noiseredux's Monthly VG Movie: Once Upon Atari

[Erik_Twice]

I think the movie really goes downhill once they get into the Candy Rush game. In general the whole movie spends a lot of time on really uninteresting things instead of deepening the premise.

I'm also not fond of the animation. All the poses, most of the characters and specially their faces are extremely generic and kind of boring to watch, IMHO.

[jmbarnes101]

I'm a big fan of this movie and I'll rematch it again to add additional comments. I know I did and still do want a Sugar Rush Racing game though, preferably on the Wii U.

[Exhuminator]

Wreck-It Ralph was a bait 'n' switch piece of crap.

[noiseredux]

Wreck-It Ralph was a bait 'n' switch piece of crap.

I'm puzzled by this comment. What exactly did they bait 'n' switch? If you watch that trailer in the OP - which I did back when it was released - then I feel like you got the movie that the trailer showed you.

[isiolia]

I think the movie really goes downhill once they get into the Candy Rush game. In general the whole movie spends a lot of time on really uninteresting things instead of deepening the premise.

I think it still works, but there's definitely an initial rush of references and parodies that largely don't carry through the bulk of the movie. Maybe if they'd wound up chasing the villain through multiple game worlds, instead of hinging primarily on kart race, it would have allowed for more of that.

Personally, I enjoy it for what it is, but do think they could have done a lot more with the premise.

[Exhuminator]

What exactly did they bait 'n' switch?

Starts off as a classic video game reference extravaganza, obviously catering to people with affection for the medium, then quickly devolves into a schlocky kid flick nearly devoid of the initial subject matter entirely, instead taking place in a Candy Land ripoff world for 75% of the film.

[noiseredux]

Starts off as a classic video game reference extravaganza, obviously catering to people with affection for the medium, then quickly devolves into a schlocky kid flick nearly devoid of the initial subject matter entirely, instead taking place in a Candy Land ripoff world for 75% of the film.

I saw it as: Starts off as a classic video game reference extravaganza, then turns into a current-gen game movie (a la First Person Shooters, free-to-play game model, etc). Seemed like a way to mix old and new gaming into one movie that old (parents) and new (kids) could both enjoy.

[Jagosaurus]

Wreck it Ralph was done by Walt Disney Animation Studios vs their Pixar team. I have no idea how these studios operate internally or possibly overlap but, from the outside looking in, I think the Pixar team's movies do a much better job with story, humor, & overall execution. Keeping that in mind...

I like the cameos and overall theme in this one. I heard Nintendo & Sega argued about who was bigger, Bowser or Egg Man. That's funny, all these years later, the rivalry surfaces . I also agree with Noise, it was intended to go from classic to modern, from retro cabinet to FPS, from coin op machine to candy land themed game of the month.

In the end, Wreck it Ralph is good but no great Pixar movie (Toy Story, Monsters Inc, Incredibles, Nemo, Inside Out). I wish Pixar would've handled this one but still worth a watch & cool fan service.

[KalessinDB]

Loved Wreck It Ralph so much. So so much. How has no one mentioned the kill screen at the end of the credits yet? That was one of my favorite nods in the whole movie!

[isiolia]

I also agree with Noise, it was intended to go from classic to modern, from retro cabinet to FPS, from coin op machine to candy land themed game of the month.

Possible, but if so, I think it becomes very vague in the transition. While there's definitely a little of the old vs. new dynamic going on, there's probably more being read into that than is actually presented in the movie.
While we can say that the way the Sugar Rush system works evokes F2P games, really it provides a narrative conflict. That characters can wander between games, need to worry about dying in games other than their own, that apparently Heroes Duty has enemies that aren't just playing a role (running counter to the entire premise of the movie), etc...all also just done so that the story works.