SECOND ACT

PG, 111 minutes. Waterford, Lisbon. 2012’s “Wreck-It Ralph” felt like a real breath of fresh air. Using 1980s arcade game characters, co-writer and director Rich Moore explored the nuances of heroism and villainy through the surprisingly self-aware video game bad guy Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly), exposing the limitations of the good/ evil binary. It was self-reflective, and not afraid to pillory genre formulas, which Disney has been known to employ a time or two. Moore is back to helm the sequel, “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” along with co-director Phil Johnston, who co-wrote the original film. Once again, the team brings a razor-sharp scalpel to dissect the zeitgeist. Although Ralph is perfectly happy with his life hanging with his best pal in the arcade, racer Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) is bored, and nothing fixes boredom like a high-speed Wi-Fi connection. After running roughshod over Sugar Rush, Ralph and Vanellope hit the web to snag a new steering wheel for the console from an eBay auction. Along the way, they discover the risks of online shopping, viral fame, pop-up ads, the dark web and a truly addictive adult racing game in the style of “Grand Theft Auto” called “Slaughter Race.” Headed up by the very cool Shank (Gal Gadot), it’s love at first engine rev for Van, and a cause for concern for Ralph, who doesn’t want to lose his best pal. So while Vanellope follows her heart to the thrills of “Slaughter Race,” Ralph does everything he can to right things in the arcade, which means winning the eBay auction. He becomes a viral video star, doing his best video impressions — makeup tutorials, hot peppers, screaming goats, you name it. The whole film is quite a savvy analysis of how the web works, and it’s cleverly rendered visually. — Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service

REPLICAS

PG-13, 107 minutes. Westbrook, Lisbon. A scientist becomes obsessed with bringing back his family members who died in a traffic accident. Stars Alice Eve and Keanu Reeves. A review wasn’t available. PG-13, 103 minutes. Through today only at Westbrook. Still playing at Lisbon. Jennifer Lopez plays Maya Vargas, a self-made career woman hampered by her lack of a college education in “Second Act.” Despite her natural business acumen, innovative ideas and people skills, she finds herself passed over for a promotion at Value Shop, the big-box store where she’s been working for 15 years. And so with unsolicited help from her hacker godson, Maya reinvents herself as a Harvard grad with a Wharton degree, a Peace Corps stint and all the trimmings. Deception aside, Maya is a heroine for our moment: a working-class Latina on a playing field where advantage can be purchased. Thanks to Lopez, still a radiant Hollywood star with a Bronx-born authenticity, Maya feels like a real person — a neighbor, a co-worker, ourselves. Why shouldn’t she be allowed to join the educated class, the ones who, in her words, “name their kids after fruit and climb Kilimanjaro?” If only “Second Act” had fulfilled its up-the-establishment potential, it might have been a close cousin to “Working Girl” or “9 to 5,” one of those satisfying comedies in which the powerful get their comeuppance, the peons take over and meritocracy wins the day. Instead, “Second Act” goes for a second plot, centered on the baby that Maya gave up for adoption decades ago. Though occasionally amusing and mostly watchable, “Second Act” feels disappointing. Lopez — and Maya — deserves better — Rafer Guzmán, Tribune News Service