'Ralph Breaks The Internet' A Review

Ralph Breaks The Internet is an animated family film the sequel to 2012's Wreck-It Ralph. The retro arcade that is the home to Ralph(John C. Reilly) and Vanellope(Sarah Silverman) finally gets wifi and as such the video games characters have access to the monolithic internet. After the steering wheel of Vanellope's game is broken her and Ralph travel into it to search for eBay the mysterious place that has the only replacement wheel needed to fix her game. Through the journey their friendship is tested and Ralph's clingy behavior may cause an unmendable riff between them.

Both Reilly and Silverman bring there considerable talents to bear and in this installment are given richer emotional subtext in which to play in. There overt conflict relatable to anyone in a relationship or friendship as well as the implication of it an extended metaphor for our reliance on social media and our devices in general. Both the emotional text and the social commentary in the subtext are played with balance and honesty without sacrificing the mostly light tone of the film or its humor. The supporting cast is a parade of celebrity cameos and just solid character work. Most notably the scene with Vanellope and the Disney princesses is particularly fun. And on a more personal note Alex Moffat's turn as gamer kid Jimmy was delightful.

Visually packed almost to the point of clutter, the film juggles a series of allusions and references while still maintaing a streamlined and relatively pointed narrative. The soundtrack may not be as good as the first film but giving Vanellope "Slaughter Race" is particularly effective and pleasing. As depicted the internet is incongruously clean and positive but that is to be expected in a film aimed at grade schoolers and it throws enough issues and imparts enough applicable lessons that it gives this incarnation of the internet if not "truth" at least a version that can teach and is digestible by children.

Entertaining and emotionally satisfying with, at its heart, an important lesson- how to let go. A must for families with children, perhaps an evening in for those without.

Rent It.