Ralph Breaks the Internet Movie Review

Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)

Watch the trailer
Written by: Phil Johnston & Pamela Ribon (screenplay by), Rich Moore & Phil Johnston and Jim Reardon & Pamela Ribon & Josie Trinidad (story by) 
Directed by: Phil Johnston, Rich Moore
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jake Johnson, Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis, Courtney B. Vance, Russell Crowe
Rated: PG

Plot
Six years after the events of "Wreck-It Ralph," Ralph and Vanellope, now friends, discover a wi-fi router in their arcade, leading them into a new adventure.

Verdict
It's a sequel that falls victim to typical sequel issues. It's the first movie but bigger, yet not as inventive. At one point this felt like nothing more than a Disney commercial. This just isn't interesting. It only offers the same old internet jokes heard before without even trying to offer new insight.
Skip it.

Review
I've seen Wreck It Ralph, though I don't remember it in great detail, I recall it being clever with some nice plot surprises and definitely worth a watch.

The sequel is nothing more than a cash grab. This time it's parodying the internet, but it never really says anything about the internet. Ralph becomes a viral video sensation, but the movie never goes deeper into viral videos. There was potential to comment on viral videos with the coordinator that  pushes them, but that character's only role is to push the plot forward.  We see Google and Amazon depicted as large buildings, but the movie says nothing.

This takes the easy jokes about the internet and goes no further. There are pop up adds and auto-search suggestion, but there is nothing inventive. Even the plot doesn't manage to drum up much interest.

If you're hoping for something as ingenious as Inside Out (read my review), this isn't it. That's the difference between Disney who made this and Pixar. Pixar has more than just a premise. They dive deep into the story to offer insight and make the characters unique.

Ralph Breaks the Internet uses the Pixar story trick of what makes Ralph and Vanellope unique, their friendship, also becomes the rift between them. The problem is they never become interesting characters. This goes through the motions, but I never cared. The cool moments the first Ralph movie made are nowhere to be seen in the sequel.

When Ralph and Vanellope entered Disney, this became an all out commercial. There is just no reason for the princesses, other than a gender equality joke. The movie could have done more with them, just like it could have done more with everything. The princesses easily could have had a larger role in the plot or even have come back at the end. Since they don't, it must be nothing more than marketing.