Ratchet & Clank | |
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Directed by | Kevin Munroe |
Written by |
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Based on | Ratchet & Clank by Insomniac Games |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Anthony Di Ninno |
Edited by | Braden Oberson |
Music by | Evan Wise |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Focus Features (through Gramercy Pictures, United States) [2] Universal Pictures (Canada) [3] Cinema Management Group (international) [4] |
Release dates |
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Running time | 94 minutes [6] |
Countries | |
Language | English |
Budget | $20 million [8] |
Box office | $14.4 million [2] |
Ratchet & Clank is a 2016 animated science fiction comedy film produced by Rainmaker Entertainment and distributed by Gramercy Pictures. Based on Insomniac Games' video game series of the same name, the film was directed by Kevin Munroe and co-directed by Jericca Cleland. James Arnold Taylor and David Kaye reprise their roles as the titular characters from the video games, alongside Jim Ward and Armin Shimerman as their respective characters. The film also stars the voices of Paul Giamatti, John Goodman, Bella Thorne, Rosario Dawson, Vincent Tong, Andrew Cownden, and Sylvester Stallone.
The film features an original story, loosely based on the 2002 video game with additional elements from its follow-ups, written by Munroe, Gerry Swallow, and former Insomniac senior writer T.J. Fixman, who began writing for the series with the Ratchet & Clank Future saga. Alongside several cast members from the games, Insomniac contributed to the film's production with character development, screenplay, and animation assets. [9] [10]
Released in the United States on April 29, 2016, Ratchet & Clank received negative reviews and grossed $14 million worldwide on a $20 million budget. It was the first and only animated film from Gramercy Pictures, as the label was quietly dissolved shortly thereafter.
In the Solana Galaxy, Chairman Drek and his people, the Blarg, are systemically dismantling multiple planets to extract desirable material for the construction of an artificial planet, New Quartu. The Blarg need this new world as their home, Quartu, has been rendered uninhabitable by pollution. The destruction attracts the attention of the peacekeeping Galactic Rangers. At a factory that produces Drek's warbots on Quartu, a defective robot is produced due to a black-out, and flies to Kerwan to inform the Rangers of Drek's plan. After getting shot down, he encounters a young lombax spaceship mechanic named Ratchet on the planet Veldin. Ratchet names him Clank, and the two fly to Kerwan, where they save the Rangers from Drek's army of warbots. Their actions gain both Ratchet and Clank immense popularity, which pressures the commander of the Rangers, Captain Qwark, to name them honorary Rangers.
Qwark, jealous of Ratchet and Clank's acclaim, is approached by Drek to help him, an offer he accepts so long as Drek never harms the other Rangers. Drek has him disable the Rangers' weapons during an assault on his planet-destroying superweapon, the Deplanetizer. Drek's lieutenant, Victor Von Ion, boards the Rangers' flagship and attacks Clank, who manages to reduce him to a rusty wreck using a rainstorm-producing weapon. After Drek breaks apart the planet Novalis, his chief scientist, Doctor Nefarious (who orchestrated Qwark's betrayal), suddenly fires a sheep transforming gun at Drek, stuffs him in an escape pod and ejects him to New Quartu. He takes control of the Deplanetizer, intending to destroy the entire Solana Galaxy in revenge for Qwark's mistreatment of him when he was a Ranger. His plan is to destroy the planet Umbris, which has a highly unstable core that would annihilate all other planets in its vicinity.
The Rangers attack the Deplanetizer again, but Qwark intercepts and battles Ratchet and Clank. Ratchet pleads with Qwark to stop, causing Qwark to realize he has been used, and the three confront Nefarious. Nefarious fires the laser, but the Rangers move it off target from Umbris and towards New Quartu, killing Drek who has just crash-landed. Nefarious tries to disintegrate Qwark with his personal weapon, the RYNO (stands for "Rip You a New One"), but is stopped short by Ratchet, causing Nefarious himself to be seemingly disintegrated as he falls into the Deplanetizer's laser chamber. Ratchet, Clank, and Qwark manage to escape through a teleporter as the Deplanetizer falls towards Umbris, where it vaporizes in the atmosphere. With Nefarious thwarted, the Rangers return to Kerwan and Qwark is demoted to Private and ordered to apologize to the whole galaxy. Ratchet and Clank reunite on Veldin, with Ratchet promising to rejoin the Rangers if he is needed.
In a mid-credits scene, Nefarious is shown to be still be alive on Umbris, having his body forcibly converted into a robotic form to survive.
The film was produced at Rainmaker Entertainment's Vancouver, Canada studio and executive produced by president Michael Hefferon. Insomniac mentioned they were eager to produce a Ratchet & Clank film adaptation, remarking: [14]
One of the biggest questions we've gotten in the last few years is 'When are you going to make a Ratchet & Clank movie?' The truth is, we've wanted to do a movie for a long time! Ratchet & Clank's action, humor and galaxy-spanning adventures have really been the basis for a fantastic game series, and we think it would translate perfectly to the big screen.
The film was released theatrically in the United States via Gramercy Pictures on April 29, 2016, [5] while it was released internationally by Lionsgate and Cinema Management Group. Insomniac developed a "re-imagined" version of the original Ratchet & Clank game to tie in with the film, which was released on April 12 in North America. [15] [16]
The film was released by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment on Digital HD on August 2, 2016, and on Blu-ray and DVD on August 23, 2016. [17]
Ratchet & Clank grossed $8.8 million in North America and $5.6 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $14.4 million, against a production budget of $20 million. [2]
In the United States and Canada, pre-release tracking suggested the film would gross $8–10 million from 2,891 theaters in its opening weekend, trailing fellow newcomers Keanu ($10–14 million projection) and Mother's Day ($11 million projection). The film went on to gross just $4.9 million in its opening weekend, finishing below expectations and 7th at the box office. [18]
Following the domestic opening, Rainmaker announced an impairment charge on their $10 million investment in the film. Commenting on the movie's performance, Hefferon stated "We are obviously disappointed with the North American opening release results. The huge success of The Jungle Book , and continued strength of Zootopia , represented a loss of a large portion of the family market. Although support from the Ratchet & Clank fan base has been positive, the turnout for the film was not sufficient to overcome the highly competitive market place for the opening weekend of the film." [19] In its second weekend, the film grossed just $1.5 million (a drop of 70%), finishing 9th at the box office. [20] Rainmaker lost around $5 million on the film, which made $15 million. [21]
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a rating of 21% based on 80 reviews and an average rating of 4.20/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Ratchet & Clank may satisfy very young viewers, but compared to the many superior options available to families and animation enthusiasts, it offers little to truly recommend." [22] On Metacritic the film has a score of 29 out of 100 based on 19 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [23] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale. [24]
Bill Zwecker of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 2 out of 4 stars, saying, "I kept getting a sense we've all been here before—both in animated and live-action presentations." [25] IGN gave the film a 6/10, saying, "Ratchet & Clank is not a bad movie by any means, especially when compared to some of the downright-terrible video game adaptations of the past two decades. But given the humor, action and sense of adventure of the games, the movie is ultimately a competent, shallow, disappointing take on the adventures of the plucky Lombax and his robot buddy. My advice is to stick to the stellar PlayStation 4 game." [26] GameSpot gave the film a mixed review, saying, "Ratchet & Clank pulls us across the universe at a breakneck pace, but it never seems to take us anywhere. The series may have found success in video games, but in the meantime, it's merely stumbled into film." [27]
In February 2021, an animated short Ratchet & Clank: Life of Pie, was released on Crave TV in Canada. The short was produced by Mainframe Studios in co-operation with PlayStation Originals. James Arnold Taylor, David Kaye, Jim Ward, Armin Shimerman and Andrew Cownden returned to reprise their roles of Ratchet, Clank, Captain Qwark, Doctor Nefarious and Zed respectively. The short marks Jim Ward's final performance as Qwark, following his retirement from the role due to having been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
Armin Shimerman is an American actor known for his role as Quark in the Star Trek franchise, appearing as the character in all seven seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999). He also had a recurring role as Principal Snyder in the first three seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–1999), and voiced General Skarr and other characters in the animated series The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (2001–2007), Doctor Nefarious in the Ratchet & Clank video game series, and Andrew Ryan in the BioShock video game series.
Mainframe Studios is a Canadian animation company owned by Wow Unlimited Media and based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Founded in 1993 as Mainframe Entertainment Inc. by Christopher Brough, Ian Pearson, Phil Mitchell, Gavin Blair and John Grace, the company established itself as a leading contributor to the introduction of computer-generated imagery (CGI) live action in animation, film and television.
Insomniac Games, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Burbank, California and part of PlayStation Studios. It was founded in 1994 by Ted Price as Xtreme Software, and was renamed Insomniac Games a year later. The company is most known for developing several early PlayStation mascots, Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet and Clank, as well as the Resistance franchise, 2014's Sunset Overdrive and the Marvel's Spider-Man series with Marvel Games. In 2019, the studio was acquired by Sony Interactive Entertainment, becoming a part of SIE Worldwide Studios.
Ratchet & Clank 2: Going Commando, known as Ratchet & Clank 2: Locked and Loaded in Australia and most PAL countries, is a 2003 third-person shooter platform video game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It is the second game in the Ratchet & Clank franchise, following Ratchet & Clank. David Kaye reprises his role as Clank while James Arnold Taylor replaces Mikey Kelley as Ratchet.
Ratchet & Clank is a third-person shooter platform video game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2 in 2002. It is the first game in the Ratchet & Clank series.
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal is a 2004 third-person shooter platform video game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It is the third installment in the Ratchet & Clank series and was released in North America on November 2, 2004.
Ratchet and Clank are the protagonists of the Ratchet & Clank video game series developed by Insomniac Games, starting with the 2002 Ratchet & Clank. Ratchet is an anthropomorphic alien creature known as a Lombax, while Clank is an escaped robot who soon teams up with him.
Ratchet: Deadlocked is a 2005 third-person shooter platformer, developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2 as the fourth installment of the Ratchet & Clank series.
Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters is a 2007 platform game developed by High Impact Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. A spin-off of the Ratchet & Clank series, it is its first title for the PlayStation Portable. Development company High Impact Games was spawned from the original Ratchet & Clank developer, Insomniac Games. The story follows Ratchet and Clank as they are interrupted from their vacation to search for a kidnapped girl and encounter a forgotten race known as the Technomites.
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction is a 2007 action-adventure platform game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the fifth main installment of the Ratchet & Clank series, following the spin-off Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters. The game was released on October 23, 2007 in North America and on November 9, 2007 in Europe. It is the first PlayStation 3 installment of the series, as well as the first of the Future saga. It was also one of the first PlayStation 3 games to support DualShock 3 rumble without any accessories.
Ratchet & Clank is a series of action-adventure platform and third-person shooter video games created and developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation consoles, such as PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5, with the exception of Size Matters and Secret Agent Clank, both of which were developed by High Impact Games for the PlayStation Portable. The series was exclusive to Sony platforms until Rift Apart received a Windows port in 2023. An animated feature film adaptation was released in 2016.
Secret Agent Clank is a 2008 platform game developed by High Impact Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is the second game in the Ratchet & Clank series released for the PlayStation Portable, and the sixth in the Ratchet & Clank series released for the PlayStation 2.
Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty is a platform game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3 via PlayStation Network in August 2008. The game is the sixth main installment in the Ratchet & Clank series and the second installment of its Future saga. The game is a direct sequel to Tools of Destruction, and follows Ratchet's quest to save Clank, who has been taken by the Zoni.
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time is a 2009 platform game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the seventh main installment in the Ratchet & Clank series and the third in its Future saga. The game was released for the PlayStation 3 in North America on October 27, 2009, in Australia on November 5, 2009 and in Europe on November 6, 2009.
Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One is a platform video game for the PlayStation 3 developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment in October 2011. It is the third spin-off from the Ratchet & Clank series.
Ratchet & Clank Collection is a high-definition remastered collection. It includes the original three PlayStation 2 games: the first game, Going Commando/Locked and Loaded, and Up Your Arsenal, all at 720p in 60 frames per second, and includes stereoscopic 3D support at 30 frames per second. It also includes the multiplayer of Up Your Arsenal over the PlayStation Network, but the servers have since been shut down. It includes a trophy set for each game. All of the games in this collection have been re-rated E10+ by the ESRB; they were originally rated T since the E10+ rating did not exist at the time these games were released on the PlayStation 2.
Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault is a 2012 platform game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. Part of the Ratchet & Clank series, it was produced in commemoration of the original game's 10th anniversary. Like the previous downloadable game in the series, Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty, it was released on Blu-ray Disc as well as the PlayStation Store. The release of the PlayStation Vita version was delayed to May 21, 2013, when it became available for free with the PlayStation 3 version.
Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus is a 2013 third-person shooter platform game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3 in November 2013. The game is the eighth main installment in the Ratchet & Clank series and the fourth and final installment of its Future saga. The series is noted for the inclusion of exotic and unique locations and over-the-top gadgets, elements of the traditional Ratchet & Clank experience that return in this game.
Ratchet & Clank is a 2016 third-person shooter platform video game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. It is a tie-in to the 2016 film of the same name, as well as a remake of the first game in the series. The game was originally planned to be released in 2015, but was delayed, along with the film, to April 2016 in order to give the film a better marketing campaign and the game additional polish time.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a 2021 third-person shooter platform game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The sequel to Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus (2013) and the ninth main installment in the Ratchet & Clank series, it was released for the PlayStation 5 on June 11, 2021. A Windows port, developed by Nixxes Software, was released on July 26, 2023. The game received positive reviews from critics, with particular praise given to its visuals, combat, and technical advancements, and had sold over 3.97 million units by June 2023.