Ratchet and Clank is the new movie based on the remake of the first Ratchet and Clank video game. This is a game series whose only version I’ve played is the new remake and I felt its story beats kind of lame and desperately failing in its attempt to be funny. But it had a pretty cool game in between its story sequences. This movie is that story without the fun parts, rushing its way through a pedestrian sci-fi adventure movie with all the same mediocre attempts at humor.
Ratchet (a cat-like alien) and Clank (his irrelevant and little-used robot sidekick) are new space rangers fighting the forces of an evil corporate boss and his mad scientist associate. Can these two (or, really, can this one guy and this irrelevant robot) cat-up and fight the evil forces and their attempts to blow up planets with their Death Star? Can this generic story rise above its generic pulp storyline? It doesn’t really matter if the characters, storytelling, humor, and action were any good – but it isn’t so the whole movie is just a dull, pedestrian slog.
Ironically, I think having played the new game this was based on made this movie worse. At least if I was ignorant of the story, it wouldn’t have felt like it was aggressively rushing through the story. There are a number of sequences right from the game (while playing the game, you can tell these when the PS4 tells you that it has disabled recording) and it made the movie feel like the weirdest deja vu ever. I do give it this credit: this was one of the most accurate filmed representation of a video game.
This movie is a Playstation-produced film (along with a startlingly long list of at least 8 other production companies) but, given how much free time I had being bored and unamused, I had plenty of time to think about how much I’d rather be watching a Last of Us movie. Or, hell, even Uncharted which, hey, it’d be Raiders of the Lost Ark, but at least maybe it’d have been a better movie if the cut scenes and writing in the game has any say.
Skip this movie… if it was even your radar in the first place. If you have a PS4, play the game. It’s much better even with its largely mediocre cut scenes… at least it’s exciting and the gameplay itself generates more comedy than this film. Mr. Zirkon and the Groovitron, I’m looking at you.
Score: 58