Review of Ratchet & Clank (2016) by Kj P — 23 Aug 2016

For children, the Ratchet and Clank video game franchise was probably the ripest for a film adaptation. That being said, using the same animation as the video games felt like a clash. When you recreate something based on an existing property, it should be able to stand on its own as something familiar, yet unique on its own. Here, there was a video game based on the film and a film based on the newest video game. After playing the video game and viewing this film, I am able to confidently state that it should have just been one of the two. Here is why Ratchet and Clank is a fine film, but lame overall, due to its similarities to the video game.

Going into this film, my hopes were that it would be able to separate itself from the game it is based on, deliver a fun enough premise, and have the great chemistry between the two titular characters. Sadly, only one of those aspects came to pass. The chemistry between these two characters, due to the great voice talent in James Arnold Taylor (Ratchet) and David Kaye (Clank), was off the charts, exactly how it was in the video games. This film would not have worked without their quippy interaction. There were many clever lines of dialogue that film fans will get, but for the average moviegoer, this animated adventure will be a complete snooze-fest.

Some of the cut scenes from the newest video game are direct scenes from this film, and while the story is slightly different and the climax is not at all what happens in the game, it is undeniably similar. For that reason, it felt like a lazy attempt to release two products at once, in order to gain a bigger profit. I have always been a fan of this series, but I should have expected this, coming from an adaptation that doesn't quite have the fanbase as most video games do these days. I think Ratchet and Clank was released far too late in the game.

The best part about this film is easily the fact that Ratchet is a loveable protagonist who you are willing to follow right from the very beginning. Following Ratchet as he has a lifelong dream to be a Space Ranger, he eventually teams up with his hero Captain Qwark, embarking on a journey to take down the evil Dr. Nefarious. That is essentially the entire film, and while there are some nice lessons for kids sprinkled throughout, there really isn't much else to like here. Even at 94 minutes, the film seems to drag on far too much for its own good, and shows why this was only ever meant to be a video game. There is some visible effort put into the animation, but ultimately feels like a 90 minute cut scene from the new video game.

Even though I have been putting this film down in the dirt for being years too late, unoriginal, and too similar to the video game, there is effort here. The voice actors are great, even including appearances by John Goodman, Sylvestre Stallone, Paul Giamatti, as well as Rosario Dawson, but that alone can't save its very dragged out pacing. When it feels like you are watching a video game, all you want to do is pick up a controller and play, but you are instead forced to watch a 90 minute cut-scene that ends without any gameplay. In the end, Ratchet and Clank will keep kids occupied for 90 minutes, but I really don't think it will find an audience beyond that. Being a fan of the video game series, this film is incredibly disappointing.