After the okay “Wreck it Ralph,” the follow up to the highly promoted video game version of “Toy Story” delivers a follow up that is—just as fine, I guess. “Wreck it Ralph” still hasn’t quite built up an interesting universe or interesting protagonists, even if they manage a better job satirizing video game icons. Truth be told I’d rather have a spin off movie about the video game verse and how it operates. Instead we’re given Vanellope von Schweetz and Wreck-It Ralph in a pair of awkward central plots that drive a movie that’s running on fumes from the starting gate.
Video game bad guy Ralph and fellow misfit Vanellope von Schweetz must risk it all by traveling to the World Wide Web in search of a replacement part to save Vanellope’s video game, “Sugar Rush.” In way over their heads, Ralph and Vanellope rely on the citizens of the internet — the netizens — to help navigate their way, including an entrepreneur named Yesss, who is the head algorithm and the heart and soul of trend-making site BuzzzTube.
See, Vanellope at the end of the day is a little girl from the racing game “Sugar Rush” filled with little girls that are all princesses. In “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” Vanellope essentially meets a new friend: a gorgeous warrior woman named Shank (Gal Gadot), from an adult racing video game entitled “Slaughter Race.” Through her, Vanellope doesn’t just form a deep friendship but she creates conflict between Ralph and Vanellope as the former loves their routines, while the latter craves more. Essentially what they set up is kind of a love triangle where Ralph is, without ever saying it, very passionate about his life with Vanellope.
All the while she forms a mutual understanding and deeper connection with Shank who, let’s just say: is never seen swooning over men. There’s nothing wrong with either of this if Vanellope was a woman. But with the original film asking us to look at her as a child, and then thrusting her in to this adult conflict, it becomes awkward, and bizarre. Beyond that, “Ralph Breaks the Internet” essentially recycles the premise to “The Emoji Movie” where a majority of the film revolves around the internet, and viral videos, and building clout to raise money for a joystick for Vanellope’s now broken arcade game.
It’s a convoluted catalyst for a follow up that just never picks up steam at any point. It’s all so lackluster and laughless; despite sharp animation and some fun pokes at Disney culture, “Ralph Breaks the Internet” ends as a forgettable follow up to an already forgettable Disney property.