Video game movies are bad. There, I said it. They always seem to be flashy action films loosely based on the source material, and never capture any of the fun associated with the culture. However, I just saw a trailer for Wreck-it-Ralph that may change this perception and bring the art of gaming into the world of cinema for the first time.
I can’t believe this is really made by Disney. Don’t get me wrong - I used to love their films as a child, but in recent years, they’ve proven to be nothing but money-loving sell-outs, happy to whore out their classic franchises and produce straight-to-video sequels. Their recent animated films are no better (Don’t even get me started on ‘Bolt’), but this movie takes things in a whole new direction.
It’s the tale of a video game bad-guy who grows tired of his role as villain. As he discusses this problem with his peers, we realize that Disney must have spent a lot of time in licencing meetings. You see, all of his friends are actual game characters - M. Bison, Zangief, Dr. Robotnik, Bowser, and various other classic antagonists. In fact, the whole trailer is littered with well-known gaming icons, and gave me a nice nostalgic buzz.
Will kids recognise these characters? I doubt it, but that’s what’s so awesome! Look forward to Wreck-it-Ralph this November, and in the meantime, check out the trailer:
