'Ratchet & Clank' Feels Like a Slightly Better Version of a Weekend Morning Cartoon

Ratchet & Clank is based on the video game series of the same name.  It centers on a critter-like alien named Ratchet (voiced by James Arnold Taylor), a talented but careless mechanic.  He later meets the adorably puny but brainy robot named Clank (David Kaye).  Together, they go on an unlikely adventure, joining forces with a team of space heroes called The Galactic Rangers, to stop the evil Chairman Drek (Paul Giamatti) and his accomplices, Victor Von Iron (Sylvester Stallone) and Doctor Nefarious (Armin Shimerman), from destroying planets in the Solana Galaxy.

I haven’t played the game.  Heck, I’m not even aware that such a game exists.  Hence, the movie fails to connect to me.  It likely has plenty of references that fans of the game will delight on, which I – as expected of someone with no background with the game – wasn’t able to appreciate.

It’s a passable animated film.  It’s harmless, simplistic in its plot, and cliché-heavy on its themes.  Young viewers will very likely enjoy by it, but it has few things that will impress older viewers – especially those unfamiliar with the game.

This movie was made for the obvious reason of promoting the new Ratchet & Clank game that was released this year.  And that’s what the movie felt like entirely: a feature-length advertisement.  That, or an episode from a weekend morning cartoon – only thrice longer and with slightly better animation.