Wall*E

Post by **Padme** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 11:39 pm

Cross posted on B77.

There was and has been some talk of this movie. I decided to start a thread here as well.

my review, with not many spoilers:

Wall*E is good, really good. It is one of the best film Pixar has made to date and could eventually prove to be one of the best animated films ever.

The visuals are rich and detailed and some of the shots made me scratch my head wondering if there was something done for a live-action film. The film is incredibly shot and shows a good deal of detail.

As for Wall*E himself for a character that doesn’t talk he has heart and is very endearing. There are many characters in the film, including Eve. Well I don’t want spoilers, but I cried at least twice. The really cool part is even the bit players are done really well and make good use of the time they are on screen.

The story is pretty simple, it’s about a lonely robot who yearns for friends and companions. There is subtext in the movie about consumerism, environment and corporations (ect.) but to me it wasn’t too over the top.

I found Wall*E to be one of the best films I have seen in a long long time, years even. 9.5 out of 10.

And the Presto bit isn’t too bad either.

Now onto HBII - The Golden Army and The Dark Knight.

For the record Wall*E is fresher than HBII on RottenTomatoes, so HBII and TDK better knock my socks off or I am routing for Wall*E as best film this year. Well for my own awards.

Post by **Pearly Di** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 11:42 pm

I saw the trailer for this last night when I saw Prince Caspian and I thought it looked pretty amazing.

I adore Pixar's Toy Story and Finding Nemo -- their best ever -- and this does look very impressive.

Post by **Padme** » Fri Jul 11, 2008 11:46 pm

Wall*E is better than Toy Story or Finding Nemo, in my opinion. And I love Finding Nemo especially now with the HDTV, the water looks so real to me and I have a hard time telling the difference.

Post by **axordil** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 5:24 am

It's a movie that works on so many levels: a simple adventure story and slapstick comedy for young kids, a cautionary tale and romantic comedy for older kids and adults, a catalog of movie homages for film buffs, and a deeply symmetrical/paradoxical plot structure for lit majors.

And they're not mutually exclusive, miracle of miracles.

It casually tosses off ideas and conceits that would be the entire raison d'etre for other films, and keeps moving while you're catching them.

Yeah, it's OK.

Post by **Padme** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 3:44 pm

Spoiler ahead

My favorite parts where when the Captain realizes the plant needs to be taken care of and then he realizes the earth needs to be taken care of, and then when he finally walks.

Post by **axordil** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 3:48 pm

Role reversals are indeed central to the movie--those who have been cared for, learn to care for in turn.

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 3:51 pm

I thought it was brilliantly executed and very entertaining, but I have to admit to feeling a bit pummeled by the time it was over: there are so few points in the story where the tension lets up even a little.

Still, I'd recommend it to just about anyone.

Post by **Padme** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 3:51 pm

Was the ships auto-pilot supposed to be HAL?

Post by **solicitr** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 12:32 am

I'm sure the deliberate allusion was there.

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 12:46 am

It was, most definitely. The red "eye" was identical, as was the dramatic role.

Post by **axordil** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 1:35 am

SPOILERISH

As I mentioned in passing in my longer discussion over at B77, I wonder how many times the scenario of a plant showing up and getting deep-sixed had played out in the seven hundred years before the events of the film...courtesy of Auto and A113.

Post by **Dave_LF** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 3:16 pm

<in response to Padme's spoiler text>

See, that bugged me a little. The Earth doesn't need to be cared for. If the Earth in and of itself was his primary concern, the best thing he could have done was keep everyone on the Axiom. Even the post-garbocalypic Earth of the film would have eventually recovered on its own as long as there were any plants and animals left to recolonize it (which there apparently were, despite the suggestion elsewhere that the planet had been unable to sustain life for 700 years...

).

Post by **Padme** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 3:25 pm

Dave,

I watched the show on TLC or Discovery or one of the Nerd channels about what the earth would do without humans, post apocalyptic, and it would not take 700 years for the planet to take all our stuff over again (skyscrapers ect.) I think it was only like 150 years and by 700 years almost all traces of us humans would be gone.

But since it was a movie I can get passed the problems.

Post by **Pearly Di** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 10:03 am

I saw it last night and was entranced. It's a beautiful, funny and really very moving film. The animation is absolutely astounding -- painterly and majestic -- ,the characters are delightful, and the story is powerful without being preachy.

Pixar's best film since the delightful Finding Nemo, but Wall.E has an added poignancy and depth.