WALL•E Reviews

Pixar's Feature Films WALL•E
#161

Nice reviews, lizardgirl, TS2.

Looking at RottenTomatoes last week (haven’t checked lately) out of the six or so bad reviews, I felt only one was a serious review (I didn’t agree with it, but I felt it was an honest review, not an automatic “trash” because the movie didn’t jive with the reviewers politics or feelings about Pixar or other things having nothing to do with the movie itself).

And regarding the fringe bad reviews… just remember, this movie will be around years from now, when no one will remember the name of some obscure reviewer.

#162

Hi all,

This is my first post here. I thought the film was fantastic - the first half of the film is really amazing. However, I thought the second half suffered because the first half was so good. This is unusual with Pixar’s movies as they have a really strong storyboard team - I wonder if the deadlines were pressing and they rushed the second part of the movie.

Anyway, I thought of a part which could have been better. I didn’t think the idea of the president of BNL saying that the Earth was too toxic to return was very strong. It wasn’t surprising and didn’t seem to have much of an impact. So I’ve thought of an alternative reason why Auto could have wanted to destroy the plant. I’ve posted it here:

[url]http://alternativewalle.blogspot.com/[/url]

but a quick summary is that Auto has also developed emotions and feelings, and thinks if they go back to Earth, then Auto will be forgotten and become lonely. Plus, Auto’s prime directive is to safely navigate humans through space - not Earth. Hence why Auto is trying to destroy the plant.

What do you think? Actually, I’m inviting people to come up with suggestions for any part of the movie - and I’ll post good ones on the blog (make sure you include a name, website or something I can acknowledge you with). Who knows, maybe Pixar might pick up on some of them for an extended director’s cut on DVD :wink:

#163

Firstly, welcome to the boards, oppo! :smiley: I’m sure you’ll be comfortable around our many WALL-E fans.

And as for the alternate scene you’ve got here, well, I sort of see what you’re saying about how WALL-E almost didn’t feel the same in the second half of the film, as the first half was just so good. You’ve got an interesting idea for an alternative solution to that scene, but I just can’t see Auto [spoil]having emotions. Auto is the main antagonist of the movie (although he isn’t really an antagonist, but he’s the closest thing to one). Without him being robot-like, then there is no comparison between him and WALL-E and EVE. Sure, he’ll still want the same thing but the audience will empathise with him, and then who’s side will they want to be on? Especially as this is a kid’s film, and kids always like to have someone to root for- and the same can be said of adults, too.[/spoil]

But it’s very interesting that you’re coming up with alternative ideas to what we’ve seen in WALL-E! I’m intriguied to see if you have any other ideas or thoughts. :smiley:

#164

I posted a lengthy review over at another forum I belong to, so I will repost it here. I will try to add spoiler tags where necessary. There isn’t any deep or complex insight into the meaning of the film, simply my opinions on the movie and its qualities.

WALL-E

#165

Great review! Nailed the big stuff for the film.

#166

I saw WALL-E twice, I love it even more. I love this movie period. :smiley:
This Movie is a must for my library of movies.

#167

Saw it again last night. I cried even more this time. There’s just something about it.

When I went last night, the crowd was a good mixture of kids and adults. But the one thing that I noticed was that the adults laughed more than the kids! Pixar’s visual humour manages to appeal to everyone, which is something that other studios struggle with.

Right from the outset, the use of [spoil]Hello, Dolly! marks this film out as not being all depressing and moody, especially as its target audience is of a younger age range. It sort of reminds me of MI, where they used that animated door sequence with the cheery, playful music to set the tone, as opposed to the opening scene which at first appears to be dark and scary. Hello, Dolly! also reminds the viewers of an age long gone even in comparison to the present day, so the contrast between the cheerful musical lyrics and our abandoned Earth is just so stark. Even the clever comparison between other galaxies and planets against Earth, surrounded by rubbish and satellites just makes it clear how much we’ve spoilt everything.

I think the strength of this film is not the green message, though. It’s more the incredible characterisation of, well, all the characters. I’m not one for love stories usually, but WALL-E’s loneliness is so potent that it’s difficult not to wish for something good to happen to him. Despite the fact that he’s looked after himself for nigh on 700 years, it’s still obvious that he needs someone to look out for him. He’s clumsy, naive and not completely understanding of the world around him. He really is a child in comparison to the perhaps wiser and more capable EVE- such as when she solves the rubix cube, for example, or when she uses the lighter as he doesn’t even realise what it’s for in the first place- but he teaches her something in the end. He teaches her what it means to truly care and love about someone. That moment when EVE is playing back the security camera recording of when WALL-E has been looking after her is, for me, the most touching part of the movie. It has suddenly clicked in EVE’s mind that WALL-E loves her for her, not because of some other ulterior motive or directive.

A lot of people have said that the film takes a turn for the worse when WALL-E and EVE arrive on the Axiom, but I disagree. For me, that’s when things start to improve. Sure, there are the chase sequences, something Pixar is pretty well known for, but they have so much added meaning when two established characters are involved. WALL-E captures the hearts of everyone he meets, despite his outward appearence of being a rusty old cube. It’s just such an inspiring story, and the climatic (and rather funny) battle between the Captain and Auto is almost touching; it’s funny, but the second time I saw the film, I really felt sorry for Auto, whilst the first time I saw it I just thought he seemed a bit flat, only wishing to follow his directive. But there’s a hint of desperation in his voice that I hadn’t noticed before, and the little details like that are what make a Pixar film something different. If Dreamworks or any other company had been making this exact same film, they would’ve gone the whole hog and made Auto this evil, villainous robot intent on destroying humanity. But Pixar has made him into something incapable of going against what he was made to do, and because of this, both WALL-E and EVE seem all the more unique- not every robot can turn against their inbuilt purpose. Hence why when EVE throws the plant to one side, focusing only on WALL-E, it’s such an important moment.

There are little plot holes in WALL-E, little moments where it’s easy to question the story. But that’s only because it’s such an ambitious undertaking, and Pixar have managed to create something that really hasn’t been done before. It’s in its imperfections that WALL-E shines, because that’s the whole point- WALL-E himself isn’t perfect, and yet he still manages to achieve what humanity cannot. And EVE inspires him to do so- EVE makes WALL-E realise that there is more out there. One does not work without the other, and that’s when a true pairing is formed.[/spoil]

I’ve probably just stated a whole bunch of obvious things, but I just can’t help but love this film so much. It’s been quite a while since I’ve just sat down and enjoyed a movie of this quality, but it’s good to know that there’s still a company out there that isn’t turning into Buy N Large, and that’s still choosing quality over quantity. Sort of restores your faith in humanity, doesn’t it?

#168

A month has passed since I saw WALL•E with my boyfriend. We attended the midnight showing during my trip to visit him over in Washington. It was the perfect first movie for us to see together in a theater. <3

#169

I finally saw it for the first time today.

I need to watch it a second time soon, but I think this is gonna be my favourite Pixar movie. And it’s not like I’m saying this every year. My favourite used to be… the original Toy Story.

There’s just something about this movie. It feels new, like something I’ve never experienced before. Could be the characters, could be the fact that there’s almost no spoken dialogue, could be the story, the fact that it’s set in the future, the animation… Could be all of these reasons.
Anyway, there’s a feeling to it that almost took me back to the first time I saw Toy Story, more that 12 years ago - kinda like a “Anton Ego experience” ; and I’m almost crying writing this.

Of course, the vision of future is a little naïve, simplified and caricatured, but after all, this is an animated movie. It didn’t bother me at all.

Good job, Andrew Stanton and everybody at Pixar !

#170

:smiley: Hi i,m another wall.e fan i,m from uk i think the movie is the best ever i loved evrey second of it and am now collecting wall.e merchandise
from wall.e21

#171

Well, it’s been a loooong time since I first saw this movie. But every time I see it (which is a lot of times) I cry every single time. It’s really hard to get sick of this movie.

When I first saw this movie, I couldn’t really figure out what I liked about it so much. When my friend dragged me to go see it I was expecting just “another cute Pixar movie”. I didn’t know it would completely blow me away. I didn’t know it would become the greatest film I have ever seen and probably ever will see. The things that struck me the most upon my first time seeing it was #1 the love story.I am a hopeless romantic so that’s always what I get most out of movies. I can’t help myself. When I read a book or watch a movie, I am always picky about the romantic pairings. If they aren’t good, the movie isn’t good. And who knew that a story between two robots could be one of the greatest love stories ever told? But I still couldn’t figure out why. ANd then of course there was the soundtrack (which I bought on Itunes immediately upon returning home from the theater) which was breathtaking, the animation, the cinematography, the sound effects, the designs, I could go on and on. It’s really hard for me to describe how I feel about this movie. When that happens to people, you know it’s a pretty special movie.

After thinking about it for a while, I think what it boils down to is the heart and soul that was put into this film. Andrew Stanton was just drawn to this character and that motivated him to work extra hard to make this film what it is. As opposed to the people who come up with ideas because they have to in order to make money.

But Wall-E was, in a word, phenomenal. It can’t get any better than this, IMO. I don’t think I’ll ever find a movie I like more than this. There’s something just so special about that I can’t even put my finger on.

#172

Amen. That pretty much says all I can say about it.

5 TIMES, and the scene [spoil]traveling to the Axiom[/spoil] still almost made me cry.

#173

in a response to earlier posts…

[spoiler]i think auto /is/ the centre of B’n’L, and realises if people return to earth, the dependency on robots will be weakened and B’n’L will no longer have a monopoly on humankind.
not to mention auto will be out of a job (it’s not like he can exactly get out of the ship, as he’s attached to the ceiling) - it’s sort of a survival of the fittest.

continuing my thought trail - the video saying earth was too toxic. i always took that in a way that B’n’L people were too lazy to sort it out, too eager to have fun on the axiom and live a life of luxury. and the video was some sort of cop-out.[/spoiler]

also:

i found the use of the old fashioned music (hello, dolly) and etc made the opening sequence even more creepy and lonely than it would have been. the way the music slowly disappeared and morphed into this lonely, dramatic orchestra piece really tugged at the heart strings.

#174

Finally saw WALL•E at the movies.

Brilliant, but not my favourite Pixar film. But it is still a fantastic movie and I can’t wait to see it again on the 14th.

#175

Glad to hear you really liked it bawpcpn!

#176

I just watched it for the first time today too and I loved it!!:smiley: In my mind, it’s fighting with Finding Nemo to gain my it’s place as my top favourite Pixar feature.(=

I’m not much for reviews, but I think I can explain it with these two words “Yappari Pixar!” My friend and I always use the expression ‘yappari’, which is japanese for ‘as I thought’ or ‘absolutely’ or ‘as expected’… etcetera etcetera, it’s kind of difficult to explain, but what I’m basically trying to say is that it’s absolutely what I expected from an animation pumped out by Pixar. The story is wonderful, the animation is magnificent, the sounds design/music compliments the visuals perfectly, and as always, Pixar tends to add a special something that makes it more than just a children’s animation.

Still two and a half weeks left till the official release, but I can’t wait to watch it again! :wink:

#177

What an amazing film. My head is still swimming from watching this gorgeous and touching masterpiece. If I could think of one word to describe the movie, it would be, “contradictory” (but in a good way.) A very sharp and clever film, I didn’t even notice that the first third of the movie had no dialogue. The first third of the movie was so dark, it just blew my mind that this could be a “Pixar film” or even an “animated film.” Very deep, and it deserves the nomination for Best Picture. Not too much to say other than that - I need to view Pixar films a few times before I can grasp the million different aspects of it and put it into words - right now, it’s just information overload.

the funniest part that comes to mind is when [spoil]WALL•E couldn’t figure out where to place the spork. Heheh.[/spoil]

Could you please post about this screening in the Australian Advance Screening thread (even if you think it won’t be shown outside of Brisbane.)? Thanks.

#178

I totally agree with u on all of that, hollitree.

#179

I posted this on my deviantArt account last month:

After the first viewing, I planned to see WALL-E once more and once more only. I’ve now seen it five times.

This is not a film that I wish to see a hundred times, fifty times, or even ten times in the cinema. It’s simply that type of movie: indescribable. When I first saw this production, I was left sitting in my theater seat with a pool of tears in my hands. It had been years since I’d poured out my emotions to that extent; not since I first saw Bambi as a child, in fact. So strong was the desire to relive that experience, that I went to see it a second time, but the tears didn’t come; nor did they make their appearance a third time, a fourth, or even a fifth. After the second viewing, I realized that I would never experience those emotions while watching that film again, and I dearly miss that experience.

Whereas Ratatouille narrated my life story, WALL-E brought me back to a hidden corner of my childhood – one that I had long since forgotten. That said, I truly believe that I would not have enjoyed this production half as much had it not been for the music. Thomas Newman’s brilliant score, particularly during the Define Dancing sequence, rendered me speechless in tongue, but oral in expression. WALL-E is not my favorite film, for nothing will ever replace my love for Ratatouille, but it did make an impact – a very deep impact…

It took me some time to become fully composed after first seeing WALL•E, but I have since recuperated completely.

In a nutshell, I have never before seen a film where I simply… don’t know what to say. To date, it is the most evocative production I have ever seen, and I still dearly miss that first experience…

Edit: The only thing I didn’t like about the film was the credits. I hated the credits. Couldn’t stand 'em, unfortunately. (heh)

– Mitch

#180

I have a new adjective now : Wallextraordinary ! :smiley:

I think I’m more in love with Wall-e itself than the movie, I want to hug him every time I see its big binocular eyes or I heard its little “wow” or “tadaaa”… gnnnn.

Uh, and love M-O too :blush:

How “they” did that ? In fact, I think I just love Pixar :unamused: