Ron's Gone Wrong Review Roundup

I must say, the marketing departments over at Twentieth Century Studios and Locksmith Animation must have been all working from home as they hardly drummed up any hype for their new animated film Ron's Gone Home.Of course, hype doesn't automatically makes a film great, but when you have the shiniest gem, surely you would blind everyone with it? Well the reviews are in, lets find out if this is a shiny gem or a lump of coal. Here's the review roundup:

THE WRAP
'The animation, for its part, doesn’t move the needle forward. It’s bright, lively, and yes, the b-bots are adorable. After watching the film, every child will likely want their own Ron, which just proves how poorly conceived the message is. It’s a complicated journey for the Disney-owned 20th Century Studios, to sell a film about the dangers of social media and hyperconnectivity while also hoping the character becomes a must-have toy for kids. That complicated relationship ultimately dulls the entire movie.'

For the full review please visit here.

VARIETY
'Still, it’s a shame that the mile-a-minute plot of “Ron’s Gone Wrong” isn’t more focused. Smith and Baynham (who collaborated on two earlier Aardman features, “Arthur Christmas” and “The Pirates! Band of Misfits”) would have done well to slow things down and spend more time exploring Barney and Ron’s offbeat dynamic, rather than obsessing over what Bubble thinks of the aberration.'

For the full review please visit here.

THE GUARDIAN 
'The film is ultimately faced with a dilemma – should Ron finally “go home” in the ET sense, having done his job by teaching Barney and all his basically good-hearted friends to do without these expensive, soulless toys? Or should all the mean-girl and mean-boy B-Bots be reprogrammed to be like nice, lovable Ron? (But wait: wasn’t the whole point that real friendship has nothing to do with narcissistic tech gadgetry?) Well, the movie never quite settles that question, although Baynham and Smith would be entitled to point out that digital tech and social media are here to stay and a movie that earnestly rejected them on young people’s behalf wouldn’t be realistic.'

For the full review please visit here.

WASHINGTON POST
'The tale loses some steam in the final act. We know that Barney will inevitably make a human friend, but how much will he have to depend on the device to help him? (Needless to say, the film’s cautionary message is lost somewhat when you consider that you can actually buy your own interactive night-light version of Ron online — or a non-fully-functional toy version with your next Happy Meal.)'

For the full review please visit here.

THE GLOBE & MAIL
'Can technology help you make friends versus trying to make friends IRL? The film doesn’t attempt to give us the answer. By now, many of us – hopefully – understand that while we can’t totally escape our devices, we need to regularly look up from our screens and interact with the humans in our lives. For now, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for schools to remain open, and children interacting with each other versus meeting each other in Zoom rooms.'

For the full review please visit here.

IGN (VIDEO REVIEW)

In the end, the film amassed a critical score of 87% from 39 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. A score that honestly surprised me as I wasn't wowed by the initial trailers. But hey, we all love a good 'sleeper hit' every now and again. 

“Ron’s Gone Wrong” opens in US theaters Oct. 22.

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