Based upon the game on PlayStation consoles,
Ratchet &Clank retells the origin story. The plot is similar to the original game on
the PS2 but with some changes, including the introduction of an additional
villain. The games have always been
praised for their wacky humour and at its best, this movie replicates it really
well. The references to the games are
nice, from the different weapons to the PlayStation 2 boot up sound to the
references to other PS2 platformers. However, somehow they managed to make a very
bland story that fails to capture your attention. There are too many scenes where there’s not
enough humour to keep it going and the plot is too clichéd and paper thin to
boot. Even in gun fights the movie fails
to entertain, with Ratchet only using each weapon briefly and making it hard
for viewers who haven’t played the games to make sense of what each weapon does.
The plot centers on Chairman Drek who is
out destroying planets to build his own perfect one for his people. Along the way Ratchet joins Captain Quark to
save the galaxy and teams up with his partner Clank. Sadly, the chemistry and dynamic between
Ratchet and Clank isn’t fleshed out at all and fails to capture their essence
as a team built from trust. You don’t
feel that Ratchet and Clank are a good team at all. The animation is top notch and the usage of
the same voice actors as the games is fantastic. Overall, the movie just doesn’t manage to keep
the same wacky atmosphere and tone enough to carry the full 1.5 hours.
