Ratchet & Clank

I just watched the movie, it was disappointing. Very little variety in background species, animation that seems like the guy who worked on Jimmy Neutron the TV series had a hand in this and the story that seems to be more interested at trying to be funny rather than being invested in a coherent and fluent plot. Also the music...whoever worked on the audio didn't know what the hell they were doing and didn't know how the music of the games complimented the themes. I do not blame the characters, they are great and I know all about their games, the way this movie was presented pales in comparison to the presentation of A Crack in Time. I could have forgiven a lot, like the low quality animation, background characters with low variety, bad music and everything, if the director wasn't so bad. The guy was too busy making the movie describe the weapons, try to make pop culture jokes about texting, texting! and try to make stupid scenes where characters screaming and getting their heads bonked look funny. I get it, Ratchet and Clank is loved for the weapons, comedy and etc. but that is not what the characters are about. The story should have been invested in itself, not stupidity! The movie could have been professional and still be funny if it wasn't for the bad director.

Let's start with this - I never played any Ratchet & Clank games, however I played the Sly Cooper games and I have an idea of what Ratchet & Clank games are all about. Point is I went to see the movie completely without any expectations, except the trailer gave me the idea it is gonna be a sci-fi adventure cartoon. So I came out of the cinema, just few hours ago. Indeed, it is a sci-fi adventure cartoon and for what it is, it is truly awesome!! Graphics are great, music is great, sound is great, the plot for what it was intended to be is great! Now, speaking of the plot, this is not a serious sci-fi cartoon. This is intended to be a funny movie, to make you relax and just have some fun, that's why I am still saying "for what it is". I have no idea of the game plot, so I am judging the movie only here. And honestly I really had some fun watching it. Also, despite the warnings of cartoon violence and so on, I personally find it absolutely kids-friendly - no real scary moments, no sudden scary sounds, no real scary characters, in fact I intend to grab the blu-ray disk when it comes out and show it to my 3-year- old son, but if you doubt my judgement - go and give the movie a try, before bringing your kids there. Fun is guaranteed anyway. I am not going to reveal much of the movie, except to mention that they intend to release a sequel, because there are two animation sequences in the end of the movie and the first one is clearly talking of a sequel. The other thing to mention is they make reference to Sly Cooper, which movie is intended to be released a bit later this year and which I am awaiting so much, because there is one scene in the movie where they show picture of Sly Cooper (they show more pictures too, but I just did not paid attention to the others). So to finish - for what it is, it's awesome! For me, as a parent, it's totally kids-friendly. It is also family-geared, because the duration is set to 1h 34mins if I remember correctly, which is the usual family format. It is fun and it is really making you relax and enjoy your time, so just give it a try. As I said, I've never played any of the Ratchet & Clank games, but now think I am definitely going to give them a try. Enjoy!

What inspires a studio to take interest in a movie based off a video game? Last years Hit-man: Agent 47 only proved that the people hired behind these projects have a hard time with adaptation. I've said before that the problem lies within not the side characters, but with the main character. In a video game, there isn't supposed to be much of a personality to people like Super Mario and those from Mortal Kombat because you are supposed to be that person. In a movie, the main character not only needs to have a personality, but it's the film's job to keep it's audience invested enough to make us want to follow them for an hour and a half. Because there are so many video games (not to mention more adaptations this year with the upcoming The Angry Birds Movie and Assassins Creed), Hollywood will keep trying to find a way to properly adapt the difficult medium. Today's subject marks it the first time a Playstation series has been given the film treatment. I've never played it before, but when the Ratchet & Clank games become big sellers, it's no wonder a film would eventually happen. Going all in as an animated movie, let's see if Ratchet & Clank has the right tools to work. On the planet Veldin, a cat-like creature humanoid Ratchet (played by James Arnold Taylor) is a mechanic who is often trying out over-the-top designs on spacecrafts while desiring more in life. Though his boss/mentor Grimroth (played by John Goodman) tells him to get back to work, Ratchet sees on TV that due to the recent planets being blown up by aliens lead by Chairman Drek (played by Paul Giamatti) and Doctor Nefarious (played by Armin Shimerman), the Glalactic Rangers are now looking for a fifth member to join up. Ratchet goes to try out, but is turned away by Ranger leader Captain Qwark for being too short and unpredictable. Meanwhile, Chairman Drek is working on a robot army to assist, but a defect-bot named Clank (played by David Kaye) manages to escape and crash-lands a ship to where Ratchet is. Ratchet pulls Clank out in time and repairs him. Both agree to go where the Rangers are to warm them of more impending attacks. The two fight off Drek's army and are hired into the Rangers where they plan their next move to defeat the villains. Does Ratchet & Clank make for a proper movie adaptation? Well…at the best, I can say that Ratchet & Clank is a movie. Too bad it isn't a good one. In fact for the first twenty minutes, I was starting to get a feel for this far out space adventure. Once Ratchet and Clank meet and pair up, it become what has to be an auto-piloted formula to qualify as a movie. Everything in Ratchet & Clank feels so safe and inoffensive that I question why this even needs a major theatrical release. I can see more this as a Nickelodeon TV movie that's pilot for a series. I can't completely say that nothing went into this. The script given here tries to have fun with it's concept and throws a ton of jokes. I even laughed a few times. The animation can be colorful and nice too (though some design can look inconsistent). But it's everything else, especially the main character Ratchet, which feels like something that we've seen in a ton of movies already. Just how many more times can you hear the "I'm tired of this boring life and I want more" speech that seems only be found in bad children's films? I'll give this four Ratchet & Clank PlayStation games out of ten. At best, it's a kids movie that'll likely be entertaining for parents that simply want something in the background. At worse, it's an unoriginal and rarely funny space opera that adds nothing to the genre. I'll guess that the movie follows the game well, but all it does for me is to make me rather play the game then anything. Unless you have little ones or are fans of the series, I'd say Ratchet & Clank is a skip.

I love the animated movie Ratchet & Clank which is based on the popular Play Station video game. From the beginning to the end, the film kept me on the edge of my seat, as it is an adventurous, funny, heartwarming and witty story. One of the funniest scenes is when Dr. Nefarious shoots Chairman Drek with a laser gun and turns him into a sheep. The story follows the main character, Ratchet who wants to be a member of the famously respected Galactic Rangers team but unfortunately, is told he doesn't have the right "stuff." According to Captian Qwark, Ratchet may have heart but physically just doesn't measure up as he is too small. However, Ratchet meets and names a robot Clank who is similarly small and both human and robot not only become the best of friends but a powerful duo. Together they make it their mission to try to save the Solana Galaxy from the evil Chairman Drek. My favorite part of the story is when we learn the robot doesn't measure up to his own kind. In fact, he is considered a "defect" to be terminated because he's small, thinks for himself and doesn't want to hurt humans but wants to help them. I particularly enjoyed all the various voices talent for the animated characters. My favorite is that of Ratchet's and I was fortunate enough to personally meet and interview both James Arnold Taylor and Bella Thorne (the voices of Ratchet and Cora) immediately following the movie screening. I loved seeing how their actual facial characteristics and physical mannerisms are incorporated into their animated on-screen film characters. There's not just one moral to this movie but three stand out in my mind. First, is to always believe in yourself and never give up. Second, as told to Ratchet, "To be a hero you don't have to do big things just right things." Third, if the right thing requires you to do the wrong thing then probably the right thing is the wrong thing to do. I love these golden nuggets that make the characters seem very real as cleverly penned by the director, Kevin Munroe. All ages will like Ratchet &Clank and it's particularly well suited for ages 5 to 12. There's no bad language that make it appropriate for young audiences. The sophisticated storyline, fun adventure, basic struggle of good vs. evil and plenty of twists and turns will appeal to more mature audience, as well. It's also a story about two underdogs who together try to rise to the challenge. Do they succeed? Well, you'll have to see the movie to find out! Finally and on a personal note, I just love the relationship between Ratchet and Clank - two orphans in the universe finding each other and creating a lasting bond. Together the dynamic human and robot duo try to do the right thing in the right way. Reviewed by Abigail Zoe L., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic.

*TLDR summary* This is a solid, fun and entertaining Video Game adaptation, do yourself a favour, don't listen to the totally overly harsh and unfair critics and go see it for yourself, you won't be disappointed ! As the audience score proves. _________________________________ Well I have just come out from the film. In general, it was AWESOME, but I CAN see why it may have got some bad reviews. (No spoilers below) I do think some things could have been better, I personally felt the start was a bit rushed (but then again what do you expect trying to fit a 15 hour game into a 90 minute movie !), and if I hadn't played the games first or knew the series like I do then I may have got a little lost. I felt the chemistry between Ratchet and Clank was a pretty low-key until towards the end, but again technically they had only just met so you couldn't expect them to have the bond they have got by the later games in the series. For fans the film is a total dream full of references and little Easter eggs. The first end credit scene made the film for me personally, so make sure you stay a while once the movie's over ! Sadly I didn't see as many planets as I'd hoped for which I was sad about, and the weapons didn't make much of an appearance until toward the end either. I personally felt the second half was superior to the first, but I'm not sure if that was because unfortunately by watching all the previously released clips beforehand, I had kinda ruined it for myself and seen all the main parts, which is my fault entirely. Anyway final verdict, it was great and guaranteed that if you're a fan (OR a newcomer) then you will love it, I thoroughly enjoyed it, had plenty of laughs and would definitely see it again. The humour was good, the references were great and the characters were awesome as per usual, as was the stellar voice acting by the series usual stars. We saw much more out of Cora and Elaris than in the newest game too and they're really decent characters. However there IS room for improvement and I can see how some people may not enjoy it as much as others. I feel critics have been completely unfair and overly harsh on this film, in terms of video game adaptations it's fantastic. They talk about it as if they were expecting something from Pixar, bearing in min Rainmaker had about a quarter of the budget for this movie than studios such as Pixar and Dreamworks have, They did a bloody great job and still produced a fantastic fun, colourful film and that's saying something. Do yourself a massive favour and go see for yourself and don't listen to them.

I see a lot of critics reviews bashing the movie saying its too kiddy and unfunny. Well let me give my 2 cents- I'm 36 years old and went with two of my friends. We all grew up with R&C and all of us enjoyed the movie very much. We all played the games as kids and the new movie pretty much follows the 1st one. I enjoyed just about everything- the story, jokes, pacing were all done really well. Yes a few of the jokes were tired but overall the writing was spot on and all the voice actors did just a good of a job as the games. I also liked the movie teaches a lesson about betrayal- something that a lot of animated movies nowadays don't really do but instead resort to silly comedy with no real meaning. Overall definitely worth seeing in the theater. I didn't watch it in 3D but i imagine the effect would look stunning since its a CGI movie. 8/10.

It is impossible to describe just how bad this movie is. It is a Frankenscript stitched together from waste products any one else would have been too embarrassed to deploy. It is not the far fetched sci fi cartoon villainy I object to but the sheer senselessness. At one point it is so sloppy and cynical that a character describes her plan as a hypothetical and we are led (too strong a term) to believe it actually happened. Imagine if you will a kind of story jump cut. Truly appalling. The final shootout has the two opponents quibbling about the structure of a joke - it is that feeble. At no point would one believe that Rachet and Clank have any relationship whatsoever. At another a subtitle appears to apologetically claim we are going to have a fancy montage. It was most shameless attempt to throw together used up ideas I have ever witnessed in my life. I will never forgive the hour and a half that I sat watching this. Now, that said, my 7 year old loved but I will do my best to warn any and all away from this.

I don't understand on why critics are responding so negatively to the movie. In my opinion, it was a really great movie. It was my childhood game, I loved the game, I loved the movie. Great humour, great characters. I think the critics just need to cool off a bit and take it a little lighter. I don't know what they have against video game movies but the critic to it is way too much. Ratchet and clank movie was made for the fans! Those who already know and love these characters and this style of humour will find a lot to love about the movie, but the uninitiated will likely write it off as just another animated movie. It's a shame, because of the fans who get it. Critics who have no idea about the game should keep their opinions to themselves. Who are they to judge if they don't know anything? Fans know better than you so shut the **** up. Ignore the critics! If the game was your childhood, it's gonna be a memorable movie, taking you back to the past to relive those great memories. Go watch it, you won't regret it.

As a huge fan of the game series I was very excited about this film. Unfortunately it was really average in my opinion. The film at many points captured the spirit of the game well and there are absolutely some great moments in the movie. As a big fan of the games, just seeing those beloved characters in their own movie is really cool. However, my problem is I feel like it should have been better. There are some funny moments in the movie for sure, but it just isn't as funny as the games are. I think the mistake that was made is that the movie was aimed more at kids, most of whom at this point probably have not played the original game (seeing as it came out almost 15 years ago). For that reason I felt like a lot of the humor was much more tame than it is in the games and so therefore a lot of times the jokes just were not funny in the movie. Also I thought the cool weapons from the games were not really showcased enough, not to mention there was hardly any appearances of the famous wrench that Ratchet uses. However, the main issue is that the movie feels more for kids than it is for the fans which is unfortunate. However, if you are a big fan of the games like I am, I still encourage you to see the movie because there definitely are some enjoyable moments and some funny moments. It is not a bad movie at all, it just should have been better.

Back at Sony's E3 Conference in 2014 (I think) Insomniac Games released a trailer for a Ratchet and Clank Movie. I had never played the games so I did not know whether to be excited or untrustworthy of it. I like some video game movies. The First Tomb Raider and The First Resident Evil I thought were good films, Hit-man Agent 47 is a guilty pleasure. But things like Resident Evil Afterlife and other films can lead to annoyance. I was actually excited to see the movie after it came out. So Today I went with my sister to see the movie as my introduction to the universe. This is easily the best video game movie ever made and audiences (the fans and children) have spoken. Is it the best in animation or story? No. But it's easily more attractable than the new Angry Birds movie coming in a few weeks. The story follows our titular characters as they and the Galactic Rangers are on a mission to stop Chairman Drek from destroying planets to make a new one. It's basically a save the world plot. The characters have colorful personality to them. Captain Qwark is easily the best character in the entire movie because of how stupid funny he is. Ratchet and Clank are great heroes and I'm glad they got the original voice cast for them because it would feel way to unnatural to have someone else do the voices for them. The comedy is even clever. A Wilhelm Scream joke appears in the movie that took me a second to get, Captain Qwark being useless is funny, the texting jokes, Ratchet and Clank has a lot of things that are funny in it and the movie even has Easter Eggs from Jak and Dexter and Sly Cooper. The animation looks a little more expensive then it does. With 20 million dollars put into this movie, the film stumbles upon the fact that it could have done more if the movie was more well advertised. Making 5.5 million worldwide on this Sunday, I can't help but feel that there is a lack of an audience for this film. The kids may want to see it but the fans of the games will really want to see it. But will there be anyone else who would want to see a movie based on a early 2000's video game? Ratchet and Clank is probably what many people will consider to be the first good video game movie. An audience lacks for it, but I feel there will be enough appeal for a home video and digital market. If you have the time, support the film and give it a chance. It's not as bad as most people will think it is. 79/100 B