Wall-E Movie Review

So the plan was to go see Kung Fu Panda as everyone has been telling me how great it was. I get to the theater and the showing I was planning on seeing was sold out. And it’s been out for three weeks? I was stunned. As I held up the line trying to decide on waiting an hour for the next showing or going home, the nice cashier guy suggested that maybe I’d like to go see Wall-E instead. Well it was Sunday and I was bored so I figured why not? Boy am I glad he made that suggestion.

Summary:
Wall-E is the story of Wall-E (obviously). He’s a small little robot who bears more than a passing resemblance to E.T. or Johnny 5 of Short Circuit fame. From what we can gather, he’s been basically alone on Earth for several hundred years. Turns out that the planet was overly commercialized by Buy N’ Large, a Wal-Mart type corporation that seemed to own just about everything. Somewhere down the line, consumption just got totally out of control to the point where there was so much garbage that BNL decided to ship humans off in spaceships while they created robots to clean up the mess.

Enter our unassuming hero as what appears to be the final, functioning Wall-E (Waste Allocation Lift Loader - Earth Class) left. He still goes about his job diligently with his only friend being a rather spunky cockroach who is basically the dog from I Am Legend. All these years of desolation seems to have done something to Wall-E. While he still performs his duties without fail, he’s also developed a bit of a quirk as he enjoys finding certain pieces of trash that catches his eye and collects them for himself. He also seems to have taken a liking to musicals as he frequently watches an old tape of Hello Dolly as well as listening to recordings of the songs while out doing his job. But it’s by watching these tapes that he realizes something. He’s alone. And while his job and his little “pet” is nice, all he really wants is a companion.

Of course, his wish is granted as one day a giant spaceship shows up and delivers a strange package. Another robot by the name of EVE. She’s modern, sleek, and sexy compared to Wall-E’s humble appearance but despite their obvious differences, Wall-E’s determined to make friends with this new visitor. His attempts don’t go quite as planned as EVE proves to be more dangerous that appearances would allow, but he slowly but surely makes progress.

He eventually gets her back to his place (smooth moves, pal) and shows EVE his treasures. After a few clumsy attempts at dancing, something really catches EVE’s eye and a sudden visit eventually turns into an adventure as Wall-E eventually ends up leaving the desolate landscape of Earth for the reaches of space and the search for a friend turns into a struggle for the future of the planet.

Thoughts:
I’ve seen a lot of talk about Wall-E since it came out. Many people proclaim it’s Oscar caliber and deserves a place in the big show for the biggest prize of Best Picture, a spot not seen for an animated feature since Beauty and the Beast. Others claim that while the movie is visually stunning, the film is overly preachy and incredibly heavy-handed with its message as the liberal Hollywood elite once again tries to force-feed their agenda to an unsuspecting viewing audience.

I won’t take either side of that debate. Because the heart of this movie belongs with Wall-E. There hasn’t been a more lovable character on the movie screen in who knows how long. And while there is a message to be learned with the movie (and an obvious one at that), that’s all secondary to Wall-E and hopefully for the viewer as well. Wall-E wants one thing and one thing only. A friend. And he’ll do anything it takes to prove that to her, even if it means traveling to the stars themselves.

For me, any flaws about the overbearing message or lack of a long, involved story is washed away as the little robot that could earnestly makes his way through the film and slowly changes the lives of everything and everyone he meets. An amazing feat for an overgrown trash compactor who can’t even really talk. It’s simply incredible the amount of emotion that little Wall-E and eventually his co-star EVE can convey on the screen. They’ll make you laugh, gasp, cheer, and cry by the end of the film.

With all the loud summer blockbusters, overly kinetic anime, and deep, convoluted video games out there, the things that Pixar has managed to do with a “block” and an “egg” are nothing short of miraculous as they come off as more “human” than most anything I’ve seen in a long time. You want to see a comedy, romance, or sci-fi epic this summer? Do yourself a favor and check out Wall-E. If not for me, for the little guy himself. He deserves it.

BONUS: If you go check out Wall-E, do yourself another favor and make sure you get there on time. Pixar has a habit of showing short cartoons before their main features and Wall-E is no exception. The name of this one is “Presto” and features a magician, his magic hat, and a white rabbit that wants nothing more than a carrot. It’s HILARIOUS and makes me long for the days of the old Tex Avery cartoons that we so easily neglect these days. Don’t miss a second of it.