I saw Ratchet and Clank in theaters recently. There was a lack of Clank. He was there in the beginning of the movie, when he was rescued by and worked together with Ratchet, and at the end of the movie, when he decided to be buddies with Ratchet, but he seemed to disappear into the background for the middle of it. He was either riding on Ratchet’s back or following Elaris around. He didn’t seem to do anything or interact with Ratchet that much. Everything he could do (tactical?) Elaris could do and indeed did, making him fairly useless. The part of the movie where Ratchet and Clank would have the most opportunity to work together, when they’re carrying out their final plan to take down Doctor Nefarious, was cut out. Despite hardly ever interacting, Ratchet and Clank are suddenly best buddies at the end of the movie.
I’ve never played the games before, and perhaps Ratchet and Clank’s relationship and how they complement one another comes out better in the games, but in the movie at least, I wasn’t feeling the buddy vibe. It felt more like “Ratchet” and less like “Ratchet and Clank.”