Ratchet & Clank is an animated film based on a popular PlayStation video game series about a group of space defenders called the Galactic Rangers who are set on protecting the universe from the appropriately titled Doctor Nefarius (voiced by Armin Shimerman) who is keen on destroying everything around him. When the film begins we meet Ratchet (James Arnold Taylor), a Lombax (they’re like space bunnies, not to be confused with Star Fox-es) mechanic who dreams of being like his heroes, the Galactic Rangers. His opportunity comes when he meets Clank (David Kaye) an escaped robot who might have some useful information on how to stop Nefarius wannabe Chairman Drek (who else but Paul Giamatti) who has figured out he needs to destroy a galaxy in order to create a planet of his own.
If there are many elements in the plot that seem to have been extracted from Star Wars (or A New Hope) it might be purposely so, as the film is keen on pleasing both fans of the games, and people who just happen to buy a ticket on a whim. But in trying to be so general and wide in its appeal, one can’t help but find it rather unfulfilling. As someone who has never played the game, this reviewer found the plot too by-the-numbers, and incredibly easy to predict. The voice performers are wonderful, surprisingly it’s Kaye and Taylor who sound the most comfortable in the “skin” of their characters (they voice them on the video game as well) and they steal the movie from more famous actors like Bella Thorne, Rosario Dawson and Sylvester Stallone.
Given that it’s an origin story, one can’t help but wonder whether seasoned fans of the game will feel betrayed that the action isn’t in media res, or if they will just be too overcome with the joy of seeing their favorite characters on the big screen that they will forgive them for their shortcomings. For the most part Ratchet & Clank is satisfying, there is nothing offensive about it, the story is simple but well told, and the animation is pleasing without being distractingly flashy. But in the larger universe of reboots and origin stories it feels too much like a pastiche in order to prove memorable.
