Warning: Cheats... erm, spoilers, follow.
It's tough work being a video game character - anybody who has ever died in Leisure Suit Larry would know. It's even tougher being a video game villain, as Wreck-It Ralph is discovering. Sick of living in a dump, being largely ignored for the game's hero (the eponymous Fix-It Felix jr.), and never being the hero himself, Ralph (John C. Reilly) decides to win a medal to try to win the respect of everybody in the video game world. This attempt goes awry and Ralph ends up in the sickeningly sweet go-karting game Sugar Rush. There he meets a glitch character called Vanellope (Sarah Silverman), who is trying to live her dream of being a real racer, rather than just a glitch.
This film is a kids' movie, but honestly, I'd suggest it's a kids' movie for twentysomethings and thirtysomethings. Particularly those who were alive during the video game boom that came after the crash in the early 1980s. Though there are a lot of games and game references that kids will know (Pacman, Sonic the Hedgehog, and even a couple of Super Mario references thrown in), there is an awful lot of nostalgia. In fact, 8-bit games all but dominate the first fifteen minutes or so, with names like Frogger and Space Invaders getting cameo mentions, and the famous Konami Code also getting a sneaky mention.
Alright. Enough of the video game stuff. Serious vein now. Overall, I loved it. Nostalgia aside, the film had a good fun feel about it, for the most part. Of course, since the deuteragonist was a kid. I found myself laughing at quite a bit more than just the game references, and cringing at the slightly more cringeworthy moments - for example, when Felix's (Jack McBrayer) attempt to pick up Calhoun (Jane Lynch) with the line "You are one dynamite gal", ahem, blows up in his face. I enjoyed the voice acting quite a bit, particularly Alan Tudyk's work (I never knew he had an Ed Wynn1 impersonation in him!); I loved the writing, despite picking up on the twist at the end particularly quickly; I was very pleased with the visuals.
I'd have to say, though, my favourite part came nearer the start. For me, seeing Fix-It Felix Jr. running as a game, I realised that (apart from the in-game voiceovers) this is actually a game I would want to play.2 This told me one crucial thing: the filmmakers had actually done their homework. Nothing is worse than films with poor research, particularly to pedants like myself. But the game within the movie is simple, reminiscent of mid-to-late 1980s arcade games, and (apparently) a challenge and a half. In fact, full marks for all the games. I actually want to play Sugar Rush now.
Now, this is the part where I'm supposed to pan something within the movie. But what to pan? The only thing I can think of is the romance between Calhoun and Felix, but that's just me having been single for too long. The film is good for laughs, great for kids (especially if their parents are bringing them up on a healthy diet of Atari 2600 and Famicom games), and visually nice, with the obvious underlying theme of bullying (or, more correctly, anti-bullying) driving home a great message for everyone. Also, the film didn't outstay its welcome - approximately 100 minutes was a very good length for such a film.
This film rates 9.5/10 for me - much better than a lot of other kids' movies I've seen.
1I originally said Mel Brooks here. In my defence, I'd never heard of Ed Wynn before kthejoker and e2reneta both helpfully pointed this one out. Cheers to both of you!
2In all its 8-bit glory, Fix-It Felix Jr. has the setup of Wreck-It Ralph all but destroying an apartment complex. Felix has to then fix the broken bits with his magic hammer without getting hit by falling bricks and debris. Very reminiscent of Donkey Kong, in some respects.