WALL•E

When I first saw the preview for Pixar’s WALL•E, I can’t say I was ecstatic. While my brother was the one really looking forward to the movie, I wasn’t very pumped until a couple weeks before the big day, when I read the plot summary provided by Pixar online. Being a science fiction fan (despite my complaints about some modern sci-fi), the movie seemed to meet all my interests: a promising science fiction plot, state-of-the-art visuals, and a cute little robot protagonist who’s just dim enough for everything to go right for him. I saw WALL•E at midnight last night, and suffice it to say the movie blew my mind.

Sure, it’s rated G. Sure, it’s animated and primarily marketed towards children ages 3 to 10. But I loved Finding Nemo although I was out of its target age range, and loved Ratatouille despite being about seven years too old, so I was counting on Pixar to pull through for me again. They’re known for making children’s movies that pretty much anyone can enjoy, and WALL•E was no exception.

The premise is simple, and rest assured that the following won’t spoil anything for prospective moviegoers: Earth has been ruined by the exploits of humanity, and they’re forced to leave home on a giant space station named the Axiom. WALL•E is a robot designed to clean up the planet while the humans are away, but it seems he and his mission have been forgotten. One day, he stumbles upon a landing rocket delivering a scout robot named EVE, whose task is to look for signs of life on the barren planet. WALL•E falls instantly in love, and follows her into space on the adventure that encompasses the rest of the movie. I won’t say more about the plot, but that much could have been gleaned from the previews alone.

The visuals are, as expected, incredibly stunning, with CGI cosmic landscapes and futuristic CGI space stations emerging from gorgeous purple CGI nebulae. My favorite aspect might have been the sounds, however, with great R2-D2 beeps and whirrs and the [perfectly placed] Mac startup tone sounding every time WALL•E turns on. The plot, surprisingly enough, was believable. And the romance between two little robots, featuring minimal dialogue and mostly the shouting of one another’s names, was actually heartfelt and touching. They made the audience actually feel for a CGI piece of metal and binoculars, which in my book quantifies good writing.

Last but [perhaps] not least, the movie avoided nearly all of the science fiction clichés and inaccuracies I’ve complained about before. While there were well-placed comedic nods to 2001: A Space Odyssey and several other classics of the genre, the movie was probably Pixar’s most original and enjoyable movie yet. I can report without exaggeration that it’s one of my favorite movies I’ve seen in years, despite its G rating and target audience. For all the above greatness, I give WALL•E a 9.3 out of 10.¹²