Review: RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET

Release Date: Malaysia, 22 Nov 2018

Genre: Animated

Running Length: 1:52

Cast (Voices): John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Gal Gadot, Taraji P. Henson, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk, Ed O’Neill

Director: Phil Johnston, Rich Moore

Screenplay: Phil Johnston & Pamela Ribon

What’s this movie about?

RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET is a sequel to one of my favourite non-Pixar animation Wreck-It-Ralph (2012).

While the first movie was confined within the good old arcade universe, this follow-up expands the adventure of Ralph (voice of John C. Reilly) and Vanellope (voice of Sarah Silverman) into the huge and exciting universe of the World Wide Web.

Highlights and Lowlights

The WWW universe that the animators have produced is bright and filled with so many details per frame you need to watch it on the big screen to fully appreciate it.

And I like how the Internet is structured and presented - like this big city where every website is represented by skyscrapers and real estates of different sizes.

The most entertaining sequence involves the Disney Princesses. I LOL a few times at the tongue-in-cheek take on our beloved characters especially the importance of a “princess song.”

However, the overall story is a little laggy and draggy. In fact, some parts tend to meander and there were so many final acts I couldn’t keep up. When you think it has come to a conclusion, then there’s more.

Although it’s a bold move by the filmmakers to not include a true villain, somehow the final result was not as satisfying as say...Inside Out.

In summary

Just like the first movie, RALPH 2 is packed with pop culture references and clever product placements.

Clearly, this sequel aimed to be bigger. But in my opinion, it went a little over bloated.

Rather than going big in its storytelling, the filmmakers chose style over substance. Case in point was the unnecessary "King Kong" Ralph sequence. Personally, I would have preferred a stronger story.

That said, the central theme of the real meaning of friendship shines through towards the end. It made me shed a tear or two or maybe, three.

Note: Stay to watch two hilarious post-credit scenes (one mid and the other right at the end of the credits). Interestingly enough, the cut here included a music video by Indonesian jazz band Payung Teduh.

RATING: 7/10

JUSTICE LEAGUE (2017)

Genre: Action / Adventure
Running Length: 2:01
Cast: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Ezra Miller, Ciaran Hinds, Connie Nielsen, J.K. Simmons, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Amy Adams, Joe Morton, Billy Crudup, Amber Heard
Director: Zack Snyder
Screenplay: Chris Terrio and Joss Whedon, based on a story by Zack Snyder and Chris Terrio

JUSTICE LEAGUE is a much better film than expected. I was expecting another CGI laden mindless carnage outing (which to be fair, it still has plenty of it) but surprisingly, it has heart. Well, it's much better than Avengers: Age of Ultron and even Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

What I really appreciated about this movie is the balance of action and the quieter moments between our superheroes. For those who are unaware, Justice League actually has two directors. Zack Snyder had to step aside due to a family tragedy and Joss Whedon stepped in to do some re-shoots. It almost seems that the grand action pieces and the signature visual flair was helmed by Snyder while the light-hearted moments were done by Whedon.

Hey, I'm not complaining because it somehow worked for me. And thankfully, there is flow and hardly any inconsistencies. As mentioned, it's the "slower" scenes that actually made the camaraderie between our heroes believable. And there are many of these and most of these moments have smart dialogue and is quite funny. And speaking of funny, I'm glad the filmmakers didn't do a course correction and amped-up the comedy because I actually do like the "dark" and seriousness of the DC movies, but all of it just lacked soul (except for Wonder Woman).

The "new" characters to the team namely Aquaman, The Flash and Cyborg could definitely have benefited if they had solo movies to explain their origins before this outing. One the film's best moment is when Wonder Woman reacted roughly to Batman when he mentioned her "dead boyfriend". That scene wouldn't have played out so powerfully if Wonder Woman didn't have a solo outing earlier this year.

Also, this movie has a very weak villain. Steppenwolf (a motion captured Ciaran Hinds) is not scary at all and is just another forgettable Big Bad Guy who wants to conquer the world. It seems the only reason he exists is to provide a catalyst to bring the Justice League together.

Lastly, I'm glad they brought back Danny Elfman to score the movie (replacing Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL). It's less bombastic and it goes back to basics drawing heavily from his own Batman (1989) theme as well as inserting hints of previous work of other composers. And I do very much dig Blues-rock guitarist Gary Clark Jr cover of the Beatles' Come Together. 

Overall, this film worked for me as I do like the characters. It's definitely a step in the right direction for the DC folks because I'm looking forward to see these superheroes on the big screen again, whether in their own films or as a team.

RATING: 7/10

WONDER WOMAN (2017)

Genre: Action / Adventure
Running Length: 2:21
Cast: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Connie Nielsen, Elena Anaya
Director: Patty Jenkins
Screenplay: Allan Heinberg, based on a story by Zack Snyder, Allan Heinberg and Jason Fuchs

Right now as you're reading this, there are so many reviews out there lauding WONDER WOMAN (even Batman is baffled with Wonder Woman's Rotten Tomatoes Scores), I don't know how else to contribute except to recommend that you catch it in the cinemas real soon. As for the setting and to get a sense of the plot, watch the trailer below.

It's not a perfect movie. The finale here reminded me of last year's Batman V Superman finale, which I didn't enjoy. I can understand the loud and CGI heavy smack-down is necessary as this is a pop movie after all but...I digress.

But otherwise, this is a great origin super hero movie. I can sense that it was directed with much care and sensitivity, thanks to the inspired choice of employing a female director. The dialogue is clever and is peppered with enough humour to not take itself too seriously. But more importantly, there were enough "negative spaces" to let the movie breathe, allowing its characters to develop. As a result, when the emotional scenes kicked in, it paid off handsomely.

And speaking of handsome, Chris Pine is charming here as he provides the wit and reality of the situation. As for Gal Gadot (*deep sigh*), she IS Wonder Woman, just as Hugh Jackman is Wolverine. She has the strength and innocence just as how Christopher Reeve had for his Superman. She is elegant, beautiful and just simply mesmerizing. Pine and Gadot are believable as a romantic couple.    

To be fair, it's not all lovey-dovey as this movie is set during World War I. Although the horrors of war are not shown, some scenes are disturbing if the audience give it more thought. All in all, Wonder Woman is a solid debut (with a rousing score) and I can't wait to see Diana (trivia: nobody calls her 'Wonder Woman' in this film) in her second solo outing. I hope it would be as good as Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

RATING: 8/10

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE

Genre: Action / Adventure
Running Length: 2:34
Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill,  Gal Gadot, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Laurence Fishburne, Diane Lane, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter
Director: Zack Snyder
Screenplay: Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer

BATMAN V SUPERMAN wasn't bad. But it wasn't good either. It was just OK.

Snyder has always been a visual and cinematic director for me and this movie really crushes it in this department. It's a visual fest - it looks grim, apocalyptic and big. Even the action sequences are epic (actually, everything is turned up to 11 eg. the close up bullet shell slowly falling on to the ground. Wah...). But when it comes to character development, Snyder is unable to deliver. Both Batman and Superman ends up as avatars rather than fully developed characters.

Granted that the studio is rushing to push out Justice League but there were many missed opportunities in the movie to build these iconic characters. Instead, they chose to spend time on re-telling the origins of Batman (yet again) and dream sequences.

And the narrative is unnecessarily convoluted. Audiences expecting to experience a royal smack down would feel cheated. To be fair, the plot to establish the superheroes as rivals rather than buddies is flawed but interesting nevertheless.

There are two highlights for me. Ben Affleck as Batman and Gal Gadot's version of Wonder Woman. I would pay to watch Ben Affleck as the brutal detective in a standalone Batman. I thoroughly enjoyed his iteration of Batman and seeing him single handedly take down a group of henchman MMA style. And as for Wonder Woman, her entrance and the accompanying electric guitar riff  was just W.o.W. Yes, I would want to see her too in her own movie.

I definitely credit Snyder for being ambitious in his film. He wants us to see this film as more than a disposable popcorn flick by exploring "what if it happens in the real world" concerns - such as regulating the role of superheroes as protectors. But it's so poorly executed he should have just focused on the battle royale.

Rating: 6/10