(LOTS OF SPOILERS HERE)
Sorry guys this is not a full review but rather a discussion on the dominant philosophical paradigm in the movie. For those of you who haven't seen it: DROP EVERYTHING AND HEAD TO YOUR NEAREST THEATER.
A lot of the commentators on the IMDB board see the core message of the movie to be the classic "your choice defines you" variation. I'd say that's certainly valid but in many ways debatable. In fact, I see the dominant theme of the film to be that of establishmentarian and anti-agency. This may be hard to see initially because the film is so well executed and characters are so lovable and writing is so witty, but it is there. Here's why:
Video games and their programmings are really a metaphor for human society (or at least one that's organized by caste-system). the characters are all subject to some sort of design, with nearly-Socratic categorization (Ralph can only destroy but not fix stuff; Felix can literally only fix stuff and not destroy stuff; the Nicelanders are born village idiots motivated by fear and primitive moralistic judgment and do nothing else etc.) These programmings in the game are a literal reference to individuals being "cogs in a machine." that is, the machine can only function properly when all the cogs are in order. Similarly, the society the film envisioned has its own order: everyone has a specific station to attend. if such order is not adhered, chaos ensues and the universe implodes (unplugged).
Lets look at specific examples: Ralph's job is to wreck and nothing else. his wrecking is the one of the essential features that sustain his video game (He certainly deserves respect for his job, but whether he gets that respect is irrelevant; wrecking is his function in life and that's how it is) By leaving his post to pursue the medal Ralph offsets a sequence of catastrophic events that nearly destroy the Sugar-Rush world, leaving his own world in peril and endangering all of his friends. What he should have done, the film suggests, is to suck it up, keep going to the bad guys therapy session and find a non-world-destroying solution to his problems. I suppose he could always explain to Felix that he deserve appreciation for his hard work. Alas, no. Ralph goes on and sow the seeds of chaos that put the story in motion. At the end Ralph has to make a choice between staying in Sugar land or returning to his own game. Despite the tone of that scene, I get the vibe that it wasn't so much a choice but a moral obligation. Could Ralph leave the denizens of his game displaced to pursue his own selfish happiness and a vain sense of self worth? Never. You've caused enough havoc to the universe in one day, Ralph, time to get back to work.
let's not forget Turbo. Turbo has an obsession with popularity (think Toy Story characters). He couldn't accept that his time is over and game-hopped, causing both his game and that other racing arcade to be shut down. He then post as King Candy, dethroning and erasing memories of Vanellope (who is the rightful monarch) for his own gain. his action caused vanellope to become a glitch, again creating disorder in the sugar land. Halfway through the movie he manipulates the fibre of the universe through cheat code(again, disrupting what is meant to be) to convince Ralph that Vanellope is the disorder in the universe. Short of this Ralph would have simply helped Vanellope win in the first place and discovered that she's not a glitch after all; allowing order to restore itself more quickly. Turbo later becomes zerg-turbo, assuming the role of the world-destroyer both literally and figuratively. I think this drives the message home.
Both Ralph and Turbo are agents of chaos (despite the fact that Turbo is a legit villain). By exercising free choice and abandoning their stations in the gaming world, they spread chaos and disorder and put others' lives and welfare on the line. This seem to me the real thing of the film: IF YOU LEAVE YOUR PLACE IN LIFE BY EXERCISING YOUR FACULTY OF SELF-DETERMINATION YOU ARE A SHIT STIRER AND YOU CAN POTENTIALLY DESTROY THE UNIVERSE. DO NOT DO THIS. I don't know if the studio meant for it to be this sinister.
I hope this makes for an interesting discussion.
Sorry guys this is not a full review but rather a discussion on the dominant philosophical paradigm in the movie. For those of you who haven't seen it: DROP EVERYTHING AND HEAD TO YOUR NEAREST THEATER.
A lot of the commentators on the IMDB board see the core message of the movie to be the classic "your choice defines you" variation. I'd say that's certainly valid but in many ways debatable. In fact, I see the dominant theme of the film to be that of establishmentarian and anti-agency. This may be hard to see initially because the film is so well executed and characters are so lovable and writing is so witty, but it is there. Here's why:
Video games and their programmings are really a metaphor for human society (or at least one that's organized by caste-system). the characters are all subject to some sort of design, with nearly-Socratic categorization (Ralph can only destroy but not fix stuff; Felix can literally only fix stuff and not destroy stuff; the Nicelanders are born village idiots motivated by fear and primitive moralistic judgment and do nothing else etc.) These programmings in the game are a literal reference to individuals being "cogs in a machine." that is, the machine can only function properly when all the cogs are in order. Similarly, the society the film envisioned has its own order: everyone has a specific station to attend. if such order is not adhered, chaos ensues and the universe implodes (unplugged).
Lets look at specific examples: Ralph's job is to wreck and nothing else. his wrecking is the one of the essential features that sustain his video game (He certainly deserves respect for his job, but whether he gets that respect is irrelevant; wrecking is his function in life and that's how it is) By leaving his post to pursue the medal Ralph offsets a sequence of catastrophic events that nearly destroy the Sugar-Rush world, leaving his own world in peril and endangering all of his friends. What he should have done, the film suggests, is to suck it up, keep going to the bad guys therapy session and find a non-world-destroying solution to his problems. I suppose he could always explain to Felix that he deserve appreciation for his hard work. Alas, no. Ralph goes on and sow the seeds of chaos that put the story in motion. At the end Ralph has to make a choice between staying in Sugar land or returning to his own game. Despite the tone of that scene, I get the vibe that it wasn't so much a choice but a moral obligation. Could Ralph leave the denizens of his game displaced to pursue his own selfish happiness and a vain sense of self worth? Never. You've caused enough havoc to the universe in one day, Ralph, time to get back to work.
let's not forget Turbo. Turbo has an obsession with popularity (think Toy Story characters). He couldn't accept that his time is over and game-hopped, causing both his game and that other racing arcade to be shut down. He then post as King Candy, dethroning and erasing memories of Vanellope (who is the rightful monarch) for his own gain. his action caused vanellope to become a glitch, again creating disorder in the sugar land. Halfway through the movie he manipulates the fibre of the universe through cheat code(again, disrupting what is meant to be) to convince Ralph that Vanellope is the disorder in the universe. Short of this Ralph would have simply helped Vanellope win in the first place and discovered that she's not a glitch after all; allowing order to restore itself more quickly. Turbo later becomes zerg-turbo, assuming the role of the world-destroyer both literally and figuratively. I think this drives the message home.
Both Ralph and Turbo are agents of chaos (despite the fact that Turbo is a legit villain). By exercising free choice and abandoning their stations in the gaming world, they spread chaos and disorder and put others' lives and welfare on the line. This seem to me the real thing of the film: IF YOU LEAVE YOUR PLACE IN LIFE BY EXERCISING YOUR FACULTY OF SELF-DETERMINATION YOU ARE A SHIT STIRER AND YOU CAN POTENTIALLY DESTROY THE UNIVERSE. DO NOT DO THIS. I don't know if the studio meant for it to be this sinister.
I hope this makes for an interesting discussion.
