'Ralph Breaks the Internet' Review

I apologize for the delay on this review, as I saw Ralph Breaks the Internet over a week ago now, but I've been fairly busy with school work as the Fall semester is coming to a close. Thankfully, I now have a substantial influx of free time since I've just completed my final assignment and only have one more final left to worry about. Within the last week, I've filled a vast majority of my free time not dedicated to schoolwork with watching a few films in theaters which piqued my interest and I was concerned may soon leave theaters. Anyways, you can soon expect reviews for Green Book, A Private War, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Boy Erased, and The Hate U Give (I'll try to stick to a review or two a day). Otherwise, I've noticed that the first few weeks of December are relatively light regarding new releases, so I'm going to use that time to catch up on titles I missed from earlier in the year which are currently available via streaming or home media. Aside from that, I'm going to soon put much of my time and attention towards editing a video about Star Wars: The Last Jedi which I've been working on for the past three months. The plan is to release that on December 15th, so it's available on the year anniversary of The Last Jedi's theatrical release, and I'm going to write a corresponding blog post detailing my thought process behind it and any other interesting behind-the-scenes factoids I can piece together.

'Ralph Breaks the Internet' Review

Nominated For: Best Animated Feature.

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 to help navigate their way, including an entrepreneur named Yesss, who is the head algorithm and the heart and soul of trend-making sit BuzzzTube.

Ralph Breaks the Internet is co-directed by Phil Johnston and Rich Moore, features a screenplay penned by Johnston and Pamela Ribon, and credits its story to Johnston, Moore, Ribon, Jim Reardon, Josie Trinidad, and Kelly Younger. While that certainly sounds like a lot of credited names, it's understandable that a story exploring a world as vast as the Internet would require all hands on deck. Fortunately, all of the individuals mentioned above are in-studio talent who have previously worked on Wreck-It Ralph and Zootopia among other recent Disney animation. With plenty of easter eggs, gags, and background elements alluding to popular Internet and Disney IP, Ralph Breaks the Internet could have easily fallen into the same rut as The Emoji Movie and effectively been two hours of obnoxious product placement. Thankfully, that's not quite the case... Though I suppose the "Oh My Disney" site could potentially annoy some viewers.

Regardless, the filmmakers play on the inner-workings of the Internet in plenty of fresh, exciting ways. As a setting, the Internet is almost a character of its own considering how well it's been intricately detailed and fleshed out by the animators. The rules and logic laid out by this World Wide Web are also fairly consistent with our own, so the events shown felt like a valid visual representation of everything which transpires online. In fact, Ralph Breaks the Internet heavily leans into the realism to provide insightful, much-needed commentary about how we handle ourselves online. It's a sad truth, but the worst version of ourselves often manifest on the Internet, and this film does not shy away from that whatsoever by shining the spotlight on toxic male insecurity. I'll be honest in saying I didn't expect Ralph Breaks the Internet to explore such mature thematic material on account of the age of its target audience. While a fair share of animated films can invoke mature discussion amongst families, the trailers made Ralph Breaks the Internet seem light and breezy, so I, therefore, expected a fun, surface-level adventure through cyberspace. 

By poking fun at the digital landscape and focusing on the ramifications of putting our needs and desires before others, Ralph Breaks the Internet delivers the best of both worlds. The film's equal parts hilarious and heartfelt. The jokes pertaining to the web and Disney itself are genuinely funny while the dilemma facing Ralph and Vanellope's friendship might hit a little close to home for certain viewers. Before I continue though, I'd like to say I was very impressed with how relevant the subject matter of the Internet managed to be. Animation's a very lengthy process, so I'm surprised that the story stayed so current in spite of the Internet's tendency to quickly cycle through trends.

As one would expect, John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman recapture the delightful dynamic between Ralph and Vanellope instantaneously. Both banter and emotional beats are well conveyed by the two of them, but I'll say Silverman really stood out since she has a larger role this time. Otherwise, I was slightly surprised to see Jack Mc Brayer and Jane Lynch's Fix-It Felix and Sergeant Calhoun be mostly relegated to an off-screen B-plot considering their substantial involvement in the original (though there's an excellent payoff at the end which totally justifies it).

As for Wreck-It Ralph series newcomers, Gal Gadot, Taraji P. Henson, and Bill Hader each are impressionable as the tough-as-nails driver Shank, exuberant algorithm Yesss, and shifty click-baiter Spamley respectively. I was very impressed with Gal Gadot's voice work, in particular, considering this is her first voice role. She even sang a little bit and sounded pretty great, so hats off to her! Meanwhile, Alan Tudyk maintains his hot streak of voicing various characters for Walt Disney Animation Studios by portraying the feisty Internet browser KnowsMore.

And of course, I can't leave out the Disney Princesses... Just about all of the voice actresses who have voiced these characters in other mediums reprise their roles for a series of hilarious, engaging sequences. To tell you the truth, any scenes related to the Disney Princesses and the Oh My Disney site were highlights in my book! Their involvement directly corresponds to one particular musical number which had me laughing hysterically. With the proper context, "A Place Called Slaughter Race" warrants a Best Original Song nomination from the Academy.

Ralph Breaks the Internet may not be quite as focused or emotionally rich as the original, but it's a worthy sequel in every sense. At times, the plot proceedings seem a little scatter-brained and reminiscent of long-winded clickbait articles, but exceptional animation, phenomenal voice work, and a timely message regarding Internet behavior more than compensate for any sketchy online detours Ralph and Vanellope made along the way. Now, let's just hope audience members are able to get a strong reception and Disney's stance on Internet toxicity is successfully installed.

Film Assessment: A-

'The Book of Henry' Review

The Book of Henry chronicles the everyday life of single mother Susan Carpenter, her brilliant son Henry, and Henry's benevolent brother Peter. Susan soon learns that not everything is as it seems with their neighbor and that Henry's formulated a plan to help the young daughter.

Colin Trevorrow directs The Book of Henry, stepping down the rungs of the blockbuster ladder to get in touch with his filmmaking roots and tell a smaller scaled story. Following the smashing success of box office behemoth Jurassic World, Trevorrow was quickly announced to write and direct Star Wars Episode IX to my displeasure. While I certainly enjoy Jurassic World, I found the spectacle constantly outweighed the story and the film never lived up to the luster of Jurassic Park. I thought Trevorrow wasn't the right choice to tackle an entry in the Star Wars Saga because I was simply afraid he wouldn't deliver in the areas I felt J.J. Abrams did with Star Wars: The Force Awakens and am confident Rian Johnson will in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Thankfully, The Book of Henry has dissuaded my fears as it's a stirring standalone story worth telling. The film has a nice look and sound to it thanks to capable cinematographer John Schwartzman, an adept editor in Kevin Stitt, and another serviceable score from Michael Giacchino. These elements keep with The Book of Henry's charted course throughout even when Trevorrow and screenwriter Gregg Hurwitz pull off a daunting task in implementing a drastic tonal shift. The sudden change is unexpected, in large part because those moments were kept out of the film's trailers, but sticks the landing thanks to the talented hands at work.

However, Hurwitz handles the tonal inconsistencies in a tasteful manner, inserting moments of levity to counteract all the heavy clout surrounding the second act. The script is both uplifting and disheartening, mimicking the natural paradigm of life appropriately. The Book of Henry reads like a chapter of a family's life, albeit an uncommon occurrence but a plausible one. Something that's only further accentuated by the remarkable performances on display. 

Remember recently when the gates opened up with a flurry of commendable child actors? Well, they're back as the breakout performer from Room and Midnight Special's shining star are teaming up. Jaeden Lieberher wields a childlike demeanor and maturity about him that's absolutely fitting of Henry's character and a tricky act to balance. Lieberher handles it well though and Jacob Tremblay's adorable as ever playing the cordial child Peter. 

Aside from these two proven child commodities, Maddie Ziegler particularly impressed me with her powerful physical performance. Ziegler expresses a lot of emotion through subtle facial expressions and turns in some work that's well above what you'd expect from an actress her age. If one thing remains clear, it's that all three of these young actors have an outstanding career ahead of them.

Rounding out the capable cast, Naomi Watts wrings out everything she can playing Susan. Susan's simply an unconventional single mother. She relies on her sensationally smart son Henry for just about everything. Henry handles her finances, her legal matters, and helps take care of his younger brother. While this may seem a tad unrealistic, Watts manages to sell it with sincere effort. Sarah Silverman, Dean Norris, and Lee Pace can also be found scattered amongst the supporting cast in various key roles. None of them have are afforded much to do by the script but they make the most of their screen time.

If you need to get out of the house this weekend and don't feel up to watching Wonder Woman again or want to see something scaled back from the summer blockbuster fare, this is a solid choice for a family-friendly outing. On that note, it's important to know there's some slightly more adult elements at play which you may have to discuss with your children (namely child abuse and the appropriate means to handle said situation). Regardless of whether you take a trip to the theater, The Book of Henry is certainly worth seeing sometime down the line based on performances alone.

Film Assessment: B