Far Beyond Ordinar-E
Okay Kelly. Here you go…
WALL-E (A+)
It had to happen some time. It was inevitable. After years of turning up my nose at almost every single PIXAR film, I knew eventually I would find one that I would just absolutely enthusiastically shout it from the rooftops love love LOVE! My friends, that day has finally come. I have never been a fan of PIXAR’s particular brand of storytelling. At one time, I felt that with the exception of a cute little clownfish, all PIXAR films were nothing more than overrate pieces of fossilized cow dung. Have you seen Doc Hollywood? Then you’ve seen Cars. Are you in a coma? Then The Incredibles in the film for you! How many Monsters Inc. DVDs can you fit in an industrial sized blender? I don’t know but I’d love to find out. I could go on like this all day.
So how is it the quiet beauty of a little robot all alone on a dystrophic planet floating through the vast emptiness of the universe got to me? Who knows? Maybe I’m a sucker for robots. After all, WALL-E the character is like a cross between Buster Keaton and Johnny Five. Pure genius. I won’t bother describing the plot, as any efforts I could make, end up coming off as pedantic or down right silly. Suffice to say; if you’ve seen the previews then you know the nuts and bolts of the love story that awaits.
But wait, this film is more than a love story! While you may have heard some conservative critics lambaste the film as a didactic piece of garbage, anyone with half a brain knows it’s more than a political piece as well. Be sure to keep your eyes open for nods to 2001 and Alien and other classic sci-fi greats. You see, as it turns out WALL-E is a socio-political love story that is also one of the saddest and most touching animated adventures you may ever see. I don’t want to oversell it. I really don’t. That being said, WALL-E is certainly the best film I have seen so far this year and it’s a recommendation shouldn’t be taken lightly. After all, I’m not known for my overzealous support of Steve Jobs’ quaint little animation side project.
Tags: film
