Ruislip & Eastcote & Northwood Gazette
THE MEG (12)
FAR FROM WRECKING THINGS, THIS HEART-WARMING SEQUEL IS A DEEPLY SATISFYING FOLLOW-UP
WHEN it comes to a sequel, go bigger or go home. Rich Moore and Phil Johnston’s imaginative and deeply satisfying follow-up to the 2013 feel-good computer animation Wreck-It Ralph achieves the former without straying far from the latter by propelling its coin-operated arcade game characters into the mind-boggling realms of the World Wide Web.
Ralph Breaks The Internet expands its bewildering array of visual targets to include social media behemoths, video sharing portals and online shopping brands plus those irritating advertising pop-ups which multiply like a virulent fungus.
The naiveté of candy- coloured characters in their new home is mined for a steady stream of laughs.
“We know where to go if we need a pair of goggles,” chirps Ralph (voiced by John C Reilly) as he misreads the name of one search engine and an inaugural visit to an auction website leads to Ralph and best friend Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman) merrily bidding against one another.
A savvy, warm-hearted script credited to co-director Johnston and Pamela Ribon is punctuated by cautionary notes about viruses, the dark web and trolls.
“First rule of the internet: Don’t read the comments!” observes one guardian of the digital realm.
Film-makers responsible for Ralph Breaks The Internet can ignore these sage words: Comments for their briskly paced adventure should be overwhelmingly positive.
Vanellope von Schweetz hurriedly abandons her Sugar Rush game when a girl accidentally sheers off the steering wheel during a race.
A replacement part is too costly for arcade owner Mr Litwak (Ed O’Neill) and he turns off the machine.
“I haven’t seen this many homeless characters since Space Invaders went down!” laments security guard Surge Protector (Phil Johnston).
While the denizens of Sugar Rush are rehoused in other games, Ralph and Vanellope find a steering wheel on an ★★★★★
HORROR thriller. Dr Zhang (Winston Chao) and his daughter Suyin (Li Bingbing) oversee the Mana One research facility off the Chinese coast. During a dive in the Mariana Trench, a submersible piloted by Lori (Jessica McNamee), Toshi (Masi Oka) and Wall (Olafur Darri Olafsson) is attacked by a 75ft long megalodon shark. Dr Zhang and Mana One’s station chief Mac (Cliff Curtis) try to persuade underwater rescue expert Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) to help the stricken crew. “Man versus meg isn’t a fight. It’s a slaughter!” snarls Jonas, baiting the hook for outlandish scenes of carnage.
■ Download/stream from December 3 and on DVD/Blu-ray from December 10.