Ralph Breaks the Internet - Have we learned nothing?
Last year, Sony Pictures Animation released a…”film” called The Emoji Movie. I saw it in theaters, which made a lot more sense a year ago since I was writing for a publication. Not too much to talk about, the film is a hot mess and undeserving of attention, but there was one line worth quoting since it’s about to become a brand new hot mess for me:
I mean sure, the film is bad, as was generally expected. But what’s even worse is the complete lack of anything noteworthy. The plot is basically Wreck-it-Ralph, but without having the strength of the lead character’s self-inflexion and reassertion of core values. It fails to deliver the whole “you’re different and that’s okay” narrative without any of the emotional buildup or nuance.
Seems like just yesteryear when it was so easily to throw shade at The Emoji Movie for being genuinely unoriginal and for riffing off better films like Wreck-it-Ralph. Now, I have the unfortunate job of telling you that Ralph Breaks the Internet is definitely a better Emoji Movie…and that’s it.
I was so excited too. Ralph connects to the internet, maybe we get some jokes about online gaming and modern gaming culture, although I guess most of the film would’ve had to exist within basic web-browsing to make sense. Not to mention there’s still so much story-telling potential within the arcade itself…
Actually, why was I so excited for this film? Even at the premise level, Ralph Breaks the Internet is only a stone’s throw from being another Emoji Movie, slave to cheap references and brand shout-outs and the sheer volatile nature of the internet as a whole. Even without going online, there are tons of other stories that could explore arcade culture in really interesting ways. Maybe a story about the dying nature of old-school arcades, and the modern resurgence of specialized and community driven arcade scenes?
Why did I think this movie would be different? Was it because Disney was behind the film, fresh on their recent royal flush of 3D animated gold? Maybe because Wreck-it-Ralph was one of the first and still biggest movies to take video game culture and showcase it as something rich, wonderful and explosive? I associated this film, with a premise right off the heels of one of the worst films of 2017, as an impending positive because of association.
Have I learned nothing?
Sigh. I guess, today, I will be reviewing a movie that’s about half-sequel to Wreck-it-Ralph, half-reboot of The Emoji Movie, and half lackluster fan-service. Is that too many halves? Alright, take any two of those and shave off the last half, it should still describe my feelings about the film.
Quote the Story Team - “I’m gonna wreck it!”
Spoiler warning? Nah, we can keep things fresh.
Ralph and Venelope are still good friends, and they hang out every night when the arcade closes. Venelope tells Ralph that she enjoys racing in Sugar Rush, the game she lives in, but wishes she could experience something new. One day she goes off course during a race for a slightly different experience, which causes the player to force the controls and in the process break the steering wheel of the game, causing Sugar Rush to get unplugged and its residents relocated. In order to make things right, Ralph and Venelope travel to “The Internet” with the hope of finding the replacement part. They succeed in finding the part on eBay, and due to not understanding how bidding works, they now need to raise a whole bunch of money to pay for the part within an 8-hour window. So, they start trawling through the internet trying to find ways to make money, which at one point includes going to an intense racing game called “Slaughter Race” which causes Venelope to start questioning what she actually wants out of life, and a whole bunch of hi-jinks ensues.
Ralph Breaks the Internet starts more or less from the same point Wreck-it-Ralph left off, but now needs new conflicts for its lead characters to push through. Ralph’s original problem of wanting to be “more than just a villain” was addressed by having him gain acceptance within his own game and becoming best friends with Venelope from the new game Sugar Rush. For the new film, his problem is that he depends too much on Venelope, very insistent on keeping the status quo that allows him to be happy with her. Venelope didn’t really have a problem in the first film aside from being an outsider within her own game and not having friends or confidence, both of which Ralph helped her address. Now, her issue is with routine, not really satisfied with the current state of her life; even though she enjoys it, she’s really hungry for something new, and that need for the unusual causes the Sugar Rush crash that sets the plot in motion.
And all that is fine. But there’s a bigger problem.
I regret that my take on The Emoji Movie left one particular grievance absent, and it was one of plot navigation. The existence of entities like Youtube, Spotify, and various other apps and mainstays is not something you can ignore if “The Internet” is your setting, since the web is ultimately defined by its services and brands. Similarly, the first Wreck-it-Ralph couldn’t really ignore the huge library of titles, characters and brands that encapsulate arcade and video game culture when charting its path. But that doesn’t make the story beholden to those brands. Wreck-it-Ralph’s story may revolve around arcade culture, but the majority of events and the heart of the story exist solely within games that are original to the story itself: Fix it Felix Jr., Sugar Rush, and Heroes’ Duty. Everything else is just clever references and easter eggs at best.
There are four essential story beats within The Emoji Movie that take place in apps for Candy Crush, Let’s Dance, Instagram, and Twitter. The actual story literally doesn’t work without those apps existing, and without going into the details of how those apps work. Is it a movie, or an advertisement? Ralph Breaks the Internet isn’t quite so egregious, but a solid chunk of the story relies on the existence of “eBay” and tons of Venelope’s development is rooted in the “Oh My Disney” site, because having a deathgrip on the pre-movie trailers doesn’t already grant enough promotional material. And the worst part of this heavily branded plot navigation is that it not only dates the film viciously, it also stymies a lot of its narrative potential in favor of increasing some outside sales. I mean, there’s probably about 10-15 minutes worth of scenes in this film that could be cut and nothing would be lost; scenes that include: Twitter birds tweeting and retweeting posts to each other while perched on a tree, the “ask Groot a question” panel at Oh My Disney, and Ralph confusing a very famous company for being “a building dedicated to Goggles.” And apparently, a lot of reviewers are eating this stuff up.
Have we learned nothing?
Also, while I will admit that all the Disney self-inflection made for some of the best and most hilarious scenes in the film, it left me a little jaded. I mean, it’s existence is slightly problematic in that you absolutely needed to be caught up on Disney lingo and culture to understand that entire portion of the movie. See, Wreck-it-Ralph is a film you can watch without really knowing anything about video game culture, and while certain portions of the film will go over your head, the story is still universal enough to entertain those outside the community without forgetting those in it (you get Easter eggs, not necessities). Ralph Breaks the Internet requires you to do a little homework going in, because honestly the story isn’t very straightforward without understanding how the internet works, or being very familiar with Disney’s inner workings. Most of this comes down to the actual story itself getting muddled very quickly; I only described the base of the story to keep things simple and avoid spoilers, but I would probably give myself a headache if I tried to describe it in detail.
Hi-Score - I can say some nice things, too
Despite my railing for the last couple thousand words, I should make it clear that I didn’t hate this movie. Disappointment is a much closer association than hatred, largely because I wanted it to be better. But it wasn’t bad.
For one, the visual presentation and cinematic quality is still top shelf. The film is colorful, well designed and amazingly coherent despite its general business. Ralph and Venelope stand out in almost every shot they’re in, and almost every shot is overall well staged. The character animation isn’t quite as nuanced as the original film, but still reflects the high standards you expect from Walt Disney Animation. I think the story is kind of a mess, but the kick off is strong and full of intrigue. New character “Shank” from the Slaughter Race portion of the story was an excellent addition and gave Venelope the sort of conflict that her character really needed to be more interesting. And, while I think the plot progression was badly handled, the idea of having Ralph constricting Venelope with an overbearing friendship is not a terrible angle to approach the story from.
The visuals are busy, but surprisingly not overwhelming.
Finally, there’s the Disney princess stuff. You know, the content that was displayed front and center on most of the film’s trailers? Truth be told, those scenes were hilarious and probably some of the best parts of the film. I get that the whole “Disney riffing on Disney” formula is getting a little played out, but if you’re gonna have that kind of fan-service in your film you may as well go all out, and they certainly did. The last princess scene in the film is one of the most ridiculously choreographed things I’ve seen this year, and I couldn’t stop laughing throughout. It was fun. I had fun.
This was a fun movie. Still not good, but it was fun.
There’s really not much more to say. Ralph Breaks the Internet still feels a lot like The Emoji Movie in a lot of bad ways, but it’s also a significantly better film with a few tricks up its sleeve. I do wish the film had more to say. I really wish they chose to dive deeper into arcade culture rather than find nothing of interest within internet culture and hardly anything within online gaming. I wish Disney wasn’t willing to sacrifice part of their movie by self-promoting; even if the content was funny, I do think the story ultimately suffered for it. Was it worth it? Sounds like the film isn’t doing so hot in the box-office right now, so maybe we have learned something.
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