Review: Wall-E
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Wall-E is one of those movies where, from the moment the teaser hit theaters, I fell in love with it instantly. There was just something magical about this cute little emoting robot developing a a personality and roaming around a deserted planet exploring his curiosity. With every new clip that showed up on the internet, I fell even more in love with this film. Within no time, it became my most anticipated film of the year. Now that it’s out and I’ve seen it, the question remains whether or not it lived up to my hopes and expectations.
When I walked out of the theater Saturday afternoon, I was torn between being completely in love with this movie and being somewhat unimpressed. The problem with Wall-E is that it suffers from ‘we’re trying to say something’ syndrome. In addition to the sweet story of the curious robot, there is a side plot which explains why humans left earth, but is just riddled social commentary on modern society. This side story borrows A LOT from the 2006 film Idiocracy, yet does so without borrowing any of it’s humor.
While the human side story does little more than knock the film down a few levels, I think it was saved by Wall-E himself. He is undeniably adorable and every second on the screen just warms your heart. The only thing more touching than watching him scurrying around the deserted planet and going about his normal routine, is the arrival of EVE and his ‘love at first sight’ reaction to her. Everything from his selfless attempts to shelter her, to his awkward efforts to show affection leave you with this overwhelming cheerfulness.
Maybe Wall-E isn’t the best PIXAR film around, but I’m still going to have to recommend it. Forgive it’s ulterior motive of social commentary and just lose yourself in the adorable antics of a cute little robot named Wall-E and watch as he chases after the little bot of his dreams, EVE.
posted by Christopher Schnese
