FILM REVIEW: Wall-E

Wall-E
[Directed by Andrew Stanton. Voices by Ben Burtt, Elisa Knight, Jeff Garlin, & Fred Willard]

I reviewed The Dark Knight before WALL-E even though I saw them in the opposite order. I've found it difficult to review WALL-E right after The Dark Knight. They are both brilliant films but so different. One is wondrous and optimistic and the other dark, dreary, and a concoction of nitro and post-9/11 reflection. I still can't get the Joker out of my mind. I have to push it back in order to remember the grandeur of Pixar's latest gem. Believe me, The Dark Knight does stay with you. But so does WALL-E, albeit in a much different manner.

WALL-E continues Pixar/Disney's domination of the animation field. I'm sure real reviewers are sick of saying "Pixar's done it again." But they have. Each film is a little richer, has a little more texture, has a little bit more to say, and is a little bit more adult. They have accomplished all of this without decreasing the fun. WALL-E has a lot of ideas bobbing around and has a philosophy that I think people will be debating for some time. After more people see it I hope to have a discussion or two. It's a bit much for a blog.

I believe there will always be a place for traditional film making, but Pixar is getting scary good when it comes to realistic animation. Once the cost comes down there may be a time in the next ten or twenty years when the majority of films will be done with computers. There are a few shots in the first twenty minutes of WALL-E that are hyper-real and I was just staring at them wondering how they did it. Beautiful. Mesmerizing.

WALL-E triumphs because it creates a truly believable world. You forget everything else beyond this little robotic trash-compactor and the little life he's carved out in a forgotten wasteland. There is roughly no dialogue for at least twenty minutes, yet you connect with WALL-E in a way you rarely connect with any on screen character after two hours. Actions certainly speak louder than words.

And it was an odd and bold creative choice to weave in music from the old musical Hello Dolly as almost a character in itself, but even that works in ways unimaginable. I would have loved to been there when whoever pitched the idea. There were probably crickets. But whoever won them over and bravo for that. I imagine sales of Hello Dolly will skyrocket.

I am interested how young children will react to the movie. WALL-E is lovable, even for a Johnny-5 hybrid robot, but as I stated earlier the film's essence is (I believe) aimed right at adults (and thinking adults at that). Will kids be hooked? I don't know. They will probably enjoy the movie on one of the other numerous levels this film has.

In closing I do recommend seeing WALL-E on the big screen. Also if you have seen 2001: A Space Odyssey there are allusions galore that are enjoyable. Get to the funplex now.

RATING: 9.5 out of 10