Ralph Breaks The Internet Movie Review

“There’s no law saying best friends have to have the same dreams.” - Shank

Ralph Breaks The Internet is directed by Phil Johnston and Rich Moore, and stars John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Gal Gadot and Taraji P. Henson.  The story takes place six years after the events of Wreck-It Ralph, where Ralph and Vanellope find themselves in the internet, trying to find a replacement steering wheel for Vanellope’s game, Sugar Rush.

I was a little nervous going into this movie, because I really loved the the first one, and didn’t want to be disappointed by a mediocre sequel.  Thankfully, this movie was not a disappointment at all. It turned out to be a pleasant surprise in more ways than one. To start out, the animation is truly something to behold.  It’s so crisp and clean, and it is very pleasing to the eye. The colors really seem to pop out at you, and the set pieces and characters look very nice. This is a very beautiful looking film.  Besides just looking good, it also sounds good too. The sound design is really well done, and balances out quite nicely. The music is really cool, and really helped me get into the film. And the voice acting, aside from being a little bit shabby in brief spots, is overall really impressive.  John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman’s voices really fit the characters, and I really can’t see anybody else voicing Ralph or Vanellope. The casting choices were all great.

Speaking of the characters, they were all super well realized.  You can really empathize with them, and understand where they are coming from, and what drives them.  They are, in other words, very relatable. This film has some excellent world building on display. The way they portrayed online culture gave a whole new meaning to how we see the internet.  It’s all so accurate, and inventive, and makes us see the internet in a whole new clever, creative light. There are some truly fantastic pop culture references in the film, along with some really witty humor that had me laughing numerous times.  There are also some great messages for young children about friendship, social media, and following your dreams that are good for adults to hear as well.

As for flaws with the film, the beginning of the first act seemed a little generic, but it soon turned into something very new and original.  The voice acting when we first meet the characters from the racing game Slaughter Race was a little bit too robotic in my opinion, and I honestly don’t think that was the effect they were going for.  Also, the character of Shank, played by Gal Gadot seemed to just instantly become friends with Vanellope without any real reason.

As a whole, I really enjoyed Ralph Breaks The Internet, and thought it  was just as good as the first film.

Rating: PG

Grade: B+