It seems Saturday morning cartoons are a thing of the past. But “Ratchet & Clank” surely had the spirit and overall energy that a fun morning cartoon had, and it also serves as one of the most accurate video game adaptation yet to grace our big screens.
Ratchet (voice of James Arnold Taylor) has always had his heart set on becoming a galactic ranger, just like his hero, Captain Qwark (voice of Jim Ward). But for the time being, he’s a mechanic with big dreams. Given the chance of a lifetime to possibly be a part of the dream team, he is disheartened when the rangers are looking to expand their numbers and he is laughed out of the interview.
Elsewhere, the villainous Drek (voice of Paul Giamatti) and the brains behind the entire operation, Dr. Nefarious (voice of Armin Shimerman) are busy blowing up planets and using their stay pieces to form one perfect planet. While creating more robots to help them in their devious plan, a defect robot is made by accident. Escaping before being thrown out, Clank (voice of David Kaye) ends up on Ratchet’s home planet and the two of them form an unlikely alliance and friendship, joining forces with the galactic rangers to take down Dr. Nefarious and restore order.
There’s something so inherently pure about “Ratchet & Clank.” It doesn’t go out of its way to be something it’s not. It’s a story of a hero and an underdog all at once and is even genuine in its humor, while at the same time being entertaining in its simplicity. The animation is pretty good here, the plot relatively easy to follow and lead characters you can root for to win. The villain is not thoroughly three-dimensional, but both of them (Drek and Nefarious) are still very much fun and characters you can love to hate.
The animation also boasts a great quote: “You don’t have to do big things to be a hero, just the right ones.” The film is what it sets itself up to be, which is a cute and fun adventurous outing. Does it aim to be deeper than it is? Is it an instant classic? No. But it doesn’t have to be in this case to be decently entertaining and enjoyable for those who have played the original game and those who haven’t. And if you’re nostalgic for a Saturday morning cartoon kind of feel, then “Ratchet & Clank” is worth checking out.
The film is what it sets itself up to be, which is a cute and fun adventurous outing. And if you're nostalgic for a Saturday morning cartoon kind of feel, then "Ratchet & Clank" is worth checking out.
