"Ralph Breaks the Internet” Review
A sequel that surpasses the original, "Ralph Breaks the Internet" is a loving portrayal of parenthood that strikes surprisingly deep in its feels. We follow Ralph and Vanellope six years after the first movie. Things are good -granted a bit boring according to Vanellope, but good. Then the steering wheel to her game's arcade machine breaks and now the duo needs to travel to eBay via the internet to purchase a replacement part before her game is permanently removed from the arcade. Though I love how the premise is only scratching the surface of where the movie takes its characters.
The cast of the original returns (great for the most part except for Jane Lynch’s distractingly over-the-top performance as Sergeant Tamora). John C. Riley and Sarah Silverman continue to prove how talented they are behind the mic and their chemistry is undeniably charming. Other standout performances include Gal Gadot's cool as fuck racer character and Bill Hader's understated clickbait pop-up ad user.
Disney animated movies have all been great recently. There are a lot of fun set ups that lead to insanely satisfying pay offs like Ralph's insecurities and Vanellope's desire for something new and ultimately growing up. There's a hilarious extended deconstructive sequence involving Disney princesses that everyone's been talking about, and the way things go, has me excited for where future Disney films take their female protagonists. And also, I now consider Vanellope to be the best Princess of all time. Fight me.
As great as "Ralph Breaks the Internet" is, the majority of its final act does feel a bit too on-the-nose and Hollywood-generic for me to enjoy as I felt genuinely bored with what I was watching. But it was remedied afterward with its heartwarming and bittersweet conclusion. It's a terrific ending and there's a scene after the credits. You'll know what it'll be as soon as the credits roll. Everyone should watch this movie, especially parents.