Wall-E Review
by Homer Yen (homeryen88 AT gmail DOT com)August 20th, 2008
"Wall-E" -- A Nice Space Odyssey
by Homer Yen
(c) 2008
PIXAR studios has consistently churned out one feel-good hit after another. And "Wall-E" won't disappoint. It is an incredible piece of animated art. The soundtrack evokes a romantic era which buoys the love story within. And, the story mixes in elements from "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Star Trek," and "Short Circuit". Now, it's not perfect, for the story is a tad too dark for those under 10, and it's a tad weak in its ability to hold the parental-attention-span. In fact, last year's "Ratatouille" was superior. Yet, this film is miles ahead of "Cars."
It's 700 years in the future, and the state of humanity looks bleak. Due to rising levels of pollution and trash and toxicity, humans have left the planet. More on the fate of them later. It appears that all that's left on Mother Earth is a little droid known as a Waste Allocation Load Lifter, Earth class. More affectionately known as WALL-E, he's a trash compactor who spends his days collecting garbage, squashing it into cubes, and then depositing them on empty swaths of land in such a way so as to be able to assemble them into something of a rubbish pyramid.
There's a lot of tender-loving-care that has been put into the creation of our little hero. WALL-E is equipped with a laser beam to cut through obstacles, mechanical parts that are easily replaceable (if he can find them), wipers for eyelids, and even hydraulics to crush the garbage into cubes. His home reminds me of the attic of an eccentric uncle who stores all of the odd collectibles that he found over the years but never threw away. He and his home are incredibly detailed.
The first 30 minutes, some will notice, is quite boring. And, it's true that not much happens. It is an opportunity for the film to showcase its attention to detail, great visuals, and feats of animation. In fact, I would probably say that you wouldn't be missing much if you strolled into the film 25 minutes late if it were not for the extremely clever mini-film at the beginning.
More on "WALL-E" later because I have to give props to the opening mini-film. Entitled "Presto", it is about a disagreement between a magician and his bunny. The presentation evokes the shenanigans of Bugs Bunny and the frantic spurts of Spongebob Squarepants. In a 7-minute span, the cartoon short makes you laugh, makes you feel joyful, and makes you feel appreciative of the power of animation. Like all of the other PIXAR mini-shorts that precede the main attraction, there is no dialogue. It appeals to all cultures. And, of all the Pixar mini-shorts, this one is the best that I've seen.
Now, back to the main attraction. One day, WALL-E sees a strange spaceship land. It deploys a robotic scout. We learn that her name is Eva, she carries a powerful gun, she can fly faster than the speed of sound, but she has come to Earth for a very important and specific mission. Now the story moves from the barren planet to a far-away spaceship where the human race has been displaced. At this point, the film picks it up two notches. Before that happens, "WALL-E" feels more like a visit to the planetarium rather than a movie.
The latter half blossoms into a grand buddy-adventure film, which is what you would hope for and expect. What actually happens to WALL-E and Eva and the Human race, I'll leave to you to discover. But as the film moves towards its suspenseful conclusion, there are probably three things going through your head. 1) I can't wait for PIXAR's next project. 2) An imagination without boundaries creates a story without limitations. 3) Go for the hand, WALL-E, go!!!
Grade: B+
S: 0 out of 3
L: 0 out of 3
V: 1 out of 3
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