Coming into the movie I was expecting a lot more than what I got. It was an interesting and unique concept, and I applaud them for that. But the overall result was just an average movie.

This is a love story between 2 robots. The main character is Wall-E, a trash compacter robot. He is one of the last robots still working on Earth, attempting to clean up an Earth that is waist deep in trash. Humans have left Earth for greener pastures until Earth is completely cleaned up.

Some reviewers have talked about how emotional the movie is. I just do not agree. I felt more emotion at the end of T2 than the whole movie. Princess Bride, Dead Poets society, The One do a better job (just to name a few). Now this is not to say that there wasn’t emotion, after all this is a wonderfully told love story. But the love fails to go past puppy love and encounter true obstacles that challenge the love between the two characters. And no, physical obstacles don't count. I just didn’t find it inspiring or heartfelt.

I like realism in my movies for the most part, especially if it is sci-fi. Needless to say, I was really bugged by a ton of inaccuracies in the film. Most of which have to do with Wall-E. I would actually classify the movie as a fantasy, not a sci-fi.

The pacing just sucked. As one review put it “you can’t market a 45 minute movie”. I think Mick LaSalle hit the nail on the head. But even of those 45 minutes, less than 30 captivated my full attention. The rest of the movie was there to give you a sense of the world and minor character building. Most of it unnecessary.

The graphics are awesome and fairly realistic, for the most part. This is the biggest strength of the film and it really made the world seem alive. The animation is superior to any other Pixar movie to date. I only have two complains about the visuals, first they spliced in a real life actor (Fred Willard) into the movie. I just did not like this because it took away from the illusion. Seeing him just reminded me that this was a cartoon, not another world. Second, the CG humans just looked bad. It is the worst looking human in any Pixar film in my opinion.

The story was cute, but not engaging. I found myself looking at the clock wondering if the story would stop moving at a snail’s pace and get a move on. My 6 year-old was bored and squirrely. He would have left half-way through the movie if he had his choice. I probably would too if I didn’t just fork over $32 to see it.

The music was done by Thomas Newman, who I love, but this score was not that well done. The music felt more like elevator music and not the usual emotion stirring, dynamic music he normally writes. Newman also did the soundtracks for Nemo, Lemony Snickets, and American beauty; all three are powerful scores (and I own all three soundtracks). But this one felt like he just phoned it in. It was powerless, lacked emotion, and did not inspire. Needless to say, I will not be buying it.

Now for the best part, the cartoon at the beginning of the movie. It was hysterical.

The players
Director: Andrew Stanton
Writer: Andrew Stanton
Music: Thomas Newman

Ratings
Yahoo users: A-
Yahoo critics: A-
Metacritics users: 9.0
Metacritics critics: 93
Rotten tomato: 96%
My score: 3.11

MPAA rating: G

Running time: 97 minutes (but sure did seem longer)

Other reviews.
My favorite children's movies
Castle in the sky.
Spirited Away


Recommended: No