Review of Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) by Wayne K — 23 Nov 2018

I really enjoyed Wreck-It Ralph when it came out 6 years ago. It might not have been the best animated film around but it looked great, had an interesting premise, a fun execution and the first half got more laughs out of me than most movies manage in their entire runtime.

The sequel was also clever, beautiful and high-spirited, but nowhere near as funny. While the first film produced consistent laughter, this follow up only did so sporadically. Long stretches pass by with nary a giggle.

It's obvious that this one wanted to be more serious, and definitely more socially and culturally relevant. The internet is ripe for parody, and many have taken swipes at it before. I loved the personification of all the things we encounter everyday while searching the web, such as pop up ads being represented by irritating street hawkers, and search engines willing to serve but feeling underappreciated for their efforts.

But the lack of humour drags the film down, and the fact that the conflict between Ralph and Vanellope included the exact same break up and eventual reconciliation tropes makes their relationship feel no more developed or interesting.

It's a very enjoyable film for sure, with plenty of juicy jabs at modern society and its fair share of funny gags, amusing references and stellar animation. I just felt that it never measured up to the original, but no one can say it didn't try.