When it comes to platform adventure games, few titles have enjoyed such widespread success as Insomniac Games' Ratchet & Clank.
Since its debut for the PlayStation 2 back in 2002, the game has gained quite a cult following among hardcore gamers, courtesy of its relatable characters and engaging story. Its massive popularity has even led to the creation of its own movie spinoff, set to hit theaters this Friday, April 29.
Before you head on over to the box office, you might want to check out what film critics are saying about this latest animated film.
IGN
Marty Sliva of IGN described Ratchet & Clank as a charming and inoffensive adaptation of the popular video game series.
He said that the film pretty much follows the same story as its PlayStation 4 counterpart, with certain events in the big screen version shedding light on gaps and motivations in the video game and vice versa.
While it would be ideal to watch the film and play the video game in order to get the full story, Sliva pointed out that people who may not want to play the PS4 game would still be able to understand the plot of the Ratchet & Clank movie.
However, the film adaptation still suffers from inexplicable story transitions and massive leaps in logic, which according to Sliva, left him scratching his head as to why certain specific events were happening on screen.
Sliva praised the film for the solid voice acting by its cast, particularly James Arnold Taylor (Ratchet) and David Kaye (Clank). Guest stars Rosario Dawson and John Goodman also turned in a good performance.
Ultimately, Sliva said that Ratchet & Clank was a big letdown compared to its video game counterpart. He said that many of the film's themes, jokes and scenarios rarely contained any of the same depth that helped make the game series such a huge hit for 15 years.
"I could totally see a younger audience laughing at some of the base gags, but especially compared to recent animated gems like Zootopia, Ratchet is completely devoid of mature themes or any real message," Sliva said.
The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter's Leslie Felperin was also unimpressed with Ratchet & Clank's lack of depth, especially when it comes to its jokes.
She said that while the movie was faithful enough to its source material to appease many of the video game's hardcore fans, it represents "a resolutely middling effort" when set against other animated features on the market.
Compared to film adaptations of other popular video game series, such as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Mortal Kombat and even Super Mario Bros., Ratchet & Clank appears to be the less solid one of the group, Felperin pointed out.
"The pic was never destined to rack up much theatrically," said Felperin. "That doesn't matter, because clearly the main point of the whole exercise is brand dissemination and building a new audience for the games."
Gamespot
Gamespot's Mike Mahardy said that Ratchet & Clank had the promise of taking moviegoers on an adventure across the universe in a far-reaching epic. Many of the film's scenes had top-notch animation and beautiful establishing shots of exotic locales.
However, he said that the film was too formulaic at times and suffered from repetition and hackneyed storytelling, which erased much of its charm. Some of the sequences were also too short, barely giving characters enough time to develop along with the story.
"We see a new planet. We board an orbiting spaceship. We learn the bad guys' plan, cut to another planet, and hear the good guys' plan. From there, the sequence repeats," Mahardy said.
Overall, Mahardy found the story of Ratchet & Clank unentertaining. He said that the film's script seemed more like a first draft rather than a final product. Despite having a good story structure, it didn't have enough substance.
