Movie Review: Wall-E

Happy July all!

I caught another movie this past weekend, Disney/Pixar's incredible Wall-E. Wall-E was simply put, incredible. As I write this now I think that it is the best animated movie that I have ever seen.

First off, is the animation. What Finding Nemo did for CG colors, this movie does in spacial effects. The sheer depth and technical skill in the animation is unsurpassed. The color spectrum, textures, and depth and perspective is deeper and more advanced than I have ever seen. The main characters, a small dilapidated robot (Wall-E)and the more advanced scouting robot (EVE) portray more pathos and emotions in a simple look or gestures than many human actors are even capable of.

The story is that of Wall-E(Waste Allocation Load-Lifter, Earth Class), the last robot left on an abandoned Earth, charged with the task of cleaning up the waste and refuse left behind after man's exodus from an Earth to polluted to keep populated. All the other robots have broken down over the 700 years he has been on the planet, and Wall-E is lonely. He has taken to collecting items of interest to learn about humanity, especially from an old VHS copy of Hello, Dolly! that teaches him of love and companionship. Wall-E is thrown for a loop when EVE (Earth Vegetation Extractor()arrives on Earth, in search of viable life signs. Wall-E falls in love with EVE, and is devastated when she is recalled to space after finding a small plant. Wall-E stows away on the shuttle that returns, and embarks on an adventure that will affect the entire human race.

Wall-E has been accused of being a bit preachy in its message. That we need to concentrate on the environment before this kind of damage becomes irreparable, as well as the ill effects of mankind's increased obesity levels and reliance on technology. I think that's to harsh a criticism. I felt Wall-E did send a message, but in such a way as to not distract from the story. In the film humanity has turned into a society totally reliant on robots, traveling on hover chairs, having no responsibility. All in all a society of sloth. Wall-E is the spark that ignites the change on their culture.

My favorite part of the film was the character development. With two main characters with almost no vocabulary, the ability to tell a compelling story through expression and body language is amazing. Wall-E tells his story on his face and in his actions, creating such a fully realized character, who utters maybe 3 different words the entire film. Yet everything is so effortless. EVE's transformation from aloof robot to a true friend and companion of Wall-E completed along the same limitations, yet you truly feel bad for these characters during their struggles. Hell, the final sequence alone is a truly heart wrenching moment.

Wall-E gets my highest recommendations. Please go check out what I feel is not only the best Pixar film to date (yes better than Toy Story and Finding Nemo!) but perhaps the best animated feature of all time. It's that good.

End of Line.
Gerrad!