Review of Ratchet & Clank (2016) by Triple_Co — 06 Jan 2017

This is not an amazing film, and is unlikely to blow you away. It does have some good qualities however which the critical reviews seem to have disregarded; the animations and colours are very appealing, with heaps of imagination that will be to the liking of younger viewers. The characters themselves are good enough, with an interesting villain and a substantial threat. The stakes do feel high and the film succeeds in this sense. It has the feel and look of the video games it's based on.

It is very flawed though. For a film called 'Ratchet and Clank', from a game series that is about these two characters, there seems to be very little that makes you feel they have a deep, solid friendship. They meet as Crash lands on Ratchet's home planet, they become 'Rangers', and from there on the two don't seem to really be around each other much. Because of this, the ending between them feels out of place - it didn't seem like these two were really all that close. In addition, it's a cluttered and break-neck paced film that at times feels a little like an assault on the senses. There is non stop action, without many breaks, and it could have done with some slower moments and character development. I understand it's meant to have an intense feel, much like the games, but constant explosions, guns and enemies doesn't work nearly as well in a film.

Overall, it's just a standard children's movie. The story is relatively unoriginal, the pacing is rapid, but there are nice visuals and some fun moments. It was reviewed too harshly by critics, but it's certainly not a standout picture.