Ralph Breaks The Internet (Review/Non-Spoilers)

So I absolutely loved the first movie, which came out in the fall of 2012, and I was a bit nervous when I started seeing trailers for this movie doing their rounds on the internet. The trailers didn't seem to quite catch the essence of the first movie, and it made me wonder if they were really just cashing it in.

Boy was I happy to be so very wrong. First and foremost, let's just get this out of the way. The reason the first movie was so damn good was because of the friendship and bond that was created and shared by our main characters. Ralph and Vanellope are still front and center. Their friendship is still the main plot over everything else in the movie. It's the directions they took with this focus that was really good in my eyes. I'll keep this fairly vague as the movie hasn't even been out a month yet, but honestly, if you haven't gone yet because you didn't like the trailers, do not fret. The trailers just got the vibe all wrong.

So first, let's get to the "main" plot, or at least, the main thing that kicks this adventure off in the first place. Vanellope and Ralph have been friends for a while now, and Vanellope is starting to feel a bit bored with how things are, so Ralph tries to help out. This leads to Vanellope's game being broken, and that leads our duo to the one place where you can find anything, the internet. Of course hilarity ensues as they are the fish out of water types, and we have what I consider a great adventure in a great IP. Now I loved Wreck It Ralph for the TONS of game references made throughout, because why hello, my name is Steven, I love video games. So when the idea of them going to the internet was first shown off, I was worried they would focus on apps and websites and just be a giant corporate ad like the Emoji Movie was. However, I didn't give the creators nearly enough credit, and I'm sorry for that gang. Yes, there are references, Easter eggs, and memes, but there are lots of video game references still in here. However there is also a layer of depth here, the very same kind that surprised us in the first one, but it goes even deeper here in the second one. I really dug this movie. There were a ton of jokes, and for me, the humor just worked. But it was really the whole vision of what the creators saw the internet to be that just worked. To me, it's the best version made to date, and there have been far too many movies that have tried. I figured that there would be a ton of Disney references, and there were a few, but they didn't linger here, they poked fun at it, and they moved on. Thank fuck.

Yes there were other Disney princesses, and talking about what it means to be a princess, which I found hilarious. Yes there were Star Wars jokes and sightings too. But none of it hung around too long.

Which leads me to really to the thing that's front in center, the storytelling. It was front and center here, right next to the friendship of Ralph and Vanellope. They managed to tackle themes I don't think many films bother to, and it's important. Not to spoil too much, but what it means to be a friend, and no, not at it's basic definition, but at the deeper levels. Like when are you being toxic, when are you holding your friend back, deep shit like that, that might leave you questioning your own friendships. I'm a 28 year old man, damnit, and it still left me wondering if there was a point where I was being accidently toxic to the few friends I have left these days. That's really good, it's a deeper lesson that Disney has been lacking for a little while. Something they use to hit you with in every movie. It's entertaining you with the laughs and the heart, than it stops you dead in your tracks with something real. The true villain in the movie, isn't really who you'd think it would be.

The movie felt like just the right balance, but looking at some people are saying, I don't know if they wound up in the wrong theater or what? Some are saying it's boring, some are saying it's not funny, but to me, I was laughing quite a bit. I had fun with this movie, and if you haven't seen it yet because of those people, or because of the trailers, I'd urge you to reconsider.

My final verdict is... 9/10

I might have to watch it again to see if I feel it is a 10/10, but from what I remember, and what I loved, I'd almost lean on that grade instead. As someone who loved the first, I personally loved the direction that this movie decided to take and invest in. But for those who did see the movie, what did you think? Comment on any of the sites, and let me know! Til than, I'll see you guys on the next, OnTheShelf!