Wall-E

[kstar]

This movie opened today and I am taking my Daughter to see a matinee in the morning.

This one will probably be a block buster.

I just read a really great review @ Gizmodo and thought I would share it.

Wall-E might be the most sympathetic, lovable robot ever created on film. While R2-D2 was hilarious and endearing, he had the benefit of C3PO to translate for him and a cast of human characters to carry the weight of the story. At the end of the day, R2-D2 was simply comic relief, but his descendant, whose voice was also created by Ben Burtt, is so full of humanity that you feel like your heart might just burst. Simply put, Wall-E is a masterpiece.

The first 40 minutes or so of Wall-E are almost completely without dialogue. Instead, the story is told visually, as we see Wall-E, the abandoned garbage bot, puttering around a staggeringly rendered post-apocalyptic Earth. He goes around doing his job, as he has for the past 700 years, compacting trash into cubes and stacking them into immense towers. On the side, he collects remnants of humanity to keep for his own amusement. Zippo lighters, Rubik's Cubes, Christmas lights: these are what Wall-E surrounds himself with. Because he's so alone (except for a little cockroach), these dirty, abandoned objects are his companions, his contact with humanity.

He watches Hello, Dolly! on an iPod that he somehow hooked up to a VCR, emulating the dancing and learning about love. (That's not the only Apple reference in the movie: he makes the classic Mac bootup sound when he turns on, and his love interest EVE was designed by Jonathan Ive). When you see Wall-E try to imitate the dancing using a hub cap he collected just for that purpose, you know that this is more than a piece of machinery. Proving Pixar's raison d'etre, this little silent robot has more humanity in him than most movie characters played by actual humans.

Immediately, we realize this isn't your typical kiddie cartoon. No pop culture jokes? No instantly-recognizable celebrity voices? A decimated, humanless landscape full of towers of garbage and decrepit buildings? A lonely robot trying to learn about love and humanity through centuries of its trash? This looks more like a beautiful, haunting sci-fi movie than a children's movie, because that's exactly what it is.

Wall-E features loving nods to everything from Brave New World to 2001 to Star Wars without ever feeling derivative. Instead, it builds on them, making what has the potential to be an almost relentlessly bleak world into one full of complete joy and levity. It always has that undercurrent of melancholy just under the surface, as we never really forget that humanity has utterly destroyed the planet and turned itself into a race of pudgy, helpless babies, but heart of the story is Wall-E and his longing for love.

And isn't that the sign of great science fiction? While on the surface it's a movie about robots and spaceships set centuries in the future, deep down it's about humanity and its place on Earth and in the universe. It uses its out-of-this-world settings and characters as a lens to reflect our own world back at us, showing us both the beauty and the ugliness of our existence through the eyes of a guileless, trash-compacting robot.

In a movie season that's overpopulated with tired superhero movies, remakes and sequels, it's incredibly refreshing to see a movie that stands on its own as a completely new and unique creation. It's safe to say you've never seen anything like Wall-E, and you might not see anything like it again. Go. Go see it as soon as you can.

http://gizmodo.com/5020237/wall+e-review-one-of-the-best-sci+fi-movies-in-years-disguised-as-a-cartoon

[sammyg2]

Wife and son are there watching it right now.
If it's good I'll rent it.

[Arizona_928]

gonna see it this weekend with a friend......

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Going tonight. Can't wait.

This was one of the "original" movies that Pixar founders dreamed up before the company even ever took off. The concept anyway.

[Seric]

Johnny 5 is alive!

[daepp]

I hear it spends quite a bit of time detailing how we earthlings are despoiling the planet. Just what we need in cartoon...

[Hugh R]

Hasn't EVERY Pixar movie been a blockbuster? No spoken words apparently. Yes, the main premise of the movie is that Walle has been left to clean up the planet after we trashed it and left.

[9dreizig]

hmmm I don't have small kids, but might go just for all the MILFs that will be there !!!

[Arizona_928]

Originally Posted by 9dreizig

hmmm I don't have small kids, but might go just for all the MILFs that will be there !!!

you old farts crack me up!

[Sonic dB]

this one looks good... nice story...

[Komenda Fan]

Great review in the Toronto Star today, claimed it was the best Pixar film yet, which to my mind is really saying something...I plan to see it next week sometime.

[jyl]

Saw it today. Excellent, really excellent. Think it'll be one of Pixar's bigger films.

Great toy potential too - search for "Ultimate Wall-E toy"

[anotherblack944]

Just had to add this.. Don't remember what movie it was shown with? edit - Monsters, Inc. maybe?

[Tim Walsh]

Just got back from seeing it. the story and characters were top notch. It's definitely one of Pixars better films, then the feature film starts..

The wife and I both loved both the short and Wall-E, It's a definite must see..Yes there's alot of "If we get dumb, lazy and pollute the earth, this is what happens" but everything else makes up for it.

BTW "for the birds" was shown before Monsters Inc. I think it's the best short Pixar's put out.

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by AZ_porschekid

you old farts crack me up!

The only reason why we are nice to you kids is that you are going to be paying our social security!

[BRPORSCHE]

Just got back from it. The movie was amazing. The script for that movie was at best 5 pages though. Probably the reason why I loved it so much.

[jyl]

I am almost certain there will be a robotic Wall-E around here, come Sept, or maybe come XMas.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Saw it last night. It's fantastic.

I give Pixar a lot of credit for taking on some of the subject matter in that movie. Controversial and the kind of thing that a lot of people would much rather bury their heads in the sands about (rampant consumerism, obesity, environmental destruction, etc.) It's not "preachy" in a typical annoying/obnoxious Hollyweird kind of way - it makes its points and takes the issues on head-on saying with a clear message that ultimately, it's in our power to do something about our problems. We need to act.

This is EXACTLY the kind of message our generation and the next generation should be getting. That there's hope, but it isn't going to be easy - it will take lots of effort and most importantly, "waking up" from our fat, dumb, lazy lifestyles.

The animation (as always) was great. This is one that will be enjoyable and loved by everyone of all ages (well, except the Mules of the world who will probably dismiss it as "liberal propaganda" and "an endorsement of global climate change, which doesn't exist").

See it. Five stars. I'll be buying this one on DVD too.