Upon seeing the initial teaser of a bad-guy support group, I had high hopes for this movie. Unfortunately, it's the type of concept that can easily be mismanaged and is already nearing cliche. There's been a flurry of villain becoming hero (can't call them anti-hero because they aren't bad people by the end) movies: Megamind, Despicable Me. I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting. It's a fun character exploration, figuring out how to make a bad guy good. However, most of the implementations have been uninspiring. The movies weren't bad, but I always left feeling like there were missed opportunities.
Fortunately, Wreck-It Ralph gets most of it right. There is one opportunity missed that I'll get to later. Otherwise, it's a great movie.
Ralph is essentially a monster out of the game Rampage, but he's a human monster. His life is destroying an apartment building that is then fixed by Fix-It Felix and his magic hammer. Ralph is great at his job, but he's lonely and hated. Seeking acceptance from the apartment complex's tenants, Ralph leaves his game in search of a gold medal. He jumps through a couple games, wreaking havoc and endangering the entire arcade. He also befriends a young girl who just wants to race her cart. He becomes her hero and all ends well.
As I said, great movie with a great voice cast. Who knew Sarah Silverman's destiny was to be the voice of a jaded little girl? (Everyone).
The one missed opportunity is in the twist. Not claiming I knew it was Turbo, just knew the king would be the bad guy. It would have been way cooler if the writers had stuck to Vanellope needing to stay hidden for the good of the game. Not that I am a clever enough writer to come up with how to do that, but it would have taken the movie to another level. And likely would have taken it out of the family movie genre. That sounds more like an indie flick.
First Viewing: 3+2+3+2+3 = 13