"WALL-E" is sort of like the cinematic equivalent of having a child for the first time. You feel wonderful, gifted, blessed and reborn to a world where love and companionship are the two most important things one could ever have.
WALL-E (2008)
Directors: Andrew Stanton
Producers: John Lasseter .... executive producer
Writers: Andrew Stanton (screenplay) and Jim Capobianco (titles)
Features: Rated G. Running Time: 103 Min. In theaters: June 27, 2008
Characters:
Ben Burtt ... WALL•E / M-O (voice)
Elissa Knight ... Eve (voice)
Jeff Garlin ... Captain (voice)
Fred Willard ... Shelby Forthright, BnL CEO
John Ratzenberger ... John (voice)
Kathy Najimy ... Mary (voice)
Sigourney Weaver ... Ship's Computer (voice)
Genre: Computer Animation
Review:
WALL-E
Every so often a film comes along that makes us feel young again, like a kid in a candy store. The film reminds us of a simpler time when love and friendship were the two main ingredients in life and there were discoveries at every corner. "WALL-E" is such a film. In a world of dark, dreary doldrums, rising gas prices, costly food, economic turmoil, world hunger and depression, "WALL-E" lights our spirits and takes us away from all that, if only for a short while.
Yet, the film somehow manages to remain deeply rooted within our own current trials and tribulations. The film opens in a dim, murky future that has left Earth vapid and empty. The only remaining soul, if one wants to call it that, is a small robot--a waste allocation load lifter (Earth class), or WALL-E. All of his counterparts have died off, leaving this surprisingly personable little robot alone and lonely.
Director Andrew Stanton immediate immerses the viewer in WALL-E’s loneliness and desperate yearning for companionship as he searches for fun items to play with while being followed by a smirky little cockroach, his lone companion. At night, WALL-E retreats to a large containment unit where he watches, over and over again, an old VHS tape of "Hello Dolly," recording his favorite moments in his own audio memory bank. It’s here that we see WALL-E at his purist, and loneliest. He longs for connection, so much so that he finds himself holding his own hand. It’s a heartbreaking moment that spurted the first tears from my eyes (at only fifteen minutes in).
Soon after our fun, but equally sad introduction to WALL-E’s precarious little world, we meet EVE, a robot from the spaceship AXIOM (where most humans live now), who’s come to Earth looking for vegetation. WALL-E immediately falls in love, and like the old silent film days, WALL-E must woo his newfound love without speech, but through action. Their cute courtship is cut short though, once EVE retrieves a plant and returns to the ship. Deciding that he’s had enough of being alone, WALL-E daringly hitches a ride.
There isn’t one single moment of the film’s 103 minute running time that doesn’t, in some way, feel alive. WALL-E is such a simple, innocent yet beautifully accessible character. He’s lovable and loving without even trying. Equally as complex is EVE, whose smooth, gentle look, and calming demeanor makes her world so much easier to comprehend.
Pixar’s animators have done a tremendous job creating a visually compelling world for these lovely characters to inhabit. It’s a world wrought, and even poisoned, with consumerism who’s only true savior is WALL-E. He brings love and compassion to those without any and with simple gestures, he awakens the spirits Axiom’s human characters, forcing them to see the dark world that’s been glossed over by deadly consumption.
Of course, these aren’t entirely fresh ideas. Mike Judge told a similar tale in last year’s "Idiocracy," a film about an average Joe from our time who travels several hundred years into the future to find a world inhabited by morons and idiots. It’s a growing concern as consumerism is infecting every aspect of our lives and perfect fodder for a fresh sci-fi tale. However, such similarities to "Idiocracy" are merely contextual and certainly coincidental. "WALL-E" is an entirely different beast.
There are so many wonderful, beautiful, even miraculous cinematic moments packed within this tightly paced feature--it would be unfair to describe them all. There is very little dialogue, but what dialogue there is, is delivered with gusto and charisma. Ben Burtt, who created the sounds for R2-D2, E.T. and many other lovable creatures, contributes WALL-E’s voice (and several others) here, giving this silly little robot and his other pals enough character to last a dozen pictures. It’s amazing how WALL-E is capable of such great pathos with so very little dialogue. Many critics have brought up the classic work of Buster Keaton, and such allusions are wholly justified. WALL-E is amusingly comic, tear-jerkingly lonely and lovable with just a few chirps and boops and subtly clever animation. It’s a perfect combo that’s unlike anything ever put on film.
Pixar has once again outdone itself. "WALL-E" is a tremendous movie that will make you think about the world you live in while making you feel young again at the same time. It’s a wondrous sci-fi tale, a simplistic, but taut romantic comedy and a truly terrific family adventure. "WALL-E" is sort of like the cinematic equivalent of having a child for the first time. You feel wonderful, gifted, blessed and reborn to a world where love and companionship are the two most important things one could ever have--and that’s a world worth living in and a world worth fighting for.
Film Report Card:
Entertainment Value: A+
Film Value: A
Overall Value:
A+
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----R. L. Shaffer