98 Minutes
Directed By: Andrew Stanton
Written By: Andrew Stanton and Pete Doctor
Staring: Ben Burt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, John Ratzenburger, Sigourney Weaver, and Kathy Najimy
I don’t want to survive, I want to live! -Captain
Review:
Pixar just can’t seem to make a bad movie. Even it’s sub-par films are considerably better than what most other films toss out and call a movie. Pixar somehow taps into what I call movie magic. Perhaps it’s the animation, or maybe it’s their inert ability to tap into the child in all of us adults so disillusioned by the real world. I still haven’t figured out quite how they do it, but they bring us back to the days when our imaginations were everything, and movies were magical.
Wall-E revels in what is great about movies, but more so what is great about Pixar. The sweetness in Pixar character’s seems to be personified as Wall-E, a robot left alone on earth to pick up the trash, from what looks like was our own self destruction. In the first twenty minutes or so no real words are spoken and no other characters introduced, save the lone cockroach. Nothing but a hypnotic score is played and Wall-E’s day to day activities. This may sound tedious, but it’s quite the opposite. Again, the original conception and ideal of Earth’s aftermath is something quite unlike any other post-destruction earth created. The skyscrapers of trash created by Wall-E show the desire for the way things were, but have a distinct melancholy feel as our world is quite literally covered in trash.Wall-E’s alone time, the moments when he watches the old movies remind us of better times, but also are clear indications of Wall-E’s loneliness. By the time Eve arrives, a vibrant robot sprung from some giant flying machine, you feel just as desperate as Wall-E for that connection and suddenly to first solitary moments seem to make sense. It’s unclear what Eve’s mission on Earth is, but she is interested not only in Wall-E, but all the goodies he has. When a sudden shift in the plot takes the story somewhere quite more magnanimous, a bigger theme is tossed in for the adults and older audience while the kids have even more cool things watch.
Some of the greatest characters of 2008 with barely any dialogue. Amazing.
I find a huge relief in being able to sit down and watch a movie that both my three and five year old love to death, and is just as stimulating to me. This movie was stellar in every aspect. There were characters to love and hate, a plot that actually had brains behind it, comedy, was visually awesome, and had pacing that was just perfection. It is quite clear to me that Pixar can do no wrong. This was one of the best movies in 2008 by a long shot, and one to go out and buy without thinking twice. It’s a pleasure to go back a be a kid for a few hours.
Popularity: 2% [?]
My favorite Pixar movie. Thankfully Pixar has been so obcenely sucessful they could make this movie, which destroys the traditional storytelling formula, especially for children. More conservative thinkers wouldn’t greenlight a movie with the first 20 minutes of Wall-E, or some the very heavy themes that dominate the movie. This massive success allowed them to take the same risks with UP!, which is my second favorite Pixar film.
WHY NOT FOUR STARS? SHAME ON YOU MOVIE MOBSTERS!
Toy Story 2 is my favorite Pixar film but this is for sure my second favorite. From your review there was an obvious love for the film so I’m curious as well, why not FOUR stars?
UP is a great movie and my favorite Pixar with this being my second fave!
Sorry Philly and Junkie, you can’t please all the people all the time.
That extra half star for me wasn’t anything substantial. On four star movies I enjoy the good and if there is bad even the bad and wouldn’t change anything about them. With WALL-E I felt it was almost perfect “as is”, but it wasn’t perfect, just almost.
It’s also not a movie I can visualize watching over and over and over again like the Toy Stories (which are my favs-though I have yet to have seen “Up”) .
If anyone had told me that a movie beginning with 45 minutes of no talking and a wide-eyed robot would turn out to be THE love story of 2008, I’d have called them a liar and not thought twice. Man, was I a doof. “WALL-E” turned out to be one of the most visually stunning, emotionally touching films I’ve seen in a long, long time. I’m not ashamed to say the possibility of WALL-E and EVE separated forever made me weep openly. Though I didn’t love the second half quite as much as the first, it was still a beautiful, beautiful movie.
I might be the contrasting opinion about this movie. I heard the praise about the film last summer. Seeing the movie on DVD, I was impressed with the first 45 minutes of the film. It was fantastic, but the next forty minutes was disappointing to me.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say the second half was disappointing, but after the beginning the second half was far less beautiful, original, and character driven. It was a From Dusk Till Dawn for me. Two different films with the same characters.
Valid point Branden.
I love Wall-E! I wanna squeeze the little bugger till he explodes! I actually ended up seeing this twice in the theaters with the kids and they sat through the whole thing twice. The only problem I had with it was it seemed a bit too long, makes it hard to watch over and over again. If people are liking Up more than this then I really need to see Up!
I thought this movie sucked. As an artist, I can appreciate the art and animation and of course you’d be a fool to argue that Pixar is the best in the business when it comes to that aspect. But I was bored to tears on this film and I really had no interest in watching an akward robot exploring life. This movie and Cars really sucked. But I love the rest of their catalogue. But judging by all the praises and awards this movies gotten I guess I am alone in this lol.
*Ouch*
Really Cello? I thought WALL-E was perfection. The second half wasn’t as amazing for me, but was still a solid movie.
I agree with you about Cars though. Probably the only Pixar film that I flat out just don’t like, however my kids dig it BIG TIME.
Amazing film. Both the best animation and the best Sci-Fi in years. Definitely deserves 4 stars. Anyone who calls the movie “boring” or doesn’t like it is clearly a soulless loser who there is no hope for. Only those without hearts will not love WALL-E.