Rating:
4 out of 5
Short version: Technically Wall-E is the best film Pixar has made - it’s funny and heartwarming, but it’s also the preachiest.
Screen Rant’s Wall-E review
We haven’t given Wall-E as much coverage as some other movie sites, but nonetheless I’d been looking forward to seeing it ever since I saw a panel for the film last summer at the San Diego Comic-Con. In my mind there was no doubt that Pixar would knock another one out of the park with their quality approach to both story and the animation itself.
Well, they certainly succeeded as far as the animation goes - the film surpasses everything Pixar has done to date. Overall I enjoyed the film, but a few things kept it from being Pixar’s best work.
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Pixar films have always had a message: Friendship, loyalty, teamwork, the importance of family and helping others - but I’ve never felt the message delivered with a heavy hand… until now. Wall-E (the movie, not the character) is the latest film to jump on the “we’re destroying the Earth” bandwagon - but it also warns against the dangers of sloth, gluttony and Instant Messaging.
Wall-E (the character) is a quirky little robot whose lonely job it is to compress, collect and organize the trash/junk left behind on Earth, which is now deserted by humans. Apparently there was an army of little robots just like our intrepid hero left behind to clean up the Earth after we had literally trashed it to where it was no longer habitable. Apparently it’s been a very long time since we left because he is the only robot left functioning. Somehow (and it is never explained how) he has acquired a personality. I don’t imagine that a trash collecting robot would need to be designed to have a personality to do its menial job.
Wall-E is very cute and we see much of the funny bits that have already been shown in trailers and commercials. We also meet his little buddy - a cockroach which I have to say is very cute, if you can say that about a roach. Wall-E is a collector of odds and ends and has shelves full of not only replacement parts (explaining how he’s managed to survive so long) but a large variety of all kinds of stuff he found interesting including hand mixers, light bulbs, butane lighters, and his favorite: a videotape that contains a scene from an old musical movie (sorry I don’t know which) that shows a dance number and ends with a couple holding hands romantically. This is where we see how lonely he is.
I have to mention right here that the CGI animation in this movie is phenomenal - especially within his “home” I would say that if it was shown outside the context of a CGI movie there is no way I’d be able to tell that it wasn’t an actual movie set populated with real objects. Truly amazing detail and lighting in the rendering. But in this same scene we see for the first time (although it is on a TV screen) actual live actors in a Pixar animated film. While my knee jerk reaction was that I didn’t like seeing them and it pulled me out of the magic of the film, I was prepared to accept it - but what happens later in the film made it make even less sense. I’ll get to that later.
Anyway, one day a giant spaceship arrives (which looked like a cool update of the classic rocket ships from 50’s sci-fi movies). From it comes a super-sleek, egg-shaped robot who we come to know as Eve. She is exploring and scanning the area, and for some reason seems highly paranoid for a robot exploring an abandoned planet, using a powerful weapon to blow the heck out of anything that startles her. She and Wall-E get off to a bit of a rough start but eventually they find a connection, with Wall-E having developed a crush on her.
(Continued…)
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88 Comments
well i will certainly see it ,
but i normally dont like preachiness
at least in abundance.
so, thanks for the warning.
I will just screen out the preaching and enjoy the rest of it .
Brad Bird has often said that animation can do any genre because animation itself is only the medium - the choice of paint over charcoal or pencil drawings.
I think this is fundamentally true, so I also think that just like live action movies do social satire, so too can animated films.
Regarding the heavy-handed-ness of the film, I was almost specifically looking to see if they would fall into the trap, but the way they dealt with it in the movie seemed to balance the criticism with much more hope than scores of other dystopian sci-fi flicks. Think of how “Planet of the Apes” or “Soylent Green” ended. There’s such an air of pessimism in the genre, it’s refreshing to see it end on what is essentially *spoiler* a “second Renaissance” for mankind. *end spoiler*
I look forward to (hopefully) the day when we see animated westerns, dramas and other genres, themes and attitudes not traditionally associated with animation to be taken up by not only Pixar but other studios.
Such a versatile medium is finally being pried open to take better advantage of its capabilities, and I for one find it very exciting.
If I have any criticisms of Wall-E as a film at first glance, I would have to say that the story seems to lose focus for a bit while on the ship, but it regains it’s focus before too long. Of course, since the plot is primarily visually communicated instead of verbally I might have lost track of some visual cues somewhere that would fill me in on the necessity of those scenes. I mentioned this elsewhere, but I think this really deserves a second viewing. I left the theater somewhat in a blur from the experience.
You know what would be really cool ?
here is a plot for you:
members of an enviromentalist group
place themselves in suspended animation
because they cant stand to watch humanity destroy the earth.
but when they wake up everything is PERFECT!
humanity has evolved into a race of highly intelligent superbeings,
and they are taking such good care of the planet its going to last for another 100 billion years!
which means the newly awakened enviromentalists have NOTHING to Protest!
so they end up HATING the future!
just an idea
for a movie making fun of “the earth is dying” genre .
Vic
Gary,
That is a great idea for a movie. If it would ever get made.
Just a thought on preachy-ness in general.
For me, it’s the line between being persuaded to buy into the film’s ideas and being talked down to.
As it applies to this movie, I never got the feeling I was being talked down to.
Vic
Personally I prefer live actors. East coast chef.
Vic, nice review, I think the message was put into the film by the Disney people. That would fit their M.O.
Should see more of this in future Pixar films as well.
Enjoy….
Umm, Where do I even start? Were the critics watching the same movie I was or what? The film is pretty to look at as we have all come to expect from everything Pixar makes but the pleasantries end there. At times the plot is mindnumbingly dull and at others it is insulting. Basically, Disney has given us a movie that calls all white Americans fat, lazy and wasteful people that destroyed the earth with garbage. Wow. How shocking and original. This message is old and it has reached the point of being anooying. I’ve got an idea for Hollywood. Why don’t they use their power and influence to promote changes in government and industry that might actually make a difference. Instead they have chosen to insult the very people that buy tickets to the garbage they have been pumping out lately. How sweet of them to remind us of the powerlessness of it all. But wait! there is hope at the end where just one fat lazy guy stands up and makes a difference. Oh Disney, if only it were that simple. Frankly, they should have saved the money it cost to make Wall-E (and they could even spare us their next ten films for that matter) and donate the money to research for better fuel sources. Preaching to the middle class that just wasted $100 to bring their family to see this is swindling us almost as bad as the oil companies do and the government that lets it happen.
While I thought it was very aesthetically pleasing and a beautifully designed film, I too, found it somewhat boring. Cute? Yes. Funny? Periodically. Preachy? Definitely. Maybe because I had just seen The Happening but all this “humans are destroying the Earth” crap is getting annoying. We go see movies to escape life’s so-called problems, not to go to environmental church. I’d give it a 3 out of 5 just for the animation but I won’t be buying this one on DVD.
The movie was really cool and fun for the first half-hour but then when it went to the Axiom and the human element, the movie really lost its appeal.
The textures and animation on the humans was very poor compared to wall-E and all the in-movie videos featuring actual human actors, it didnt make sense. And it took away the feel of the film it created prior to these scenes.
More importantly, the movie never once delved into why Wall-E is the only survivor and why he has emotions and a personality…or why any of the random bots on the ship do either.
I’d say it was good but not great, I was actually bored at some moments.
I’m not quite sure I understand the somewhat automatic response I see some people have towards messages that indicate we’re flawed, when they’re balanced with humanity’s noble side.
Some of the greatest science fiction out there satirizes human fallibility (just seems to be a natural vehicle for such themes), and few are as well balanced in that respect as this one. It’s not guilt-inducing or misanthropic. It’s not laying blame, just recognizing that we’re subject to temptations and showing us that hope exists in spite of the times when we succumb to them. That’s what I got out of it, at least.
This is a movie I will have to download. Doesn’t seem worth my money at all. I hate movies with an in your face message especially about Obesity or Environmentalism. Personally I’m not a environmentalist and never will be and while it’s not my choice I have no problem with people who become obese I think telling people what they should look like is just wrong on so many lvl’s.
What does this do? It increases the cost of health care for me and my family even though we take care of ourselves. The diseases brought on by obesity are preventable.
And we have an epidemic of adult-onset diabetes in children in the U.S., which sickens me because it’s TOTALLY preventable. When I see a parent giving a one year old an ice cream cone or giving a three year old a can of soda or a power drink, I want to walk up to that parent and slap them upside the head.
Vic
“When I see a parent giving a one year old an ice cream cone or giving a three year old a can of soda or a power drink, I want to walk up to that parent and slap them upside the head.”
Now there’s an in-your-face message
“When I see a parent giving a one year old an ice cream cone or giving a three year old a can of soda or a power drink, I want to walk up to that parent and slap them upside the head.”
I think thats taking it a little bit too far. Soda or ice cream once in a while is ok, especially if its just a day where the family can go out. Feeding them junk every single day might deserve a slap or two though : ) Anyways kids that little dont usually finish the whole thing, just half and their happy lol
Of course it’s ok once in a while but notice I specified a particular age range. You don’t give ice cream to a child that barely even knows how to walk yet. And do you know why? Because once they get a taste of concentrated sugar/high fructose corn syrup, good luck trying to get the them to eat anything healthy that doesn’t have that intense taste.
As far as soda, are you aware that one can of soda has 12 teaspoons of sugar? Can you imagine adding that much sugar to a cup of coffee? Now give that to a 3-4 year old and then in 30 minutes get mad at him because he’s acting “hyper.”
Vic
I know its bad, thats why i said if its an everyday thing, they do deserve a slap from Vic lol. I meant once in a while like on a trip or a family outing. And i dont see anything bad if they are that young, again, as long as it doesnt become a habit. Hopefully they dont start making ice cream flavored Gerber. lol or soda flavored Pediasure.
Looked like he just tried freaking heroine for the first time.
Don’t. Give. Infants. Sweets.
Vic
Come to think of it, it kinda is like crack. lol Anyways, congrats on the website. This website to me is like ice cream to a baby. Its addictive. I make sure i check it atleast once every 4 hours lol.
Oh and i liked the part where they used real actors, maybe it was a pun on real life, how movies are becoming more and more CGI. Sad to say but one day they might not need real actors anymore
lets pray that never happens.
The musical scene was from the movie, “Hello, Dolly!” (1969) with Walter Matthau, Barbara Streisand, and Michael Crawford. My girlfriend picked up on it almost immediately (she works in, on, and around Broadway).
Vic
Wow Vic I thought that the movie was gonna be preachy. Don’t get me wrong I agree with you on the kids parents need to take better care of their children. However, we should never take away the freedom from and adult to decide how they look. Also who decides what’s obese people generally have a vastly different opinion from one another. For instance some people consider a person 5′10 and 200 pounds to be obese while others think 5′10 and 300 is when you hit obese. It’s really hard to mark it down. Hell even doctors can’t agree on that.
As far as your wallet argument that’s not the persons fault that has to do with the many flaws in the medical system I mean it could be worse this could be Canada.
My main problem is you call it taking care of your self I call it enjoying life. People should be able to eat what they want when they want as long as they are an adult. With one exception don’t eat me and I’m happy.
“Wow Vic I thought that the movie was gonna be preachy.”
So you saw the movie then? What did you think?
http://images.google.com/images?q=obese+people
Vic
It really is about enjoying life though. If you like to eat that kind of stuff on a regular basis and aren’t big on exercise good for you. WE HAVE NO RIGHT to police how people eat or exercise. Where does it stop. This anti obese movement has gone to far as it is. When I was in High School I was an athelete I plaid sports I was very active and in good shape. However, I still enjoyed sada, pizza and all that great tasting stuff.
Now the vast majority of schools ONLY serve health food. This would be a terrible time period to grow up in and go to school. So many kids use to look forward to lunch now what do you look forward to?
I don’t police anyone but when it starts affecting me directly I get my back up. If I buy a ticket for a flight and I have to lean sideways in a seat for 5 hours because the guy next to me takes up a seat and a half or two, that affects me directly. When they have to start redesigning ambulances to accomodate people who otherwise wouldn’t fit in a standard ambulance that’s not a good thing.
Hell, by your definition, being addicted to porn is just a natural extension of admiring a pretty girl who walks by on the street, and that’s just “enjoying life.” Someone being a heroin addict, although it might not affect me directly, is also just “enjoying life,” right?
Anything taken to an extreme can be very bad.
I highly recommend you go rent Morgan Spurlock’s documentary Super Size Me.
That’s my final comment on the matter.
Vic
Wow,, Vic that link is graphic…Yikes, I’ve been mentally scarred…
Warning super fat people !!
Daniel,
Nobody here is suggesting that we form the fat police. Being mostly libertarian myself, I’d never advocate state interference in what people do to their bodies as long as it doesn’t somehow harm someone else.
That said, we can’t say we truly care about people who go well beyond simple “enjoyment” of life and go full bore into gluttony. First of all, it’s sometimes the sign of deeper issues and secondly, there’s nothing offensive or coercive about trying to express our love for each other on a human level than in telling each other when we’re in trouble.
To get back on subject a little, that’s all I felt the movie was doing.
Do we still ultimately have the individual right to be wrong? Absolutely. I think we all recognize the need to honor free will. But we can still care, and express that concern, right?
I meant to say there:
That said, we can’t say we truly care about people who go well beyond simple “enjoyment” of life and go full bore into gluttony - if we say nothing.
Hey, Vic,
Next time the site upgrades, can we get an “edit” feature for these things?
There was nothing wrong with the food at school just because it wasn’t all healthy doesn’t mean you had to take out the “unhealthy” food just add more healthy. Way take away all the other options ? Fruit is fine, but some times I want a soda and a pizza most schools in California don’t offer that anymore.
I think attempting to police people is exactly what you are trying to do. Like it or not pretend that your not doing anything wrong but at the end of they day you are telling grown adults that they can’t eat the food they like because looking at them and being near them makes you uncomfortable.
JC I think that in the world today true compassion is seen as being intrusive in other peoples lives. It’s probably more due to the fact that if you bring a real concern you have about someone to that person (whether it be obesity, alcoholism, etc..)it makes them have to stop and think about what you are saying and that can make most people very uncomfortable and defensive when what is true concern is mistaken as a personal attack…
Now that Pixar is a part of Disney, expect more of these GLOBAL messages in their films.
I recall reading comments (on Screen Rant) about how Disney had changed, and that their acquistion of Pixar was great news for the medium.
Now see the change. Its subtile to some glaring to others.
Interesting times.
Daniel,
At some point, it becomes self-abuse. This is not a case of the occasional indulgence. The people who eat themselves into morbid obesity are abusing their bodies. It’s their right to make that decision for themselves, but people have the right to free speech as well, and that includes telling people you care about them enough to tell them when they’re killing themselves in a slow, painful, and debilitating way.
You keep using language like “policing” when nobody here is talking about using civil authority to get the desired result. You’re telling us we can’t even use polite, non-coercive persuasion to help anyone.
790,
This film has been in development for four years, and the idea itself was generated at the same time as Monster’s Inc. and Finding Nemo - well before Disney bought Pixar, and it’s in their agreement that Disney stays out of Pixar’s creative development process anyway. It was the primary condition for the sale.
If Disney exerted any pressure at all, a film like this would never have gotten made. This is somewhat hard, post-apocalyptic sci-fi story, reminiscent of the classics from the 70’s done as a cute robot romance with an upbeat ending. Disney’s simply too “safe” and image conscious for that to originate out of their minds, and I’m sure the execs were apoplectic until this weekend’s returns came in.
(IMO)
Obesity is an addiction that this culture enables people to have…
Just like movies and popcorn.
(Butter on that? or would you like that Super Sized?)
Well Jersycajun, I find it strange that Wall-E has all the same global adgenda messages that Disney propagates.
Odd coinsidence I guess ???
Guess will have to compare notes on the next Pixar film.
What global agenda messages were there in Wall-E?
I interpret “global agenda” as implying a coordinating authority, law or treaty binding the behavior of individuals through some kind of international law. Simply asking people through persuasion to their better natures not to value their stuff, consumption and routine over personal relationships is no more a global agenda than the message to parents that they can’t protect their kids from the risks that enrich life that was the message in Finding Nemo.
Do you see a political angle in the film?
As for Pixar’s next film: “Up”, it’s about a widowed man who never was able to fulfill a promise he made to his wife and goes on a Don Quixote style adventure with a young scout.
See the film, you’ve got to be kidding.
(790 hates Pixar).
Naw I’m just going by the comments I’m reading here and on other sites.
I’ve seen the film, and I don’t see the politics, unless the mere suggestion of the environment or conservation have become inherently political just by invoking them as backdrops.
I’ve read lots of people’s impressions, and the one thing I’ve gleaned from the whole bunch is that those that see politics in the movie end up only revealing their own politics.
Truth is, you can read into the movie any political agenda you’re partial for or against. Though “Buy ‘N Large” is a corporation in name, it’s also a global monopoly on - well seemingly everything making it a de-facto government going so far as to emulate the Seal of the U.S. on the podium of the CEO. So you can see it that way, or just see the title “corporation” and read it as an indictment of corporatism. The ship’s computer is authoritarian in it’s devotion to it’s protocol, so there’s an anti-authoritarian angle if that’s how you want to look at it. Wall-E and EVE break free of their programming, so there’s a strong individualist streak there if that’s what you’re inclined to see.
The message of the film was best put by the director himself when he said that irrational love defeats life’s programming. The humans let themselves get ‘programmed’ by their routine and their stuff. Wall-E defeats his own programming by studying a copy of “Hello Dolly” (irrational love).
HERE’S ONE COMMENT FROM A NAMELESS PERSON AND SITE…
^
Such activities as cleaning up after ourselves and keeping healthy are things our families should teach us; not the movies. Political issues should be kept in the debate halls. After seeing the movie, I do not think I exaggerate Disney/Pixar’s political involvement.
I’M READING ALOT OF BUZZ LIKE THAT.
I find it odd that so many conservatives in this case are conflating the social with the political. The inability to separate the two has traditionally been a symptom of socialists, ironically.
The movie isn’t pushing carbon credits or lobbying the people to push for adopting the Kyoto protocol.
I agree that families are absolutely the first and most important teachers we’ll ever have, but they’re not the only ways to learn. When so many families aren’t doing this (and I live in a part of the country where many adults seemed to never have learned about not throwing trash just anywhere), and I certainly don’t want government to take on this responsibility, then we are left to social institutions like our communities of faith, educators, the arts and humanities to be secondary leaders.
Are we forbidden to pick on our fallibilities within our arts? Is social satire taboo?
Parents are our first and most important teachers, but not the only ones. Satire is a valuable tool within culture to poke fun at our fallibility. Considering that so many, even out in the farm country where I live now, seem to never have learned that the side of the road on other people’s property is not the proper place to deposit your soda cans, burger wrappers, big gulps and other assorted garbage. It seems to indicate that some social satire aimed in their direction couldn’t hurt.
I find it odd that it’s conservatives having a hard time separating the social from the political in this case, considering that inability has often been a criticism of socialists.
The movie isn’t pushing us to buy carbon credits or push our representatives to acquiesce to the Kyoto protocol.
Parents are our first and most important teachers, but not the only ones. Satire is a valuable tool within culture to poke fun at our fallibility. Considering that so many, even out in the farm country where I live now, seem to never have learned that the side of the road on other people’s property is not the proper place to deposit your soda cans, burger wrappers, big gulps and other assorted garbage. It seems to indicate that some social satire aimed in their direction couldn’t hurt.
I find it odd that it’s conservatives having a hard time separating the social from the political in this case, considering that inability has often been a criticism of socialists.
The movie isn’t pushing us to buy carbon credits or push our representatives to acquiesce to the Kyoto protocol. Just trying to encourage use to prioritize in more meaningful ways.
Apologies for the repeat posts.
They weren’t showing up after hitting the submit button.
Guess there was a few hours delay?
Anytime you submit a post and it doesn’t show up, rest assured it’s in the system somewhere - it’s either flagged for moderation or is caught as a false positive for spam.
Vic
Thanks Vic!
Making a mental note of it now…
I don’t mind the messages that are being conveyed here. It does not bother me in the slightest if a movie has a political message. In fact I welcome it. My point was earlier that the movie was nothing but pointed. A poke in the eye, if you will. There was nothing funny or entertaining in it. Finding Nemo had its messages, Monsters Inc., had its soft and gushy side, The Incredibles dealt with real issues. But the thing they all had in common was that they were light and funny and entertaining. In these troubled times with everything costing more and people barely getting by, the last thing they want from a movie is to be lectured to, especially from a cartoon. Cartoons are absolutely supposed to have messages. Any cartoon that is half way decent will contain several of them and will throw them at you in a series of light hearted zingers. there was really very few messages in Wall-E and they lingered around and kept hitting you like a lead balloon. Worst of all, the messages are old ones that at this point require less talk and more action. Most of us are already environmentally concious at this point so stop preaching to the choir.
The environment was a backdrop. There’s one overarching theme and it was that irrational love conquers life’s programming. i.e.: focus on love for one another and the rest (respect for our bodies, our minds, our lives, and our environment) will follow. It’s when we get so wrapped up in our own lives that we start to cut corners on all the other stuff. That’s a message you certainly don’t see every day.
How many movies that have environmental subtext are also nuanced enough to relate it to, or rather, make it dependent upon love for each other? I mean, this is still primarily a love story first and foremost.
I have to agree JC here on the universal love theme and the unified theory as well..I wasn’t impressed by the movie but the social messages in the movie have been around for twenty years at least and most people still tend to ignore them…If society in general is aware of the enviromental problems and the problems with obesity and we are still pretty much ignoring them then what does that say about us..We know better and still we destroy the planet and ourselves…HUH?!! If we don’t love ourselves first and foremost it will be impossible to love the planet or anyone else…I feel that if you are obese then you have issues and you really don’t care about yourself and thereby you don’t care about anything…Being happy to pollute your body or the planet speaks volumes about the type of problems we as a society face…Universal love is the only key because if we are capable of loving everybody, then we have compassion for everyone and everything and that leads to healing the planet…Sooner or later Mother Nature is going to decide to give herself a big shake to try and rid herself of us..we are destroying the planet and we know it and still we do nothing…Speaks volumes as to what we think of the future generations we are leaving the Earth to.
We are going to need a lot of Wall-Es…
Green,
Glad you agree with me, but to steer this back on topic a little more, would you elaborate on your thoughts of the movie a little more?
The hypocritical green adgenda.
(One example/-case and point).
The Feds want everyone to use flouresant lightbulbs to save energy. They say “go green so we can save the earth for the children.”
Meanwhile these new flouresant lightbulbs contain a mercury catalyist. Mercury poisoning cannot be taken out of the human body, or the ground water.
There’s no warning on the lightbulbs so if one breaks near an infant and its inhaled , well what about that kids future?
Also when these bulbs go bad they get thrown into the garbage where they are crushed and taken to a landfill. Mercury is a substance so toxic that hazmat teams are called when there’s an accident involing mercury.
Landfills are prohibited by law to knowingly except Mercury, yet this situation continues to this day.
Green adgenda trumps logic. Most people don’t polute anywhere near the scope of the Military or big Coporations.
Sheesh Disney itself buys products from China and Mexico all the time. There’s no EPA down there. Their polluting those countries like its the norm.
(These are just a few examples of the BS green adgenda). Its a big buSINess and a marketing buzzword nothing more.
790,
I agree with that, but how does that apply or relate to the movie, or diminish it’s point?
Jersey
I loved the interaction between Eve and Wall-E especially the dance sequence…I still think Pixar is showing off and have been since Cars…I’m just baffled how a film that can be “preachy” about obesity and how wasteful we are as a society is being mega-promoted by the Disney marketing monsters…Disney is one of the world’s largest purveyors of non-physical “interactive entertainment” I think the adults in the movie were like infants in that they never knew how to behave or interact with the real world and they never actually had to. This speaks volumes about how technology is really spoiling us and making us lazy and obese…Play video games, watch movies & TV, surf the web but God forbid don’t interact with the real world…We have become complacent as a society and there is no need to change because as a whole our society acts like since we have everything great why rock the boat and start doing the really tough things that it will take to turn it around for our planet…I REALLY DID LIKE HOW WALL-E WAS A FORCE EVERYWHERE HE WENT…It was an homage to the fact that one person can make a difference… but it still wasn’t the tour de force I thought it could have been…It just left me wanting something more and I can’t really put my finger on it…
Cheers
Just making a point. I won’t go there anymore, sorry bout that.
Green,
Actually, I had the feeling that I had enjoyed the movie more after it was over than I did when I was watching it. I do intend to see it again.
I think I set my expectations so high going in that I wasn’t as relaxed watching it as I would have been had I just not read any reviews or watched any clips offered. I think I had seen 80% of the first third of the movie from press release clips and previews. Trying to ‘cleanse the palate’ now so next time I’ll go in fresher and more at ease.
Ironically, the same thing happened with “Ratatouille”, and it got better the second time around. I really should start learning from my mistakes
I actually think I may enjoy this more upon a second viewing (not that I didn’t enjoy it the first time).
Vic
Ive have noticed that the reviews here tend to be overly critical - i find that most are going in expecting far too much from a movie. Yes there is LOTS of hype for allmost every film - but it’s up to YOU to decide what to expect.
What is this thing of which i speak … well just a small thing called “entertainment” - this is THE one thing ALL movies are attempting to bring to us, and if vast majority manage to do this even in some small digree - then guess what they have done there job!
I’ve not seen Wall.E yet as it’s not been realised over in the uk - but i will go to see it, and i allready know i will enjoy it becuse all i expect from it is something fun and lighthearted - i could decide to look at it deeper and any “message” it seems to deliver.
I’ve seen all Pixar movies and not one have i ever felt that i was taught something - yes i’m not toaly stupid or blind you can usealy tell what the over all theme is and what the CHARATERS learn throughout the movie, but again it’s up to you to decide it’s telling YOU that same message.
My overall point is i’m betting this movie isn’t pointing at any one socity (america isn’t the only place in the world guys - there are places else were with the exact same problems, anywhere that gives easy access for conveint “food”…so most of our planet then!!!
If it made you feel guilty about your lifestyle maybe it was becuse of YOU - YOU pointed the finger at yourself and thought “hang on maybe i’m like that”. personaly i go in watch the movie and go out again i very rarely get affected by something unless it’s a more thought provokeing movie, which i very much doubt this is.
This is fun, upbeat, cute and entertaining overall - essentialy it’s for kids and it’s not going to make you feel bad - in fact i think you all lost it’s point - it sounds like it’s saying one person CAN make a diffrence, you can wait for that person or you can BE that person.
Next time you see a movie go in with your mind open and expecting only to be entertained - and you will be, as Vic himself said he found himself enjoying the movie more the second time he watched it becuse he knew exactlly what to expect from it and wasn’t putting any pressure on the movie to do more!
Sorry for the long post, i just had to vent out, i’d just like to see more positive opionions please.
Scott,
I don’t know which site you’ve been watching, but I’m guessing if asked, Vic would say it’s been a pretty good year for movie fans so far, going on his reviews (which have been mostly positive), and 4 out of 5 for any movie is pretty damn good.
Why not wait for the movie to come out where you are, see it, and then compare notes with the rest of us? You’ll be a more informed movie-goer for doing it and you’ll have a solid foundation from which to discuss your thoughts.
Vic,
Yeah, I follow Pixar movies the way you followed “Iron Man”
As I recall, your only criticism of Iron Man was that the pre-release material didn’t leave very much to the imagination by the time you’re in the theater.
Once you’ve had those scenes from trailers and other assorted material etched in your mind, they lose their impact on the screen.
Vic
Vic,
At least you’re doing a better job than AICN when it comes to restraint. I read an early Dark Knight review over there a few days ago that ended up revealing a very specific development in the film that I’m trying hard to forget (stopped reading the review at that point).
Hey Jersey
For your reading pleasure, I didn’t know this and I was pleasantly suprised…I mean I knew where the songs were from but not that they were the inspiration..
http://movies.sympatico.msn.ca/features/article.aspx?cp-documentid=544664
Cheers
Green,
Thanks for the link. Interesting, indeed.
I found a couple other ones with Stanton talking about what drove the story for him.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/interviews/andrewstanton.html
http://wizbangblog.com/content/2008/07/04/the-meaning-behind-walle.php
Thanks Jersey.
Liked the first article and another piece falls into place but didn’t like the second as that site was just a lot of conservative rhetoric to me…propaganda of the worse kind..
Whatever happened to the golden rule live and let live…
It’s more the interview that the second site linked to that I thought was interesting.
Here’s the full interview:
http://www.worldmag.com/articles/14127
So when A conservative gives his view point it’s rhetoric, but if it’s from the opposing side it’s an interesting and unbiased article?
Daniel,
It certainly is not…To answer your question; as soon as someone gives their opinion(s) on any issue or topic it will be biased.Such is the nature of opinions.No one can ever be truly neutral on any issue regardless of how unbiased or practical they think their opinion is. While I am not a conservative I am also not a liberal either. I have opinions that would be considered both liberal and conservative as my belief system and how I was raised have largely influenced what I believe and what I think is propaganda… NOt everything on the site was propagenda but the things I did read were just that IMO.
Wall-e is absolutely reminiscent of E.T. He possess all the endearing qualities of E.T. which is synonymous with classic 80’s children’s sci-fi movies like “Flight of the Navigator.” I was surprised at the great absence of dialog through most of the movie. This allowed the audience to focus more on the computer generated artistry and had a powerful emotive effect with all the thematic subtleties. It was refreshingly different work from Pixar…which was very much welcomed and appreciated.
Having read the above comments and reviews on other sites, before Wall-E was released here in the UK I was aware that the not only was the film capable of releasing an emotion in the viewer over what is fundamentally a love story between two robots but also had released a lot of emotive opinions from a number of people who had watched the films as well as those had decided to have preconceived ideas without even seeing it… The opinions varied from the excited positive to the downright aggressive negative with little in between.
For the Brits out there and the initiated that have had the experience, the comments and reviews have been nothing short of Marmite like – You either love it or you hate it…
I chose to watch it with both a “Pixar fan” biased view and an open mind and was left stunned by the efforts of Pixar with a film that in my humble opinion is nothing short of genius. From the inquisitive opening sequence where we see Wall-E busy working on his daily task (while being side-tracked with new things to discover), through his efforts to get close to EVE followed by his showing her all his “things”, all the way up to his attempts to “wake” her up. It is fair to say that this is the most spell binding portion of the film, with the more natural feel and flow to the story. What follows once we discover the humans and the other robots may not feel quite the same, but it is still lights years ahead of the competition.
I saw Kungfu Panda last night and while it was certainly better than most of Dreamworks recent dross, it still didn’t come close to the magic of cinema that Wall-E evoked in me both the first and the second time I watched it… If I was reviewing Wall-E I would have no hesitation to give it 5 out of 5 and put it up there with my personal Pixar favourites Finding Nemo and Monsters Inc.
One last comment - the short animation Presto is comic brilliance and is reminiscent of the classic era of Tex Avery cartoons…
Anyone feeling another Pixar Oscar on the cards?
the cards?”
Well there’s not much in the way of competition for best animated film, so, yes.
Vic
loved wall-e; wasn’t preachy, just smart and accurate. I was 270lbs, 3 years ago, currently 155. if you asked me if I was enjoying life then I’d have said ‘i guess’ with little enthusiasm.
I’m interpreting this ‘enjoying life’ stance as a lazy way of saying: “don’t tell me what to do.” being healthy is happiness, I feel like a different person, and I’m sure I’m not alone in that.
looking forward to owning Wall-e
thanks vic
Not everyone judges their happiness based on if they are fat or not. Personally I was in really good shape got in a terrible accident and gained 70 pounds because I was unable to exercise for an entire year. Once I was able to walk again and get exercise I wasn’t really in the mood I was enjoying my self just fine. The only thing that made me unhappy in life with my weight was the judgment of superficial people. Now that I have recently dropped 40 pounds and am getting back to my previous shape I am no happier than I was before. I get to spend less time doing things I enjoy so I can work out and I eat less of the food I like so I can drop down to my previous weight. Suddenly superficial judgment doesn’t seem so bad.
I thought The Incredibles was great because it focused on the whole family bond thing. But I don’t think I will be seeing anymore Pixar films in theaters anymore. The more they try to preach their political ideas on children films, the more I want to just stop watching their films completely, but they are definitely entertaining. Well, except Happy Feet, that was just stupid… That WAS Pixar wasn’t it?
I do want to watch this, but I guess I’ll wait until someone else rents it or if someone I know owns it I will borrow it from them, but I don’t think I will be giving any of my money to them anymore. That’s just me.
Thanks for the excellent review.
Vic
Oh oops, so I guess it isn’t a “trend” with Pixar then. Happy Feet was OK in the beginning. It was funny, but the whole premise of singing penguins is as stupid as it sounds, and him tap dancing around wasn’t too charming in my opinion to begin with. What I didn’t get was how his singing was horribly worse than his normal talking voice. It’s like when he wants to sing all of a sudden his vocal chords get all messed up or something… Didn’t make much sense. But anyway, it was still pretty funny anyhow.
But at around the middle, they start hinting at a “humans are evil” type message, then they attack zoos, then in the end, it get’s into an all-out preach fest, even dragging the UN into the picture…
It was stupid, don’t watch it.
I guess it isn’t a Pixar trend, but it appears they have jumped on the bandwagon…
Oh well, I’m sure someone I know has a copy of it so I can see it.
Good review.
I just watched this (on a not-so-great quality bootleg DVD).
The human actors took me out of the movie, too. I don’t get why they didn’t just animate humans instead. Strange decision.
I also felt a lack of story and connection with the characters, and the ending was a bit unbelievable (all those fatties fixing up a ruined Earth?).
I enjoyed the Toy Story films much more, probably more than anything Pixar has done since.
Hallo,
Ich liebe Wall.e und ihr?
Wall.e ist süß.
WALL-E *was* Pixar’s best work, by far. That is obvious to anyone who will open their mind.
Maybe best technically, but I’m not drinking the Kool-Aid. Story-wise it was not their best.
Vic
Wall-e’s Personality seems to be picked from the Theory where robots eventually evolve through time and learn how to oblige by there own rules (i.e. iRobot)
The Movie Shows a minor Possibility with its M-O model robot, where his Duties are made to decontaminate but also follow a Lined course to its duties. Eventually a glitch (or maybe Order of Operations) forces him to remove himself from the LINE to Decontaminate the Area, which may be considered a High Priority.
Though not widely explained, it leaves alot of room to speculate with (possibly intention) Easter Eggs.
BTW wasn’t That BURN-E short pretty cool too? Nice to see because for some odd reason, I wondered what happened to him as he got locked out.
Anyways, Great Movie. Many may disagree but some people pick up all the pieces better then others and this film was not ‘Action packed’ or ‘Full of Comedy’ like other CGI movies but suprisingly caught my attention without much dialogue.
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