Wreck-It Ralph

What's it about? Wreck-it Ralph is the antagonist in a computer game named after its hero, Fix-It Felix. He is fed up of being the baddie and so decides to set off into other computer games to become a hero so that he can live in the penthouse and be friends with the other good guys. On his way, he meets Vanellope, a girl stuck in a cart racing game who wants to win a race and reset the game. Ralph has been wreaking unknown havoc on his way through the gaming world and the question becomes, can he fix what he has messed up, before the computer games world is destroyed forever?

What's it like? Very sweet. Although targeting the young, it has in-jokes that gamers from the 80's will savour but no ham-fisted "oh look, aren't we being really edgy sneaking in rude grown-up jokes" that could have spoiled this endearing confection. Though the plot through-line is simple and comprehensible, it isn't so simplistic and twee in its execution as to alienate or frustrate the parents who will inevitably accompany their children to screenings. The "just be happy being you" message is admittedly superficial and reductive, but there are worthwhile points made about how we are all complex shades of grey rather than "good" or "bad" and themes of kindness, sacrifice and generosity are well-aired too.

 

The animation is, as you would expect, superb and the voice work from John C Reilly and Sarah Silverman is delightful. The different computer game worlds are imaginatively, intelligently and humorously designed and rendered and there are plenty of subtle jokes, as well as laugh out loud moments. In essence, it covers all that a proper family film should - entertaining, well-written, eventful and well-paced and with a decent amount of subtext for chewing over later. Great stuff.

Should I see it? Absolutely. There is plenty here for everyone to enjoy and nothing that is going to offend or upset. Tiny children may find the alien/bug things a little bit much, but my six-year old lapped it all up. It is funny and worthwhile, so check it out.

 

Les Miserables (2013)

What's it all about? Jean Valjean has completed a lengthy prison sentence after stealing a loaf of bread. Javert, a ruthless and inflexible policeman, vows to watch him like a hawk. Unable to find any work as a parolee, Valjean is taken in by a priest, but then is caught stealing from the church. In an act of undeserved mercy and grace, the priest tells the police that he gave the items to Valjean, who then resolves to reform and live his life much better. He eventually ends up looking after Cosette, the young daughter of Fantine, a worker in his factory who has died in poverty and though he longs for a better life for him and her, Javert is ever on his tail.

What's it like? Goodness me. This is as moving, affecting and uplifting a film-watching experience as you could hope for. I am a bit of a Philistine when it comes to musical theatre and so haven't seen Les Mis on the stage, but on the evidence of this it is easy to see why so many flock to it. As Valjean, Hugh Jackman (Wolverine from the X-Men films, but an accomplished musical theatre performer long before he hit that franchise) hits all the right notes, broken, defiant, tender, sympathetic and strong. As the doomed Fantine, Anne Hathaway is simply breath-taking, summing up in one devastating rendition of "I dreamed a dream" a whole backstory, a whole life, a whole tragedy. In one take, and that an unblinking close-up on her face, the horrendous tale of a life torn apart and hope destroyed is told and you never fully recover.

 

Director Tom Hooper, who was rightly much lauded for The Kings Speech, sensibly opens up the stage-bound production with soaring camera shots and long-range vistas, both of Paris and the church where Valjean first experiences grace and mercy. He managed to persuade his cast to sing live on set rather than lip-sync to a pre-recorded soundtrack, which exhausted them to a man and woman, but delivers in spades in drawing us into what can be a distancing technique of having virtually every syllable sung rather than spoken. Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter excel as the ghastly Thenardiers, irredeemably unpleasant and venal and although Russell Crowe's signing is a little below par, his performance as the inflexibly ruthless and unforgiving Javert is powerful and affecting. As unable to accept forgiveness as to give it, Javert has nowhere to go when Valjean shows him undeserved mercy.

 

Should I see it? Yes. It has been and gone from cinemas now, but it will be on DVD before long. Some of the scale will be lost on the small screen, but I would guess none of the impact. Certainly its enduring themes of undeserved grace and mercy to the merciless will have no less impact on your TV. Some of the earlier scenes, especially where Fantine slips into prostitution after losing her job, will upset younger children, but older children will benefit hugely from so powerful and evocative a depiction of God's mercy to us in our undeserving helplessness. That a man of God is the one person who helps Valjean in his desperation and who goes on to forgive and extend mercy when Valjean bites the hand that feeds is something for us all to dwell on and aspire to.