Fast-paced 'Ralph Breaks the Internet' offers fun ride and insights into internet culture
In the wake of the summer success of "Incredibles 2" comes "Ralph Breaks the Internet," already climbing the box office charts.
A sequel to 2012’s Wreck-It Ralph, it continues the story of Ralph (John C. Riley) and Penelope (Sarah Silverman). And it takes the video game characters where they’ve never gone before: the internet.
A Whole New (Digital) World
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Ralph loves life in the Fix-It Felix arcade game and as Penelope’s best friend. Meanwhile, even though she was crowned as a princess at the end of the first film, Penelope longs for something new. Her daily dose of driving in the Sugar Rush racing game isn’t enough.
When Ralph attempts to provide something new for Penelope, it ends in disaster. A player breaks the steering wheel in Penelope’s game. Unable to easily fix the problem, the arcade manager plans to shutter the game entirely.
The two friends hatch a plan to replace it. The search begins in the new and forbidden realm of the internet through a newly installed Wi-Fi portal. Ralph and Penelope are overwhelmed with the digital world, searching for a needle in a haystack. Once they find the item, even that goes awry. Their goal out of reach, they resort to making money playing video games.
Adoption, Refugees and Racing Games
Meanwhile, concerns are raised as to what to do about the “refugee” racers from the unplugged game Sugar Rush. Ever one to fix a problem, Felix (Jack McBrayer) and his wife Calhoun (Jane Lynch) offer to adopt the tween drivers. The heartfelt moment gives a nod to timely issues of human dignity currently confronting our culture.
On the hunt for a restorative solution, Penelope encounters the racing scenario she’s always dreamed of. A derby of danger, Slaughter Race is everything that Sugar Rush could never be.
An attempt to boost the car of star racer Shank (Gal Gadot, recent star of "Wonder Woman") leads Penelope on a path that Ralph won’t follow. This path includes an unexpected musical number and deep moments of growth and decision.
Fearful of losing his best friend, Ralph walks a questionable path of his own. His desire to deter Penelope from embracing Slaughter Race leads to a danger that threatens both friend and friendship. Moreover, the fate of the digital world hangs in the balance. It’s a poignant lesson about the relationship between unintended consequences, neediness in relationships and best intentions.
Meta-Commentary on Media
The movie title "Ralph Breaks the Internet" has a double meaning. It plays on the “broke the internet” popular phrase, but the plot also breaks internet culture down in ways helpful and hilarious.
Penelope wants to go everywhere and experience everything in this new world, but ends up at Oh My Disney. It’s an actual internet site for everything Disney, now immortalized on the silver screen. There she encounters a gathering of Disney princess characters. Penelope admits the woes of Ralph’s role in her life. The realization of her “princess status” offers some thought-provoking commentary on Disney fairy tale stories.
Nevertheless, the film’s depth really shines upon introducing “Yesss” (Taraji P. Henson) as a tastemaker of online trends. Her character shows the impact of social media, driven by the desire to be “internet famous.” If you want to “be someone” in this digital space, she is the gatekeeper.
"Ralph Breaks the Internet," like "Incredibles 2," offers perspective on technology and social media. In the age of Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and countless other platforms, the film offers a telling moral: life is more than staring at a screen.
It’s also a tale about relational change, and the dangers of selfishness and sameness. Both Penelope and Ralph learn to navigate new stages of friendship, communication, and honesty while not always walking the same path. Those are lessons audiences can apply both online and in real life.
Rated PG for some action and rude humor, "Ralph Breaks the Internet" is in theaters now.
