion that he would somehow break ye olde Internet.
The original film is actually a very good film, particularly for anyone who, like me, fed innumerable quarters to whatever your favorite coin-op game might have been back in the day [which probably was a Thursday]. From Tron to Dragon’s Lair to Galaga to Gauntlet [which I put five bucks worth of quarters into back when Deano’s was in business, only to have the elf need food badly in about three minutes], the original is a great throwback to those halcyon gaming days. So, the sequel obviously has to go into the technological abyss we call the Internet, but keeps at least one foot in the gaming world thanks to an online game called “Slaughter Race,” which feels like a hybrid between Grand Theft Auto and one of the Mad Max films. Honestly, it’s a game I’d play, but that’s a different topic entirely.
For an animated film, this one has some profound themes, such as the need for acceptance, importance of friendship, and, of course, the fact that social media is kind of a cancer.
Kinda reminds you of the GQ on occasion... especially if your hat's too big.
Anyway, while Ralph might technically be as old as Pac-Man [however old that is, for your video game historians], the themes really kind of apply across all age groups. It’s for that reason that this film is one that I consider to be even better than the original. Some folks might say that it’s empowering for women with all the princesses, but that thematic element was present in the original, so it’s really more because of the film’s ability to present some mature themes while still being an entertaining kid’s movie.
[This app may or may not exist, but I seriously hope it does... and here's hoping those of you who read this far enjoyed the tie-ins to both MOANA and MONTY PYTHON'S MEANING OF LIFE.]
If you’re not a fan of Disney flexing its intellectual property muscles, then you might have something to quibble about with this one, because the IP flex is strong with this one. Still, it’s a really solid film, and one that you wouldn’t want to miss if you enjoyed the first one at all. Enjoy!
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - THE DARK KNIGHT; Day 2 - DESPERADO; Day 3 - THE ROAD WARRIOR; Day 4 - X2: X-MEN UNITED; Day 5 - TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY; Day 6 - DAWN OF THE DEAD; Day 7 - DEADPOOL 2; Day 8 - HOT SHOTS! PART DEUX; Day 9 - STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN; Day 10 - THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS; Day 11 - CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER; Day 12 - ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES; Day 13 - PADDINGTON 2]
With today’s film, the foray into family-friendly fare comes to an end with the great follow-up to WRECK-IT RALPH, a little flick called RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET.
In the write-up for yesterday’s flick, I mentioned how the protagonist was motivated by an immutable sense of kindness and politeness. Well, the protagonist here discovers that the Interthingy isn’t the best place to find either of those qualities, which makes me wish on occasion that he would somehow break ye olde Internet.
The original film is actually a very good film, particularly for anyone who, like me, fed innumerable quarters to whatever your favorite coin-op game might have been back in the day [which probably was a Thursday]. From Tron to Dragon’s Lair to Galaga to Gauntlet [which I put five bucks worth of quarters into back when Deano’s was in business, only to have the elf need food badly in about three minutes], the original is a great throwback to those halcyon gaming days. So, the sequel obviously has to go into the technological abyss we call the Internet, but keeps at least one foot in the gaming world thanks to an online game called “Slaughter Race,” which feels like a hybrid between Grand Theft Auto and one of the Mad Max films. Honestly, it’s a game I’d play, but that’s a different topic entirely.
For an animated film, this one has some profound themes, such as the need for acceptance, importance of friendship, and, of course, the fact that social media is kind of a cancer.
Kinda reminds you of the GQ on occasion... especially if your hat's too big.
Anyway, while Ralph might technically be as old as Pac-Man [however old that is, for your video game historians], the themes really kind of apply across all age groups. It’s for that reason that this film is one that I consider to be even better than the original. Some folks might say that it’s empowering for women with all the princesses, but that thematic element was present in the original, so it’s really more because of the film’s ability to present some mature themes while still being an entertaining kid’s movie.
[This app may or may not exist, but I seriously hope it does... and here's hoping those of you who read this far enjoyed the tie-ins to both MOANA and MONTY PYTHON'S MEANING OF LIFE.]
If you’re not a fan of Disney flexing its intellectual property muscles, then you might have something to quibble about with this one, because the IP flex is strong with this one. Still, it’s a really solid film, and one that you wouldn’t want to miss if you enjoyed the first one at all. Enjoy!
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - THE DARK KNIGHT; Day 2 - DESPERADO; Day 3 - THE ROAD WARRIOR; Day 4 - X2: X-MEN UNITED; Day 5 - TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY; Day 6 - DAWN OF THE DEAD; Day 7 - DEADPOOL 2; Day 8 - HOT SHOTS! PART DEUX; Day 9 - STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN; Day 10 - THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS; Day 11 - CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER; Day 12 - ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES; Day 13 - PADDINGTON 2]
