WALL-E (2008)

 

Pixar Animation Studios has always found creative and imaginative ways to tell a story to movie audiences everywhere. From toys that have a life of their own when we're not around, to a family of superheroes that deal with real issues, Pixar has always done something great in terms of story. But what about a love story between a pair or robots? It sounds like a silly concept but that is the case with 2008's “WALL-E”, a simple idea that became a huge hit. Unfortunately, the lesson that is bought up in the movie is pretty predictable, and to a lesser extent, somewhat preachy. Meaning that we get a lot of complicated predictions that we already know about. “WALL-E” is a remarkable little film from Pixar, but it needs a better story.

Set hundreds of years in the not too distant future, the human race has heavily polluted the Earth to a point where life is uninhabitable. Enter WALL-E, a robot that can clean up trash, but he is amazed at what humans have left behind like lighters, various toys, and a Pong machine. One day, a female robot named EVE comes to Earth and WALL-E instantly falls in love with her. EVE is looking for a plant; WALL-E finds one, and together, the two go on an extraordinary journey where an even bigger plot unfolds.

“WALL-E” was a good attempt at Pixar trying to tell a great and interesting story.

What this means is that while the first act of the movie is brilliant, the second and third acts loosen up on the main story of the two robots and instead focuses on these human characters that are only brought up at a pivotal moment into the film's run time. And the humans don't really do that much, save for two side characters and the captain. Yet the interaction between WALL-E and EVE is a good relationship and they are believable to a point.

In fact the characters make the film work as they are memorable as well as having WALL-E and EVE having a good chemistry between the two. These two are some of the most remarkable and enchanting characters that viewers have not seen in a while.

The visuals are amazing, as per Pixar standards, and the voice work and sound effects are incredible. From the use of machines to synthesized voices, this movie can be defined as futuristic. The whole film has a nice vibe to it as it truly takes on the form of a sci-fi film; this is noticeable as there are numerous references to the film “2001: A Space Odyssey” scattered throughout the movie, almost down to the villain. “WALL-E” is an impressive feat that has one major problem.

And again, it all boils down to the second and third acts of the feature, making it pretty easy to figure out just what is going to happen.

Once WALL-E and EVE arrive on the spaceship where the plot goes even further, the movie goes from a message about two lovable robots, to a message about protecting our planet. This is a theme we have seen many times before in other films and it is getting redundant. The movie tries very hard to keep your main attention to our main characters, when all of a sudden, this theme of environmental safety comes into play. This is an error in an otherwise perfect movie.

Also, the main villain is pretty obvious. We know from the first instance that we meet him, what the plans are, and what he is trying to do. There's no big surprise or reveal, or twist for that matter. The villain is pretty generic as you can possibly get.

In conclusion, “WALL-E” is good movie with great visuals and characters, but maybe Pixar needed to improve its story a bit then it would have been perfect.