I was invited to see an advance screening of the film Ratchet & Clank. I asked how many tickets I could get away with asking for and wound up being able to take three of my kids – August (12), Dela (10) and Ciaran (8). August in particular was anxious to see the film and has been looking forward to it for some time. Dela and Ciaran weren’t fans of the games and barely knew anything about the movie.
How is the movie? Is it worth plunking down the money to go see it on the big screen?
Loosely based on the original Ratchet & Clank PlayStation 2 game, the film Ratchet & Clank serves as a sort of origin story for the duo. We see Ratchet, an orphaned last of his kind creature, found and raised as a mechanic by Razz, voiced by John Goodman. While Ratchet has a natural talent for mechanics, his youth and enthusiasm and penchant for “going big” gets him into trouble.
When a massive threat is revealed the Galactic Rangers put out a call for somebody to join them. Ratchet thinks this might be what he is supposed to do with his life, and tries out for the team. Along the way Ratchet meets up with Clank, a robot that is more of a defect as initially constructed. That galactic threat involves an army of robots and a mistake in the manufacturing process produced a small robot with more self-awareness than the would-be overlords intend.
Other voice actors include Paul Giamatti, Sylvester Stallone, and Rosario Dawson. Recreating their roles from the video game franchise are James Arnold Taylor as Ratchet, David Kaye as Clank, Jim Ward as Glactic Ranger Captain Qwark and Armin Shimerman as Doctor Nefarious.
Do not look to have the plot of the original game recreated here,, though many of the same story beats are present. What we get is a solid story that breezes by its 90 minutes of run time with enough humor to make both fans and non-fans of the franchise leave the theater with a smile on their face.
And the first minute or so could be a perfect in-theater announcement for people to turn off their cell phones.
Ultimately the film is about friendship and finding yourself, whether you are a robot, an orphaned last of your kind cat-like creature, or a narcissistic galactic hero. Of course it is left open for a sequel and I would welcome one.
I liked the movie, and while I don’t see myself putting it in my top 10 at the end of the year, I can certainly envision picking this up on Blu-ray when it becomes available. Why? My kids liked it. They enjoyed seeing it in the movie theater. Even Ciaran, who doesn’t like movie theaters, which is high praise. My 12 year old video game fanatic enjoyed the film. So my recommendation is yes, you should go see it in theaters, especially if you are a fan of the games. It is different, but you won’t be disappointed. And thankfully you don’t need any knowledge of the games to enjoy the movie Ratchet & Clank.