Rate/Review: Wall-E

[TriforceBun]

Pixar's latest story is almost upon us (twelve hours to go for me), so I decided to get a good old-fashioned R/R thread up for it.

Thread WILL HAVE SPOILERS.



Rate and review it here.

[Ryan]

Alright! Going to see it at midnight with friends, should post shortly afterwards...

[TriforceBun]

Just got back. Very excellent, extremely extremely charming. Will give full review tomorrow when I'm more coherent from actually getting sleep.

Tentative score: A

[Ryan]

Just got back. Very excellent, extremely extremely charming. Will give full review tomorrow when I'm more coherent from actually getting sleep.

Tentative score: A

Er, what he said. Automatically qualifies for "cutest movie ever". Even as a straight, 22-year-old male, I have to admit it. It didn't wow me as much as Monsters Inc. or Ratatouille did, but it is my top third favorite Pixar movie, just above Incredibles...

...oh, and anyone who hates this movie and doesn't fall in love with the characters is a cold, heartless BASTARD...

5/5

[D DEBBS]

A-the damned thing almost made me weepy! I was a sucker for the love story between Wall-E and Eve.

The plot SLIGHTLY dragged, but I enjoyed myself more than last year's 'Ratatouille.'

[Tamaki Suoh]

Quite possibly the best thing Pixar has ever done and leagues better than anything Disney has offered in a long time. It was a stunningly beautiful movie, perhaps even perfect. The characters were lovable and real in that timeless, simplistically heartrending way that is so rare in movies nowadays. The satire was also extremely well-done; there were only one or two lines that seemed a bit overdone, and most of the points were made in a subtle and convincing fashion. It also was able to criticize societal behavior while still presenting the overall good spirit of people and making the message a hopeful one, celebratory rather than disdainful of humankind.

The romance between Wall-E and Eve was that of a classic 'love at first sight' story, one of stubborn passion that remained pure. In that regard, this romance between robots was one of the most human romances to grace the silver screen in a while. The theme of love (of each other and of our planet) renewing the spirit was one that was beautifully done, with many instances of perfect parallelism. I was also glad that Wall-E and Eve had very little dialogue; their expressions and actions spoke wonderfully on their own and contributed to the overall feel of unsullied emotion. Finally, I am usually a bigger fan of 2D animation, but the animation in this movie was suited to it impeccably and enhanced the experience rather than hindering it. Overall, I can't say enough good things about this movie. Easily A+.

[grissom]

just got back from seeing this. despite a theater full of irritating four year olds and no less than 5 trailers for cgi talking animal movies, I really enjoyed it. fantastic animation and probably the best score/music of any pixar movie. the story was paced just right, and it never felt slow or drawn out at all, even with long stretches pretty much absent of dialog. this is definitely one of pixar's best.

[TriforceBun]

Alright, I've had a good night's sleep and time to reflect on the movie.

I'm a longtime Pixar fan(boy)--to the point where my top 30 films would include about 7 Pixars--so I already had extremely high expectations going into this. WALL-E is one of those movies that really marks a step forward for the studio. Like The Incredibles over two years ago, it's ambitious, risky, and innovative, particularly for an animated film. It almost reminded me of Miyazaki at a few points in how fresh it all felt, but combine that with the impeccable comic timing and creativity that always permeates throughout Pixar's work, and you've got one good movie.

WALL-E himself is a classic character. I could honestly watch a 90-minute film of him just going about his business on Earth and would be entertained. The human-like sensibilities given to him are wonderful, funny, and charming, such as when he nervously doodles on the ground with his hand after being rejected by a love interest. EVE is equally great, the more sensible, somewhat brash sleek bullet of the future. Her electronic expressions are amusing and very telling. And the chemistry between these two characters is pretty much the most adorable thing ever.

That said, the second half struggles just a little bit with some of the chase/danger sequences, and the climax doesn't reach the creative heights of the wonderful choreography from films like Monsters Inc, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille. Even so, the second half is still extremely interesting and develops in a very compelling manner (particularly with the character of the Captain).

Soundtrack was very good. The first minute of the movie (with the beginning of "Sunday Clothes" playing while the camera pans over the Earth) is breathtaking. There're so many great details, sight gags, slapstick moments, emotional responses, and memorable scenes (the dancing sequence outside the Axiom, for instance). Go see it.

Current Pixar movie rankings, IMO:

9. Cars
8. A Bug's Life
7. Finding Nemo
6. Ratatouille
5. Monsters Inc.
4. WALL-E
3. Toy Story
2. Toy Story 2
1. The Incredibles

Better than Monsters Inc? That's some high praise from me.

A

[PreciousBodilyFluids]

...oh, and anyone who hates this movie and doesn't fall in love with the characters is a cold, heartless BASTARD...

Ouch.

I'm mystified by the enormous heaps of praise this film is getting. NOTHING remotely new or interesting was offered; it was just one well-worn cliche after another.

Granted, the technical aspects were impressive, but the character animation was horrible. Not only were the character designs of the most mind-numbingly generic sort, they were fitted with age-old Disney stock expressions and standard CGI movements.

Every Pixar film but 'Cars' pisses circles around 'WALL-E'.

2/5

[Ryan]

Ouch.

I'm mystified by the enormous heaps of praise this film is getting. NOTHING remotely new or interesting was offered; it was just one well-worn cliche after another.

Granted, the technical aspects were impressive, but the character animation was horrible. Not only were the character designs of the most mind-numbingly generic sort, they were fitted with age-old Disney stock expressions and standard CGI movements.

Every Pixar film but 'Cars' pisses circles around 'WALL-E'.

2/5

Ummm...you do know that the characters are ROBOTS?!...right?

[TriforceBun]

Uh...what? The animations were outstanding in every sense of the word. There's a reason why everyone who's seen WALL-E has fallen in love with the main characters, and it's because they appear more human than the motionless carbon blobs who occupy the Axiom.

Every tiny detailed movement of the character WALL-E adds to his personality and (oddly) his humanity: his hesitant approach when he sees something new, the expressive, inquisitive look to his eyes, the way he nervously, awkwardly tries to hold EVE's hand, his tiny, frustrated kick after being rejected, his inquisitive cock of the head when discovering a new treasure, his knee-jerk defense of retreating into a cube form, etc etc etc.

How in the world can you say this movie did nothing new?? I guess I must've missed the all those other minimal-dialogue, Hello Dolly-quoting movies about a dingy trash compactor following a white, egg-shaped robot to a ship full of vegetative humans that eventually attempt to repopulate the earth.

Yeah, that's totally cliche.

[Ryan]

Uh...what? The animations were outstanding in every sense of the word. There's a reason why everyone who's seen WALL-E has fallen in love with the main characters, and it's because they appear more human than the motionless carbon blobs who occupy the Axiom.

Every tiny detailed movement of the character WALL-E adds to his personality and (oddly) his humanity: his hesitant approach when he sees something new, the expressive, inquisitive look to his eyes, the way he nervously, awkwardly tries to hold EVE's hand, his tiny, frustrated kick after being rejected, his inquisitive cock of the head when discovering a new treasure, his knee-jerk defense of retreating into a cube form, etc etc etc.

How in the world can you say this movie did nothing new?? I guess I must've missed the all those other minimal-dialogue, Hello Dolly-quoting movies about a dingy trash compactor following a white, egg-shaped robot to a ship full of vegetative humans that eventually attempt to repopulate the earth.

Yeah, that's totally cliche.

That's why I think it's totally possible that he actually has not seen the movie yet. Anyone who posts a review vaguely like that has it coming...

[Semaj]

My new most favorite Pixar film.

Disney was reportedly nervous about releasing this, because of its grim environmental scenario and its intense critique on corporate neglect to humanity. Thankfully, they didn't do what 20th Century Fox did with Idiocracy and try to hide their shame. (They don't even have THAT much to lose by breaking off their love affair with Wal-Mart.)

Surely, the message is going to inspire a conservation campaign, especially with today's economic conditions, and it helps to begin with the thing people DON'T want to hear, because it may turn out to be the most important part of the whole message.

It was refreshing to see a new animated film that's not reliant on celebrity voices or snappy dialogue. Not that either are bad choices, but the film's emphasis on visual expressiveness immediately distinguishes it from any animated film made in years.

1) WALL-E
2) Monsters Inc.
3) The Incredibles
4) Ratatouille
5) Toy Story 2
6) Toy Story
7) Finding Nemo
8) Cars
9) A Bug's Life

5/5

[James L. Brookes]

For someone to say best thing Pixar has ever offered is not the right choice of words, "one of the greatest pieces of animation ever assembled" is more like it! Of course there are better things out there, but not much. The animation (excluding the humans) was extremely realistic, to the point where i found myself questioning weather or not it was a cartoon! I could have done without the live action appearance of Fred Willard, but it was moderately entertaining. The only thing that seemed to be a problem, and only a small problem, was the plot. Don't get me wrong, not the love story between wall-e and eve(infact thats one of the main reasons for its greatness), but for the conflict aboard the ship between our heroes and the Auto Pilot,(named Otto, anyone consult Airplane?)that part just seemed kinda' rushed. Excellent film, best of the year...maybe even decade. A.

[conor.]

damn was that a good movie, i'm not huge on any pixar movie to be honest so this is more of an outsiders opinion, but this was just as good if not better than toy story.

[TriforceBun]

For someone to say best thing Pixar has ever offered is not the right choice of words, "one of the greatest pieces of animation ever assembled" is more like it!

The two phrases are one and the same.

[arii]

That was simply beautiful - the animation and the detail within it was absolutely stunning and just a treat to watch. WALL-E, EVE, and even the captain were all fantastic characters, and while I'm typically not a fan of romance really, WALL-E and EVE's relationship was absolutely adorable and very well-handled.

The overall conflict with Otto was kinda lame, though - it made the captain really, really likable, and that was great to see how passionate he was to do some good and how he was able to overcome the ridiculously lazy lifestyle - and even the little bits with Mary and John were cute - but ultimately what made this were EVE and WALL-E. Everything Triforce Bun said just about covers why that is - how they each had distinct personalities and mannerisms and how they worked and grew together.

It was funny, it was visually stunning, it was very sweet, it was a pretty great story for the most part, and I dunno, it might be my new favourite Pixar film. Just really wonderfully done. Solid 5/5.

[Nerd Groupie]

I'm completely ignoring everything anyone said in this thread. Once I saw someone voted 2/5, I didn't bother.

Color me highly impressed. I was somewhat apprehensive because I was so stoked for it. I thought the environmental/human thing got just a shade preachy. I get it, but ok. Overall I thought it was all completely brilliant and I loved it. So many adorable parts. The way they convey emotion without speaking. The fact that we know what the characters were saying and feeling without words. Highly impressive.

Plus I cracked up at the Bolt trailer.

[The3DGuy]

Holy crap! Movie was very emotional. Glad Nerd Groupie didn't look over to see I 'had something in my eyes'

[Ryan]

I'm completely ignoring everything anyone said in this thread. Once I saw someone voted 2/5, I didn't bother.

Pretty much everyone here loved it except for one person who I'm pretty sure does not possess a soul. Probably sold it to Milhouse or something...

(realizes he's not in GD)

Man, did I just make Simpsons reference? Sorry 'bout that......

[Mira]

Yeah, so I planned on seeing Hancock this weekend due to it looking pretty amazing. It got shit reviews though, so I am seeing this instead.

I loved every Pixar film, especially both Toy Story's and Cars. Can't wait.

[Enter The Moleman]

Holy crap! Movie was very emotional. Glad Nerd Groupie didn't look over to see I 'had something in my eyes'

glad I wasn't the only one with "something in his eyes" twice actually. amazing how much emotion pixar got out of a lil robot. I loved the end credits epilogue showing the human race starting over. Beautiful animation all around too, I wish this was in digital 3d. The appreciation for pixar quality was amplified even more after seeing the trailer for "fly me to the moon", ugh. Surprised nobody hasn't really mentioned the live-action parts which surprising blended well, Fred Willard is always awesome too.

Top-notch short also

[PreciousBodilyFluids]

Uh...what? The animations were outstanding in every sense of the word. There's a reason why everyone who's seen WALL-E has fallen in love with the main characters, and it's because they appear more human than the motionless carbon blobs who occupy the Axiom.

Every tiny detailed movement of the character WALL-E adds to his personality and (oddly) his humanity: his hesitant approach when he sees something new, the expressive, inquisitive look to his eyes, the way he nervously, awkwardly tries to hold EVE's hand, his tiny, frustrated kick after being rejected, his inquisitive cock of the head when discovering a new treasure, his knee-jerk defense of retreating into a cube form, etc etc etc.

How in the world can you say this movie did nothing new?? I guess I must've missed the all those other minimal-dialogue, Hello Dolly-quoting movies about a dingy trash compactor following a white, egg-shaped robot to a ship full of vegetative humans that eventually attempt to repopulate the earth.

Yeah, that's totally cliche.

It's recycled tripe retold with robots, end of story. While a love story between robot's MAY not have been done before, theres no denying that a love story between a romantically inept, yet charming underdog and a practically perfect female hasn't been done. Give them "cute" robotic quirks and you have yourself the epitome of mediocrity (perfect quote you have there, by the way).

By your sarcastic retort, you seem to be focused on specifics, but I didn't fall for 'WALL-E's rather dim masquerade. While watching the movie (yes, I watched it) I kept looking and looking for something original, be it in joke, character, or message. Much to my chagrin, I found nothing of the sort.

Let's see....

EARTH'S FUTURE IS BLEAK LARGELY DUE TO THE HUMANS, WHO (IN THE FUTURE) ARE FAT, LAZY, AND IGNORANT!

THE FILMS ANTAGONIST DIES AND IS RESURRECTED BY HIS BELOVED, ONLY TO BE A DIM SHADOW OF HIS FORMER SELF UNAWARE OF HIS PAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS! AFTER AMPLE TISSUE TIME, HE SOMEHOW COMES BACK TO LIFE AND GETS THE GIRL AND EVERYTHING STARTS TO GET BETTER!

ET CETERA!

And the jokes.....you can't honestly think they were funny. Standard cutesy filler, all of them.

This scene comes to mind: An anal retentive robot is angered by WALL-E's persistently filthy tracks. After successfully ridding his precious floor of WALL-E's filth, WALL-E kicks him right between the eye's, leaving a messy footprint.

For a verbal example, there's "Get ready to have some babies". Ugh.

Your animation examples do nothing but support my argument. Every one of those actions was executed in the standard Disney/CGI manner. I know that they're robots, but I get tired of staring at a hunk of off-kilter machinery that looks like an E.T/Lenny The Binoculars hybrid. What's there to marvel at? The eyes? Oh, please! You see that same, sad expression in nearly every cartoon, and don't give me any of that subtlety nonsense. You were right in suggesting that "the motionless carbon blobs who occupy the Axiom" were lesser than their robot counterparts, but that doesn't make the latter better by comparison.

[Nerd Groupie]

Wow. You just shouldn't watch these types of movies. Ever. Go watch something deeper if you want that.

[eddie]

Pretty much everyone here loved it except for one person who I'm pretty sure does not possess a soul. Probably sold it to Milhouse or something...

[PreciousBodilyFluids]

Wow. You just shouldn't watch these types of movies. Ever. Go watch something deeper if you want that.

I've become increasingly notorious as of late for dumping "deeper" shows like 'The Simpsons' and 'Cowboy Bebop' in favor of simpler fare like 'Looney Tunes' and 'Ren And Stimpy', so that's not the problem. Originality is all I ask.

[TheForbiddenDonut]

When did you dump 'Cowboy Bebop'?

[PreciousBodilyFluids]

I've become increasingly notorious as of late for dumping "deeper" shows like 'The Simpsons' and 'Cowboy Bebop' IN FAVOR of simpler fare like 'Looney Tunes' and 'Ren And Stimpy', so that's not the problem. Originality is all I ask.

Perhaps that came out wrong. I only meant that I prefer 'Looney Tunes' and 'Ren And Stimpy' over it.

[TheForbiddenDonut]

Gotcha.

[Tamaki Suoh]

It's recycled tripe retold with robots, end of story. While a love story between robot's MAY not have been done before, theres no denying that a love story between a romantically inept, yet charming underdog and a practically perfect female hasn't been done. Give them "cute" robotic quirks and you have yourself the epitome of mediocrity (perfect quote you have there, by the way).

When was the last time a simple, pure love story was told in an animated film? Furthermore, when was the last time that the love story in an animated film was its core and its driving, central story rather than a subplot which feels like it was only put in the movie out of reluctant necessity?

EARTH'S FUTURE IS BLEAK LARGELY DUE TO THE HUMANS, WHO (IN THE FUTURE) ARE FAT, LAZY, AND IGNORANT!

Most animated films do not feature such satire, so I'm not sure why you're acting as if they do. Additionally, most satires stem from governmental oppression rather than exposure of society's self-inflicted flaws, and also, as I said in my review, the movie was able to criticize societal behavior while still presenting the overall good spirit of people and making the message a hopeful one, celebratory rather than disdainful of humankind, another thing pretty rare for satires.

THE FILMS ANTAGONIST DIES AND IS RESURRECTED BY HIS BELOVED, ONLY TO BE A DIM SHADOW OF HIS FORMER SELF UNAWARE OF HIS PAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS! AFTER AMPLE TISSUE TIME, HE SOMEHOW COMES BACK TO LIFE AND GETS THE GIRL AND EVERYTHING STARTS TO GET BETTER!

"Somehow comes back to life"? The entire point of that plot turn was to illumine the theme of love (of each other and of our planet) renewing what could be left as a broken, dim shadow of its former self. Nothing remains perfect forever, but this ending with WALL-E and EVE shows that a return to former glory is possible for WALL-E, humanity, and the planet, if only these things are given the love and attention they require to grow and thrive and give that love and attention back in return.

And the jokes.....you can't honestly think they were funny. Standard cutesy filler, all of them.

I'm personally thankful that the movie wasn't laden with jokes. I prefer standard cutesy filler to attempts at "hip, modern" gags that most current animated movies are guilty of interjecting at even the most inopportune times. "Wall-E" could have easily, easily been a victim of these aforementioned gags, due to its future setting and satirical nature. But did we see iPods ruling the world or anything of the sort? Nope. What we got instead were classic, simple gags that fit perfectly with the situations. None were trying to be overly-clever or grandiose; none felt written or forced; they all just flowed with the piece nicely and offered some innocent chuckles, nothing more and nothing less.

What's there to marvel at? The eyes? Oh, please! You see that same, sad expression in nearly every cartoon, and don't give me any of that subtlety nonsense.

I don't know when was the last time character designs have been so expressionistic while remaining understated, or the last time they have been so widely connected with. One scene that comes to mind as impressive is the ending with the emotionless WALL-E. His design barely changed, yet his internal transmogrification was easily felt and effortlessly conveyed through subtle lighting, angles, et cetera.