WALL-E
Best CG animated film since Toy Story.
The brilliance of WALL-E is that it works on so many different levels. There’s something for every age group and gender — truly a family film. The CG (computer graphics) lends itself perfectly to animating robots. And, like the great silent films of the 1920s, you don’t have to understand English to know what’s going on. But more importantly, it’s a parable that works without getting too preachy. Between the cute jokes and visual spectacles, we get the gist: the human race has become a bunch of lazy over-consumers. The post-apocalyptic vision of the future that serves as the backdrop for WALL-E’s antics falls right in line with Al Gore’s prophesies.
For the computer geek, there’s also a pretty amusing Mac/PC element peppered throughout the film. Although WALL-E makes a Mac boot-up sound every time he gathers enough solar rays to recharge his battery, WALL-E is clearly the PC. The lovable workhorse is practically falling apart, but frequently finds spare parts to repair himself with. On the other hand, Eve, the sleek-looking white robot with all her fancy widgets, is unmistakably a Macintosh. If she were ever to break down, only someone at a genius bar would be able to help.
WALL-E is a must-see for any socially conscious person — parent, child, grandparent or single — but not necessarily a must-see in the theater.
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:38 am
Agree wholeheartedly; I saw it with my almost 20 year old son in Manhattan over the weekend, ducking into a theater to avoid a couple of hours of afternoon thunder storms. It was terrific, we saw it with an appreciative audience ranging from 5 to 85. A real gem.
July 19th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Finally saw this with my kids today and loved it! It made my seven-year-old laugh out loud which is very hard to do. My younger son got a little bored, but he has very different taste and a much shorter attention span.
August 11th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Totally agree with your assessment of the flick, except one thing. Like all Pixar films, as you and commenters mentioned, it can be enjoyed by audiences across the spectrum on a multitude of levels. But, also like all Pixar films, the visuals are painstakingly constructed. WALL-E is definitely worth seeing in the theater. I felt like some of the shots of the post-apocalyptic (that’s right, human laziness on the level of an apocalypse) earth went by way too fast. There’s just too much to see from those burnt-out cities, to WALL-E’s apt., to the cast of a thousand different robots, to the world of the Axiom, to which the small screen can’t do justice.
One of the best movies of the summer, I think.
When do I get my floating chair?
August 12th, 2008 at 8:21 am
Good point.
I’m glad I saw this one on the big screen.