If there’s ever been a movie that’s just for fans, Ratchet and Clank is that movie. It was the epitome of not good but not bad and with the ticket prices at ten dollars minimum, a movie goer deserves better. I don’t know what I expected. I really don’t. I wanted this movie to be great. I wanted this to be a movie that everyone could enjoy but in the end it was clear, this is just for fans and even then maybe just worth a home viewing. Here’s my review.
This needed to be coupled with a game. It would have been fantastic. What Sony should have done is released it on the Playstation store and then released a special edition of the newest Ratchet and Clank game with a code to download it. OR just packaged it with their game. OR make it a Netflix release. I did enjoy seeing it on the big screen but it didn’t need to be there. My overall recommendation is going to be based on the final score as well as the fact that it’s a theatrical release. I really wanted to like it because I love the games, but therein lies the problem. I wasn’t playing anything. I wasn’t as invested as I usually was with the characters and I didn’t realize what a big deal that would be. Ratchet and Clank never really felt like a true movie. It felt like a collection of cut scenes that made me itch for a controller in my hand. If any of you played the .hack// (dot hack) games then you’ll remember that with each one there was an OVA that accompanied them called .hack//Liminality. It was a four episode show that went along with the games. That would have been the best way to release this movie.
Ratchet and Clank was fun but at the end of it all it was just okay. It was a good story although a tad cliche. One of the characters got more depth than they normally do, which was quite nice, but it still wasn’t enough. It was really fun seeing so many back stories including Dr. Nefarious, who I didn’t even recognize when they introduced him. It was also a lot of fun seeing how they explained the ability to switch between guns in an instant, When I play games like that I don’t really sit and ponder how a character can go through their entire arsenal in a heartbeat and pick the best weapon but lucky for me, the writers knew how to explain it. But who knows. Maybe they mentioned it in the games before but I just forgot. Either way, it was nice seeing aspects of the game played out in a film.
The voice acting was good but the billing pissed me off. If any of you read my review of The Jungle Book (thanks, by the way, if you have) then you’ll already know that I simultaneously have a problem with how the actors were billed AND understand why it was done that way. James Arnold Taylor (Ratchet) and David Kaye (Clank) had their names at the very end of the list on the poster even though they’re the main characters. Paul Giamatti (Sideways), John Goodman (The Big Lebowski), and Rosario Dawson (Daredevil) all got their names plastered all over this project. Its easy to see why. They’re household names. Only nerds like us would know who Taylor and Kaye are and not even every nerd would know. But it just doesn’t sit right with me even if I do understand why it was done.
The visuals were fantastic. I didn’t see it in 3D because there were no showings in my area that fit my schedule, but I really wish I could have. Even seeing it in 2D was impressive. This is the only real reason that seeing it in a theater payed off. The big screen is always a beautiful sight. If the movie had more substance then I’d be raving about it. I wish I could play the games on a screen of theater quality. The worlds were beautiful and while there wasn’t fantastic detail, there was enough that it didn’t feel like the animators phoned it in. The colors were nice and vibrant when the scene called for it and dank and dark when it needed to be. The visuals are what kept my final score from sinking lower than it did.
Here are my final thoughts. If you’re a fan of the series or if you think Ratchet and Clank looks interesting enough to warrant a trip to the theater, then sure, go see it. I’d still catch a matinee or recommend waiting if your local theater has special offers once a movie has been out a while. If you weren’t a fan of the games or are on the fence about the movie, then don’t see it. Catch it when it comes to a streaming service near you or wait for Black Friday/Cyber Monday and pick it up cheap if it goes on sale. This could have been a really good movie that just fell short in too many areas.
Ratchet and Clank gets a 5 out of 11