Ralph Breaks the Internet is a sequel to the hit Disney animated film Wreck it Ralph. In Ralph Breaks the Internet, we follow our heroes from the last movie, Ralph and Vanellope, as they travel the internet in search of a broken part for Vanellope’s arcade game. They find the missing steering controller on eBay, and it’s the last one in existence. Up for auction, they give the winning bid for $27,000. They now must find a way to earn the money to pay for the controller with a deadline in five hours, or they will lose Vanellope’s game forever. Ralph Breaks the Internet is a painfully average film, and compared to its predecessor, a huge disappointment. This sequel wasn’t bad, however, but it wasn’t too great either. There’s one big problem I had with this movie, and it’s Ralph. Ralph in the first movie had already gone through his character arc and was a very well developed character by the end of the film. In this movie it feels like they purposely broke the character just for a story line. Ralph in Ralph Breaks the Internet is now a needy, clingy, and annoying character. Throughout the movie Ralph is constantly holding Vanellope back from doing the things she wants to do to save herself. People who relate to her should start to feel how annoying Ralph can be.
Ralph was not the only problem I had with this movie. There is also a major plot hole that’s impossible to overlook. It doesn’t make sense that Ralph was able to leave his game for over 24 hours without it being infected by a bug. After all, he’s literally the bad guy in the game Fix-It-Felix, Jr., so how come nobody noticed he was missing? It wouldn’t be that bad of a plot hole except for the fact that Ralph being away from his game was the whole conflict in the first movie. You would think the writers and filmmaker would have noticed this, but I guess not.
There is one saving grace in this movie, and it comes in the form of the character Shank. Shank is a well-balanced and action-packed character that I wish we had more of in some of the Disney films. Every scene she’s in is either filled with exciting action or actual good moral advice. I believe she definitely carried the movie for us teen ladies, so go check her out.
The movies moral isn’t anything new; it’s a simple “don’t hold friends back” message. And it’s presented in the most obvious way so you won’t miss it. Maybe I’m being a bit overly affected, but as a teen it felt a little juvenile that the filmmakers had to figure it out for us. But, after all, I’m sure the kiddies are a big part of their ticket buyers and more of their target market.
To wrap things up, the movie was OK, nothing to brag about, and not much teen repeat value.
* This part of the review was written by Diana Delia. Diana is a 14-year-old student at a Boca Raton, Florida, Middle School, and one of her loves is film. She did such a great job we had to include it for the Blu-ray release.
Video
Ralph Breaks the Internet is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1. The 1080p image is arrived at with an AVC MPEG-4 codec at an average 30-35 mbps. The high-definition image presentation is as bright an shiny as a new video game. The colors truly pop here, and there is a dazzling display of bright vivid colors throughout. Black levels don’t really play much of a part here, but they’re pretty flawless when the scenery is darker. You see it mostly in darker-colored characters. There’s not a lot of texture here, but this is a representation of a video/internet world. The production design that depicts the new land of the internet is both clever and appropriate. These worlds blend together rather flawlessly, and while this is technically a Disney animated film, there’s certainly more than a little bit of Pixar laying about the place.
Audio
The DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 is often manic and explosive. This is a very aggressive surround mix that throws so much at you that I’m sure I’ve missed as much in the audio presentation as I did with all of the hidden stuff in the video presentation. Character voices are bright with a ton of high-end and no splatter or distortion. The music is almost a character unto itself and helps to keep the attention throughout. There’s some rather unusual sounds here, and it demands as much attention as the visuals. The subs don’t play a huge role here. There’s nothing that’s going to shake your room even in the wilder scenes. You get it best in Slaughter Race, where the bottom helps build the atmosphere here more than in other worlds. Of course, the songs are dynamic in range and deliver as well as any CD or stream you’ll hear the soundtrack through.
Special Features
Deleted Scenes: There are five scenes with an intro for each. There’s no play-all, and you’ll have to navigate each individually. Most are animated storyboards and not completed animation with the notable exception of the final scene which was pretty much complete when it was cut.
Surfing For Easter Eggs: (3:36) There’s a ton of stuff hidden in plain sight here from the usual classic “hidden Mickey” icons to the historic video game symbols. There’s even a Stan Lee cameo that I missed the first time. This feature helps you find some of these.
The Music Of Ralph Breaks The Internet: (10:18) You get a look at the unique aspects of the score which is a mix of material from the first film and new themes for new people and places. There’s the always welcome orchestra recording footage mixed with some of the synth sounds used to make this such an unusual score. There’s a closer look at the duet between Gal Gadot and Sarah Silverman, which is one of the better musical performances of this franchise.
Buzztube Cats: (1:47) A look at the strange cat footage used as viral videos in the film.
How We Broke The Internet: (32:57) This is the standard making-of feature. There are 10 sections with a play-all that takes you through such topics as concept art, early design tests, and internal discussions about how the internet would be created, including a failed original concept. Cast and crew provide the usual input.
Final Thoughts:
Want to wrap it up for us, Diana?
“To wrap things up, the movie was OK, nothing to brag about, and not much teen repeat value.”
