Pajamas Media

131 Comments

Richard:

Ferngully anyone?

Jun 27, 2008 - 2:56 am Navytech:

Dark satire with a touch of slapstick? I love it! Cities in Space meets Dark Star. Although I love Disney World, making fun of it is a national pastime. Add cute robots and this movie sounds like it can’t miss.

and you know? A cautionary tale about overly self-indulgent couch potatoes presented by a funny entertaining movie isn’t bad either.

Jun 27, 2008 - 4:24 am Navytech:

Um, Cities in Flight not Cities in Space.

Jun 27, 2008 - 5:24 am Calvin:

more liberal bias in kid’s movies

the eco-nazis of the left like to brainwash them young

taking my daughter to see the left wing “Happy Feet” was about the last time I’ll attend a film like that

thanks for the review

Jun 27, 2008 - 5:51 am Air2air:

Not even Pixar’s brilliance can last forever. I was wondering when they would slip, and it’s their NorCal moonbattiness that we can thank for it.

I am going to try and talk my wife and kids out of this one. This movie doesn’t set a positive example for what we and our kids can strive for

Jun 27, 2008 - 6:50 am Joanna:

My little sister had to watch “Fern Gully” in her high school biology class. Her summation: “Sell your own grandmother before you cut down a tree.”

Pixar is always visually stunning, but the plot quality varies by director. John Lasseter’s movies tend to be thinly veiled rahashes of other films (”A Bug’s Life” vs. “The Magnificent Seven,” for instance). Brad Bird, on the other hand, is a freaking genius: Both “The Incredibles” and “Ratatouille” were excellent movies with excellent messages. If “Wall-E” is the darkest (and most loony) they’ve gotten, I’d say that’s a pretty good track record.

Jun 27, 2008 - 7:03 am ts:

First of all, the robot’s name is Eve. Those monosyllabic words are so tough!

Second, to Calvin: “liberal bias in kid’s movies”? That paranoid worldview must make for an extraordinary lonely life.

Jun 27, 2008 - 7:49 am Larry Rasczak:

As the father of an 11 year old boy and 4 year old girl, I have seen, and seen, and seen, and seen again, and seen YET AGAIN, most Disney, and (except for WALL-E and Ratatouille) every Pixar movie ever made. Thanks to the magic of DVD technology I have (albeit involuntarily ) memorized entire script of Cinderella, as well as the first half of The Little Mermaid (up to the scary part when Ursula comes in). I had the unfortunate luck to wind up paying money to see both Yu-Gi-Oh the Movie, and The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3D, and I know far more about the various and sundry Disney Princess than is psychologically healthy for a straight man in his early 40s. I know my kids movies.

So, without having seen Wall-E (YET…emphasis on YET) I have to say I am with ts, and Navytech here.

Disney has a long track record of incredible family movies. Together with Walden they have done a truly magnificent job on the first two of the Narnia movies; and PIXAR has an unbroken record of making fun, quality, family flicks. I really pity anyone who is such a self important psuedo intellectual that they feel the need to A) look for political bias and hidden agendas in a children’s movie, (what’s next…the hidden Royalist agenda in Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty?) and B) feel that finding darkness despair and evidence of “Mankind’s exististential sorrow over the death of God etc.” in everything somehow makes them sound deep.

Folks, for goodness sake, get over yourselves and enjoy the popcorn.

Jun 27, 2008 - 8:50 am AWOL Civilization:

The irony here is that if our culture continues to slide into the anti-human, anti-art, and anti-intellect represented by films like this, then in all likelihood we will indeed end up in a dark and dingy space, devoid of all beauty and purpose. These abominations must be resisted at all cost.

Jun 27, 2008 - 10:29 am Matthew Hooper:

… you say “Buster-Keaton style slapstick” like ti was somehow a bad thing. In case you hadn’t noticed, animated features generally work at their absolute best when they rely on wordless slapstick instead of dialogue. I refer you to Road Runner, Tom and Jerry, “What’s Opera, Doc?”, et al.

Jun 27, 2008 - 10:36 am Joanna:

AWOL: Whoa there, Cherry Blossom. Pixar is an oasis of sanity and quality in the world of children’s entertainment. Don’t go lumping their movies in with the “lots of noise and overdone slapstick = happy kids” crowd. Frankly, some of their movies (”Ratatouille” especially) really aren’t “kids” movies at all — they’re just good movies that happen to be animated. Watch some of the noisy, color-saturated dreck they run on Cartoon Network and then compare the two. There’s just no putting them in the same category.

Besides, judging from the review above (I haven’t seen the movie yet, admittedly), isn’t”Wall-E” making the same point you are? That immersion in mindless entertainment leads to life as a sea cucumber?

Jun 27, 2008 - 10:41 am Pat:

“This is perhaps the most cynical and darkest big-budget Disney film ever . . .”

I think you have forgotten The Black Hole. I wish I could.

Jun 27, 2008 - 10:56 am John the Libertarian:

Okay, so Wall-E gets a 98 percent on Rotten Tomatoes? Methinks it’s this review that is rotten.

Jun 27, 2008 - 11:23 am AWOL Civilization:

Joanna: I did not mention Pixar in my comment. I was referring to this particular film.

If the problem was mindless entertainment, we would be in good shape. Unfortunately, we (and especially impressionable younger folk) are being subjected to much more than that.

I unfortunately had to view the trailer for Wall-e. If this is a blockbuster film for children, then our future is very much in doubt. The stream of revolting images alone is enough to deaden the sense of aesthetics of a human being. But all that pales in comparison to the brainwashing involved, with its crystal clear message: America and its civilization are evil. This is what a child will have in his head when he leaves the theater.

If someone really wanted to warn us about the dangers of mindless entertainment, they would produce something worthy of being seen, something uplifting and inspiring. Then they could add negative characters as lessons on what to avoid. Producing a movie that is itself sickening is no more of a warning than publishing a Dan Brown novel is a warning against tasteless low-brow literature.

Jun 27, 2008 - 11:56 am Kim Zigfeld:

TS:

“Second, to Calvin: ‘liberal bias in kid’s movies’? That paranoid worldview must make for an extraordinary lonely life.”

Hmmm . . . then what can we say motivates a person to attack with vitriol someone they believe is lonely and heartbroken?

I daren’t imagine. Is that the source of your open, embracing much-more-reasonable worldview, the one that allows you to be so much more accepting of diversity?

Dude, think a little before you write. Please.

Jun 27, 2008 - 12:30 pm Marc:

I think to assume that children that see this movie will come to the conclusion that America is evil, is a bit myopic. First of all, I don’t think it’s a good idea to censor something based upon a message that you may find disagreeable. Frankly, that’s where proper parenting comes in. Ask questions, answer questions, provide alternative suppositions. For God’s sake, if a child is so impressionable that a 97 minute movie will sway their allegiance to their country, then there is something else wrong.

Finally, to view this movie, and come away with a feeling that American culture is evil is fine. Criticism of current paths of our culture can lead to change… what a thought. If a person has a problem with the portrayal of the mindless American, then change that perception. Just because Pixar says it, doesn’t mean we have to perpetuate it.

To take this thought further, examine Flags of our Fathers. You could come away from that movie with a sense that patriotism will only get chew you up and spit you out. Or, you could see that John Bradley epitomized the returning WWII veteran that did his or her duty with honor and compassion. Perspective, anyone?

Jun 27, 2008 - 12:50 pm Joanna:

AWOL: I’ve seen the trailers (all of them), and I honestly don’t get where you’re coming from. What revolting images? How did you read “America is evil” into a robot playing with a paddle-ball game?

Jun 27, 2008 - 1:34 pm Navytech:

Good Movie. 7 out of 10. This movie is far more positive than the usual leftist excrement (Silent Running etc). Pixar consciously took some risks…successfully. The major themes are wake up and live, people are good, hope among hopelessness, all told through a love story between two robots, mostly without dialog! They didn’t have to reach; they could have made Toy Story XXXII and made billions doing it. This time they chose to tell a sober(not somber) tale and really pushed the art. A careful watch of the end credits shows this to be a deliberate choice. I found this movie far closer in tone to The Truman Show than darker films. It has elements from The Truman Show, The Matrix, Cities in FLIGHT, and even a HAL disconnect/2001 moment(very well done). Sure they made fun of Wal-mart, Disney and the boob tube. Some things are TOO much fun to pass up. The cockroach and the twinkie was a nice touch also. All is all, a fun movie although it’s no Incredibles.

Jun 27, 2008 - 2:11 pm Kay:

“more liberal bias in kid’s movies

the eco-nazis of the left like to brainwash them young

taking my daughter to see the left wing “Happy Feet” was about the last time I’ll attend a film like that

thanks for the review”

The irony is that the ‘evil empire company destroying mankind’ is the would-be result of an uncontested reign of liberalism, as they cause all the problems they claim to attempt to fix(ironically much like Disneyworld). Sounds like there is more seeing ‘through’ it to be found in the film then being dumb enough to believe in it going on. I’ll have to check it out on Navytech’s recommendation.

Jun 27, 2008 - 2:34 pm Roy M:

I HAD forgotten Black Hole.

Jun 27, 2008 - 3:05 pm tehag:

At the conclusion of the review I expected a rating of one-half star? How can film described as gloomy and filled with junk and pollution (both physical and spiritual) rate two-and-one-half stars? The critic has taken back his criticism by rating the movie better than average. How is this movie better than average?

tehag

Jun 27, 2008 - 3:14 pm [url="http://junkscience.com/"]Kay[/url]:

I see at least they managed to get John Ratzenberger in the film, even with a 6-member cast….

Jun 27, 2008 - 3:44 pm [url="http://junkscience.com/"]Kay[/url]:

And yes The Black Hole was very doom-and-gloom, forgot about that one myself, good catch.

Jun 27, 2008 - 3:47 pm Kay:

so much for that hyperlink attempt

Jun 27, 2008 - 3:51 pm AWOL Civilization:

Joanna: “I’ve seen the trailers (all of them), and I honestly don’t get where you’re coming from. What revolting images? How did you read “America is evil” into a robot playing with a paddle-ball game?”

I just forced myself to view the trailer once again. “Leaving earth’s cleanup” to Wall-e, says the ecstatic announcer. Earth’s cleanup? Cleanup of what? The answer did not tarry: The cleanup of all man’s creations. We produce our creations, and turn the planet into a garbage dump. Wow, that’s a sophisticated critique of contemporary society.

And it’s done with no dialogue, to boot. A blitzkrieg of images, super-high speed special effects, with no depth, no charm, no history. Like the vaccum-cleaner vignette the official website so proudly offers us. Spraying filth in every direction.

They are chewing you up and spitting you out in the great collectivist propaganda machine, and you can’t even feel it.

Wall-e should be cleaning up the remnants of Western intellect, which will be scattered about like ashes well before 700 years from now.

Jun 27, 2008 - 6:51 pm Brian:

Hmmm, as mentioned above, this is the hightest rated movie I have ever seen on rottentomatoes.com. That is with over 125 reviews counted.

As much as I distrust movie reviewers, that is alot of praise.

Jun 27, 2008 - 8:22 pm David:

And how many of you guys have actually seen the movie at this point?

Just wondering…

Jun 27, 2008 - 8:51 pm Anonymous:

hmmm

Jun 27, 2008 - 9:42 pm Air2air:

Finally Pixar has a flop.

Never have my kids come home so depressed after a movie. Pixar let their success go their heads and exposed their own personal politics. It’s a preachy, anti-human, environmentalist waste of time.

Earth 700 years from now is just a heap of trash. Humans are fat, dimwitted slobs controlled by an evil corporation. The human race is really nothing more than a virus that has diseased and then abandoned Mother Earth. It sounds 1967, not 2007 - but obviously there are still some movie-making hippies out there with the same tired axes to grind.

Needless to say, the L.A. Times loved it. The only thing it was missing was the earth covered by water and polar bears extinct.

Jun 27, 2008 - 10:54 pm Gozer the Carpathian:

Hmm… sounded like it’d be a fun movie, but so did Happy Feet and Ferngully. :\

Jun 27, 2008 - 11:43 pm Forlourned:

Hmm.. Ear-err GAIA laid waste by Humans. “EVIL” corporation running everything. Fat, stupid populace watching the boob tube endlessly. Liberal check book goes: Check-Check-Check… wait a sec. Where are all the liberals now in this future? Not on Ea- GAIA! GAIA! ..sorry. Not within the bloated masses… Where then?

Ah yes. Behind the drapes lays the true festering evil within the “EVIL” corporation. That is the only place those scum could ever be in this story. I doubt they’re shown in the movie, but their presence will be felt in every scene. The True boogey things-doesn’t even rate being called “man”- in the Dark Corner of the room.

Yeah! I second what tehag wrote.

Out of -FIVE- stars you give it TWO and a HALF after what you’ve just wrote?! After that read I’d figure at the most a 1 and a half Top. The scale you’ve placed any show on is a “5″ then the rating you’ve given means that it’s well worth hazarding a ticket! What the sam hell?

Jun 28, 2008 - 12:48 am K:

If Lady Gaia has any sense of humor at all, somewhere, someplace, one of the liberal millionare yuppies who made this movie will be turned in to the NorCal authorities by their kids for not separating out the garbage correctly.

Jun 28, 2008 - 1:09 am pch1013:

I just saw Wall-E, and it was nothing short of brilliant. Far from being preachy, the plot treats the trash-strewn condition of Earth as a mere backdrop for a truly inspiring tale of love, hope, and redemption.

I feel sorry for you ultra-conservative ideologues who insist on viewing everything through red-state-colored lenses. Lighten up and have fun. That’s what Pixar did with Wall-E, and it certainly worked for them.

And finally, if you conservabots think Wall-E is such a Stalinist monstrosity, why don’t you go out and make your own finely crafted, gorgeous, engaging CGI movies? If a bunch of stupid brainwashed California airhead liberals can do it, it certainly can’t be beyond your superhuman Randian powers.

Jun 28, 2008 - 2:25 am Student:

IT’S NOT A DEPRESSING MOVIE! It’s happy and sweet. I really don’t think many of you have seen it. Is it liberal? Yeah, but that’s because conservatives, by definition, don’t make for creative thinkers nor do they really make the effort to make any good movies. Sucks to be them.

Oh my goodness, how dare a movie promote a message about making the world we live in a better place? What kind of message is that sending to our kids? How could we possibly ask them to think about someone else other than themselves? Am I the only one that thinks that is incredibly stupid. I’m begining

And just so you know, plenty of cartoons are done with little or no dialogue. Think about some of the warners bros. cartoons or ‘Triplets of Belville.’ (A feature length film that used two line of dialogue in the whole bloody 2 hours and yes, it was brilliant)

Jun 28, 2008 - 7:52 am David:

I totally agree with pch1013. It’s a Disney movie! Lighten up and try not to see it with some sort of hidden liberal message.

Just look at all the major review sites out there. The critics love it and yet people make pointless criticisms (myself being no exception) in the user reviews and comments.

Can’t we all just get along?

After all, who cares if someone out there feels differently about a movie than they do? I certainly don’t.

Jun 28, 2008 - 8:05 am Okochi:

… what movie did you watch?

Well, I thought it was uplifting, and the fact that robots can learn and store in their memory how to feel/communicate and see beauty (something that the obese members of the Axiom seem to no longer be able to do) was very poignant.

So uh… yeah. Sorry that WALL-E wasn’t just another Hollywood escapist flick. If you’re a film critic, you really shouldn’t be using the escapist perspective in your criteria…

Jun 28, 2008 - 10:11 am JerseyCajun:

I find it hard to believe that the reviewer or even half the commenters here have actually seen the film.

Yes, it’s dark for subject matter, and there is satire involved, but it certainly doesn’t end that way. If anything, the darkness ends up highlighting the inspiring ability of human beings to change for the better, and not only that - it shows the intense desire human beings have for wanting that change, deep down, though it may be clouded by love of things over love of each other.

Depressing? Anti-human? Quite the opposite. If everything were light, it makes it harder to distinguish what makes the light desirable. Darkness provides stark contrast and sets the stage for eventual hope.

There’s not a collectivist/socialist/communist bent in the whole film, and as a Libertarian, I find I’m pretty sensitive to such things.

Since when did conservatives/libertarians feel they had to defend materialism and consumerist culture in order to still hold their ideals? It has nothing to do with liberty and freedom, only in how we choose to use them. Is being addicted to having stuff really something worth defending, or should we rightly criticize the buying of stuff simply to have it?

The film has a few technical flaws on first pass, but I intend to see it again because there was a lot going on in the film that happens very quickly and I feel I didn’t absorb it all the first time.

Lastly, the idea of a corporation (a special class of business with separate and special treatment by government) isn’t exactly consistent with equal treatment under the law, or free market capitalism. Corporations as currently defined, are insulated from several natural market forces which enable them to grow to gargantuan power and inordinate influence, both socially and perhaps more disastrously, politically. There is no reason a traditional conservative or libertarian would champion corporations.

Jun 28, 2008 - 10:38 am willy:

this was an awful review. it leaves out all the cute and quirky things that take the dark taste out of your mouth. it also makes it sound like the end is without hope. it wasn’t nearly this dark until you made it sound so dark.

Jun 28, 2008 - 11:20 am David B.:

From the writer’s comments, I’m not entirely sure he viewed the film. I went to see this with my wife (no children involved) because we had been following the previews for a bit and it looked to be a cute and engaging movie. The themes in it were no more “dark” than many of the Disney classics. I must say that I thought it ended quite well. If the reviewer did in fact watch this movie then it seems his attention span, and mental capacity, are quite below that of the children that go to see this film. Most of the points he tries to make in his review are rather clearly resolved in the movie, or just plain not present. Everyone leaving the theatre loved this movie, as well as 97% of professional critics on rotten tomates! I don’t think I’ll be using this critic’s reviews too often.

Jun 28, 2008 - 11:32 am Reason:

Apt social commentary? Art?

I certainly won’t allow my kids to see this abomination.

Seriously, though. JerseyCajun, thanks for your words. I don’t know why Kyle Smith does what he does for a living.

My kids came back from the theater last night begging to see it again this afternoon, while also demanding I see it with them. It’s honestly one of the most beautiful, thoughtful, inspiring movies I’ve seen in years. The overall message seems to be nothing more than: live life to the fullest and take care of the things you love. God forbid the youth of the world hears something so important.

Anyway, I hope you folks enjoy seeing this supposed “flop” go on to be one of the most successful animated features of all time.

Jun 28, 2008 - 11:42 am geekyme:

Liberial Film, ok, yes I think it was, great effects, great story, the message was mixed for me, becuase saying big business are evil, saying we need to save the planet (somewhere Al Gore in his fule waisting jet, or his energy blazing home is smiling) I am just glad the didn’t say one thing about “global warming” the other thing is, here’s Wall-e trying to grope a deactivated Eve (Bill Clinton), and Eve, does she represent the shoot first ask questions later NRA and the tree hugging, clean the enviroment Wall-e shows her the errors of her ways, if you ask me the captain should have sent Eve out to other planets, looking for one that could support life, rather trying to risk there life saveing a toxic enviroment, that may have unknow effect, but I digress, it is only a movie, one I may watch again (in 700 years)

Jun 28, 2008 - 11:44 am Blumble:

Just another misguided review that reflects a significant lack of intelligence and knowledge of art in general.

Jun 28, 2008 - 11:47 am Reason:

Oh, and I tend to dismiss reviews as irrelevant when they don’t bother to get half the characters’ names right.

Better luck next time, Kyle!

Jun 28, 2008 - 11:51 am docflash:

it would be *really* helpful if there were an easy way to know if the folks leaving comments had actually *seen* the film. otherwise, you’re just wasting electrons.

i saw the film yesterday, and tho’ it had dystopian moments, feel that it would in *no* way give kids “the wrong message” or make folks unhappy.

it’s true that the earth as portrayed is a barren garbage dump, and the surviving humans are fat blobs - but in point of fact, that’s the direction it’s actually going. seeing this would be a good way to enable appropriate dialog with kids about a lot of things, like the value of exercise; why needless waste is bad; even the behavior of the ship’s captain illustrates the importance of fighting for your principals - the easy way out isn’t always the best.

i think these are *good* things to talk about with kids.

the love story, too, was beautifully done: the wall-e character kind of reminded me of some of the early woody allen characters. eva’s strength, abilities and beauty far surpassed wall-e, but she appreciated his steadfastness and devotion. another good lesson: appearance (wall-e’s) isn’t everything.

this is a movie that i’m looking forward to seeing again. the “evil” character otto (which is short for “auto-pilot”) turns out to be “just following orders” and his actions, if seen in that light, aren’t really evil - it’s the kind of loyalty that, say, some war criminals have displayed.

if you have any doubt about whether this incredible piece of art (and that’s what it is, in every sense) is good or bad, you should *see* the film and then make your *own* decision rather than let a critic think for you.

remember the old saying: “those who can, do: those who can’t, teach: and those who can’t teach become critics.”

Jun 28, 2008 - 11:56 am David H Dennis:

Wall*e is a beautifully done, awesome film.

The premise, I think, is not so much against consuming, as against being absorbed in a telescreen-style entertainment world. Go out and do stuff. I thought a nice demonstration of that was a couple of passengers forced to jolt out of their complacency and say “I had no idea we had a pool!” That’s virtual reality against real reality, with real reality winning.

I think the reviewer realized that he had no chance of being noticed with 122 out of 125 reviews being fresh and decided the film needed a rotten review for it to be seen. I do not think Andrew Stanton or Steve Jobs is going to suffer from having oh, three bad reviews out of 125?

I am a libertarian/conservative and the problem with BuyNLarge was that it grew to encompass the entire economy and thus become the government. You could almost think of the structure as an anti-government rant, even though BuyNLarge is technically a corporation.

But Andrew Stanton is on record in interviews as saying that Wall*E is not a political movie and he is not making a political statement. I believe him; he’s making a sociological statement to appreciate your freedom and see the world as it is. Ironic in an animated movie that’s just bursting with cleverness and ingenuity but there you have it.

I will admit that I doubt Andrew Stanton has done much shopping in a Wal-Mart. Heck, he probably eats most of his meals at the Pixar cafe. I will leave to your imagination the quality of food at the Pixar cafe, but somehow I doubt that Pixar spends much, if any, of their catering budget in a Wal*Mart.

However, I am sure Andrew has visited a Wal*Mart for the sake of research, perhaps many times. Those carts fat and disabled people use to get around Wal*Marts were probably an inspiration for his automated hover chairs in the movie.

Since I moved from Los Angeles to Pittsburgh, something I fear that I regret every day, I understand very well why Wal*Mart is so successful - businesses here are bad, and Wal*Mart provides better products at lower prices. That’s not true in San Francisco or Los Angeles and that’s why denezens of those communities look down at Wal*Mart. I did myself when I lived in one of those places; in rural or underdeveloped areas, Wal*Mart is almost always the best option.

D

Jun 28, 2008 - 12:00 pm Pete:

And thus ends your career as a film critic.

Jun 28, 2008 - 12:20 pm Joanie:

Did the reviewer see the same movie I did? Went with 7 kids(not all mine) ages 9,8,7,6,4,3 &2. They all loved it and it held their interest, as well as the grown ups who went. It was not preachy, but uplifting when the human’s decided to go to earth, rather than stay on auto pilot. The technology was brilliant, but the story was beautifully written. This is a keeper!

Jun 28, 2008 - 12:28 pm Message of Hope:

I have seen this movie one day ago and I cannot stop thinking about the messages it sends. Most of it (Without giving away too many spoilers) are POSITIVE messages that come from basically a trashcan with eyes (albeit very expressive eyes!). He sees life on this ruined earth as his job (compacting OUR waste) and his little cockroach friend as his companion. His only wish is to be able to hold someone’s hand like that video he watches. By the end of the film, he achieves that goal, and the “girl” of the film finds out SHE has feelings also for him. The gluttonous corporation that ruined Earth and that runs the Spaceship that kept the remaining humans as , well, unmotivated as they are was WRONG to try and hide the truth. The Captain learns about Earth and even after seeing the reality of it compared to the pretty video version he watched, he sees HOPE FOR HUMANITY! And all the hope was found in the dedication of that little robot and his want to be connected to someone he loves. Mission accomplished, Pixar! Once again.

Jun 28, 2008 - 12:31 pm pch1013:

Why has no one mentioned the abominable animated short that preceded the movie? Clearly the tale of the poor carrot-seeking bunny and the mean magician is a PETA-inspired polemic on animal abuse and the evils of capitalism (represented by the magician’s top hat) and white people.

Jun 28, 2008 - 12:33 pm Vince:

So people have a problem with the depiction of humankind in the future? Has anyone checked out the news lately? We’re getting more obese by the minute…where does on logically think this leads to in 700 years? Scientists recently stated they think it’s a 50-50 proposition that the North Pole will be briefly ice free this summer. Where do you think, logically, this leads to in 700 years.

Stanton showed us what can happen if we continue on at our current pace. We’re destroying the environment and destroying our own lives. However, it isn’t 700 years into the future. It’s today. And CHANGE is possible- which is what the entire point of the movie was.

Jun 28, 2008 - 12:37 pm slimjim774:

Wow. I cannot believe the incredulous stupidity of the reviewer AND the commentators on this site. The reviewer failed to mention that while Wall-E does have its presentations of the consequences from our current consumerism, the movie merely presents them as backgrounds to the actual plot of Wall-E and EVE falling in love (the IDIOT reviewer AND the idiot commentators also fail to mention that the humans redeem themselves by taking control of the robots and returning to Earth to re-evolve on their own).
Lastly, I must ask: Why do some insist on ignoring the problems of society? That has become a popular way of living: ignorance. Go ahead and lounge in your air-conditioned houses and continue to pollute and spend money on worthless crap. Being enviroment friendly is not a left-wing, tree-hugger, hippie way of life. It’s common sense. Do you let people come over to YOUR home and trash it, leaving their garbage and filth all over the place?
Go to Roger Ebert or some other critics with sense to see a REAL review of this masterpiece.

Jun 28, 2008 - 12:45 pm Rick:

You sir, FAIL at movie reviews.

Then again, I wasn’t aware that being a movie reviewer meant having a black heart and no soul. I’m sure you must have liked The Love Guru and thought Meet The Spartans was a classic in film lore.

Do us all a favor: quit your job.

Jun 28, 2008 - 1:01 pm Bill:

Your review is just awful. You missed the point of the movie by a mile

Jun 28, 2008 - 1:15 pm Roy M:

It isn’t liberal anti-capitalist American-hating propaganda after all?

This is terrible! I told my kids they could see it. What am I going to do now? They are not going to be happy sitting through An Inconvienient Truth AGAIN.

Quick! I need to know what’s the most hate filled left wing Hollywood movie for kids I can rent?

Jun 28, 2008 - 1:19 pm yeeks:

Yes, that’s right, tinfoit-hatters, Pixar is the fifth column. You’ve finally discovered Disney’s evil plot to deliver American children into the evil clutches of… caring about the environment, avoiding obesity, interacting with people in person, and enjoying fewer over-written, plot-heavy movies. Curses!

Jun 28, 2008 - 1:27 pm David:

I’m so glad the mood has changed here. If you scroll up, you’ll see some awful stuff saying that it was all just a load of eco-propaganda.

Who cares? It’s a Disney movie! Just enjoy it.
I must say, like almost all of Pixar’s movies, Wall-E was a beautiful, inspiring, and cute film. Pixar’s movies always have what, let’s say, Dreamworks’s lacks - a good story.

Kyle Smith, maybe you should take a break for a while.

Jun 28, 2008 - 1:30 pm Jordan:

Please go see the movie or at least read a few other reviews before taking one reviewers critique as your own view on the movie. I saw it last night and I came away with a message that held up personal relationships over our tech savvy lives we lead today. And thats why I’m on the internet, having this discussion with people I’m never going to meet. Excuse me, I better go say hi to my mom and dad.

Jun 28, 2008 - 1:48 pm Anonymous:

Have to agree with most of what the others have said: you seemed to have missed the point of the movie (conceptually, as well as specific plot points).

Read some other reviews, see the movie again, talk to some folks, and then reconsider whether you’re still cut out for the whole movie-reviewing bit.

Jun 28, 2008 - 2:01 pm CJ:

Have to agree with most of what the others have said: you seemed to have missed the point of the movie (conceptually, as well as specific plot points).

Read some other reviews, see the movie again, talk to some folks, and then reconsider the way your approaching your appraisal of films.

Jun 28, 2008 - 2:03 pm Ian:

this is not a good review of this movie. granted, it is very different from other pixar movies, its still a great movie. the animation was given filters so that it looked more like those old sci-fi films, which give it a darker look. the movie is filled with physical humor, as well as some funny one liners, but i think that it escapes the cheese, just barely. read the other reviews, look at rotten tomatoes, think about the other pixar movies. its not a disney film. its a pixar movie. SEE IT!

Jun 28, 2008 - 2:21 pm Max:

The Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer for WALL-E was once 98%, but some lousy critics like you had to decrease it to 96%. It’s still a great percentage, but WALL-E needs even more positive reviews to get it back to 97-8!

Jun 28, 2008 - 2:21 pm Michael:

This was a really bad review. Not only did Kyle miss huge points of the film (The “white bullet-shaped trash canister”’s name was EVE, WALL-E just pronounced it Eva. It stands for Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator, but Mr. Smith must have missed that since he did not seem to have caught “Eva”’s purpose which was to go to Earth and find out whether there was any vegetation, meaning that the Earth was ready to support life so the people could go back to Earth), but he seems to have missed the point of the entire movie completely. In fact, reading his review makes me think that he really did not pay attention, but rather watched about half of it so he could churn out a half-baked review. There really is just so many things that he missed about the movie, that it’s really sad. I think he should go back and watch the whole movie.

And Kyle, about your comment about “how paying customers will react to being told they’re porky slobs, or are headed in that direction” is an idiotic statement. The point was the dystopian future, do you expect people to actually LIKE to think they’re headed towards dystopia? I’d love to see your reviews of 1984 or A Brave New World.

Jun 28, 2008 - 3:10 pm Calvin:

“That paranoid worldview must make for an extraordinary lonely life.”

Live in a bubble? Or just ignorant? Go watch Happy Feet. Watch the last 20 minutes. It’s so anti human. Maybe you’re used to it?

Or watch Over the Hedge.

Jun 28, 2008 - 3:34 pm Jon:

“The robots are cute but limited by a lack of dialogue.” Wow–I would have to strongly disagree here. I just got out of the movie, and I was really impressed with the way the story is told with very little dialogue. The movie tells its story with amazing visuals and the way the characters act and interact with each other. The personalities of the robots is expressed through their “faces,” and the things that they do. While other animation studios try to cram as many big-name celebrities into their voice talent as possible, Pixar comes along and shows how unnecessary that really is. Pixar’s selection of voices has started to focus more on the appeal of the voices themselves and less on the celebrity behind those voices. WALL-E is no different. The theater was crowded with children, and there were only a handful (three, possibly four) that got restless. The rest of the theater was simply enchanted by the visuals and the story. I found the movie to be a wonderful, inspiring film about learning to appreciate the simple things in life. A simple plant, seeing the stars, dancing, and even a little cockroach–each of these can be a joy if you only take the time to look.

And as for the “Buster Keaton” reference in the review, yes, this film does have some slapstick. But I would call it “upper-crust” slapstick that doesn’t rely on belching, barfing, flatulating, or any other type of gross-out humor. There is a sense of innocence about it–the most offensive bit is seen in the previews, when WALL-E places a woman’s brassiere over his eyes. And for anyone that cares, I’m a 23-year-old college student–I found the humor in WALL-E to be refreshing (it is more amusing rather than hysterical, so don’t expect to be laughing non-stop). It is simply quality entertainment.

Jun 28, 2008 - 3:45 pm Jeff:

“WALL-E” is NOT a Disney film. Disney has absolutely NOTHING to do with Pixar’s development of films. This is most definitely, hands down a PIXAR film. The fact that this critic could so blatantly ignore that is reason to not even listen to him.

Jun 28, 2008 - 3:46 pm gus3:

WALL*E is the film with the Gaia-worshipping politics that Pixar didn’t get to include in “Cars.”

Jun 28, 2008 - 4:44 pm William Briggs:

The plot sounds like a fairly standard lefty horror story, but the fact is, the scenario is utterly impossible.

I do not mean “impossible”—as I often say—in the colloquial “unlikely”, but “impossible” in the sense that “it can never ever happen no matter what.”

The plot is that an evil corporation enslaves the populace in overstuffed chairs and is anxious to keep them that way so that, presumably, its capitalistic owners can reap endless profits.

How?

The situation is no different than my own when I still had two teenage boys at home. It cost a fortune to restrain and feed them the massive quantity of food required to keep them alive. I received no financial remuneration from my corporate oversight.

Keeping all people enslaved and perpetually entertained is not a profitable business.

The plot is idiotic.

Jun 28, 2008 - 4:49 pm ant:

This is arguably one of the dumbest reviews I have ever read. You obviously weren’t giving the movie a chance or you have the attention span of an ameba. The robot “EVE” was looking for life on earth it was only the second most important thing in the film besides the two robots finding love. Don’t listen to this guy and go see the film both you and your kids will love it. They did a great job making these two robots give you that old school warm feeling inside. When your kids ask questions about certain aspects of the film they don’t understand it gives you the perfect opportunity to again remind them how important recycling, eating healthy and saving energy is.

Jun 28, 2008 - 4:59 pm jack:

This reviewer is quite obviously the epitome of a moron. And all the right wing losers who want to pay attention to this trite egotistic review can go back to watching Sean Hannity.

Darkest? What about the beginning of “Finding Nemo” when an eel eats thousands of this poor fathers children (and his wife.) What about “Bambi” when his mother is shot? What about “Lion King” when his father is murdered?

The reviewer is easily a childless moron - who fears explaining and talking to his children.

And claiming leftist qualities in a kids movie of this caliber and then judging it by that is ridiculous. At least this movie is teaching children something that their parents fear. The possibility of a dying planet. And the hope of saving it. These are the same ignorant parents that elected a president that waved at Stevie Wonder during his inauguration.

Contrary to popular (idiotic RIGHT WING) belief - it is possible to destroy the earth. It’s downright probable. There is scientific proof of it. You choose not to believe it, well fine. But don’t go attempting to ruin a children’s movie that promotes the health of our planet.

I hope everyone who believes this jerk chokes on the last ten dollar gallon of gasoline that exists. And as their kids cry while watching it happen - I hope this schmuck writes a review of it and claims that it’s dark and leftist.

Thinking outside the box and creativity inspire children. There is nothing wrong with giving them hope. HOPE.

Jun 28, 2008 - 5:00 pm Harry:

“It’s hard to see how a Disney-certified happy ending can result from this, and the answer is it really can’t.”

Wow, I hate to sound like a broken record along with all the other commentators here, but I don’t see how it’s possible for someone to have seen the end of the movie and possibly say that no “happy ending” can come out of it.

Along with the fact that the very words “It’s hard to see how a Disney-certified happy ending can result from this” blatantly suggest that the writer doesn’t know what the end of the movie is, Smith is practically confessing that he didn’t see the movie all the way through.

Also, with both the review and some of the more ridiculous comments posted, it’s not hard to see how the New York Post has been labled as a conservative paper.

Jun 28, 2008 - 5:26 pm Amber:

Okay I am pretty much as conservative and Republican as they come but you people really need to lay off it and get a life!

This movie was a beautiful, tender masterpiece! God forbid we warn our kids about the effects of littering and being slothful! It had a good ending and wasn’t about evil Humans but misguided people who wanted to make things right in the end.

It’s funny that half of the commenters here haven’t even seen the film yet and are simply relying on this moron’s review who is one of the only negative reviewers of this film in the entire country.

Jun 28, 2008 - 5:39 pm yahmes:

this is a terrible review. i am not against negative reviews on bad movies. I am not even against negative review against good movies. usually to write a negative review you take *relative truthful* aspects of the movie that are distasteful and play them up. these kind of review if well written can be fun to read. but i must say this review doesn’t come close to hitting the mark. i am in doubt whether smith has even seen the movie. “limited by lack of dialogue”? were you looking at the screen while enjoying this film, or did you just forget to put your contacts in. one of the main positive comments i had when walking out of the movie theater today was the amazing skill pixar had at making these robots human. I think smith would have a hard time in a social encounter with another human being because he wouldn’t be able to tell their emotions. subtle eyeplay manifested itself beautifully in some actually not so subtle ways. who needs talking when you can say everything you need to with whirs and eyes? This is just one of many statement smith makes that are terribly off the mark. he even managed to drag america into his argument and say pixar was trying to subliminally get us to dislike america. ok so maybe they were making a subtle jab at america and maybe even bush, but who isn’t these days? and also, this is *not* a political movie. its a shame that you have to make global problems such as pollution a political issue. i guess an inconvenient truth is just the liberals trying to take over the world, my mistake.
i could go on and on. every sentence in this review was full of cock and bull statements that were completely untrue. it would make me not want to see the movie *which is not the point of a review* the point of a review is to actually get you to see the movie, whether it is good or bad, and influence your opinion afterwards.

this counter review is very scathing and probably terribly written i know, but hey, its still more honest than the original. and at least i *watched* the movie.

Jun 28, 2008 - 8:09 pm John:

I took my kids to see this earlier in the day. My 5 year old is particularly vocal about every movie she sees and tends to not only reiterate but really get and take in the moral lessons of such movies; e.g.: Kung Fu Panda. So… YES, this film has a very focused and honed political point concerning the evils of consumerism and the importance of the environment, but neither she, not the other myriad of children in the theatre caught on to that point. It may be overly obvious to every adult that sees this movie, especially with the current news feeds, but most children will not get it in this since unless you, the parent, explain that side of it to them. This film is brilliant on MANY levels, one of which being the way it effectively communicates completely different things to different age groups. The idea was obviously to make a great movie for kids and to preach to the parents so long as they were in the theatre. If you don’t want to listen to the environmental sermon, don’t. Either way, this is an incredibly well made film.

As an aside, this article’s author is an idiot who knows very little of film. Aside from the obvious mistakes (i.e.: the reason why to not recolonize earth {pay attention man]), though Buster Keaton was an excellent artist in his own right, this film pays neither tribute to him or his slapstick brand of comedy. The film is almost a love note to Charlie Chaplin, particularly to his first non-silent film. The slapstick is far less than most children’s movies and the storyline is oddly similar to said Chaplin film. The difference between Chaplin and Keaton is similar to the difference between Eastwood and Wayne and any decent movie reviewer would immediately recognize this. This person should be fired for incompetence.

Jun 28, 2008 - 8:13 pm GazMan:

To: pch1013

Who do you think you are being sarcastic? You surely understand that ultraconservatives are a mentally inferior species and will find your layered prose to be confusing. I personally get a kick out of watching them perform mutual fellatio on their own ignorance.

Don’t you just love it, watching people get so absurdly worked up over concepts that are so logical? The ironic thing is that the movie was never made with the intention to promote a political agenda. The film was originally written several years ago well before the climate crisis was on the public domain. But even if the story came from a discussion that Greenpeace and Amnesty International reps had while sharing a joint and dancing naked in a forest, how could it possibly be a bad thing?

Here’s a hypothetical that might explain this better to the lesser beings on this page:

If there is a crack in the side of a fish tank growing due to the wrestling of two large fish, shouldn’t the fish stop wrestling? Moreover, shouldn’t these fish then tell their children not to wrestle? Dispute the danger of the crack all you want, but nothing bad can be said about not wrestling. See, if the fish continue to wrestle then their tank may or may not break, but if they decide not to wrestle, their safety is a guarantee.

Jun 28, 2008 - 8:14 pm JerseyCajun:

William Briggs:

*spoiler*

There’s a “2001″ inspired element where the ships computer is programmed to take care of all the people on the ship. It’s not following human intuitions and motivations, merely its programming.

And as those of us who have actually *seen* the movie have been saying, though there are darker elements here than in most animated films, it resolutely does *not* end darkly at all.

This isn’t a movie one can dismiss on idealogical grounds. It’s not making politics out of the environment - politics don’t even enter into the film, save for perhaps a single off the cuff gag that plays no important role in the plot or the resolution of the plot.

Try watching the movie first, since what you and others have said have been completely off the mark on your expectations.

Jun 28, 2008 - 8:22 pm Bryce C`:

The movie is a love story. You missed the whole point. Disney isnt making comments or opinions about what the world is or the fact that people are large in the future. They want you to focus on Wall-E and Eve, and their love for each other. Wall-E is a great character and his lack of words makes him a universal character that everyone, no matter who you are, can relate to. It is a universal story about love. It is uplifiting and gives the classic Disney message: a happy ending.

Jun 28, 2008 - 8:34 pm David:

Amber, I couldn’t agree more.

Jun 28, 2008 - 8:44 pm Sam:

how… how-
How could you people say such things?

Wall-E was the most breathtaking 148,320 frames of animation I have ever seen.

This was the greatest motion picture ever made, and if you choose belittle it with insipid cynicism, then you’re no better than the obese humans that this movie portrays.

Jun 28, 2008 - 8:47 pm Sue:

I saw this film today with no expectations. I had not read reviews and I went because my son wanted to see it and pixar is usually a safe bet. But this film is dark, dreary and hopeless. It is insulting to human beings as a race. If the message of “The Happening” is the trees did it, the message of “Wall-e” is Walmart did it. I hated this movie. Pixar forgot that when we take our children to pixar movies, we are primarily hoping to be entertained. Not smacked over the head with a 2X4. I do NOT usually buy into the school of thought that says Hollywood is trying to indoctrinate our children. This film is the exception. This film seeks to indoctrinate and terrify. I didn’t even find Wall-e that endearing. I enjoyed the Hello Dolly soundtrack. And that’s about it. All in all, I’d have done better to stay at home and watch that classic film, which is, guess what, entertaining!!!

The silence in my theater, which had numerous children, was deafening. Many had to be woken up when it was over. Some people left. And the buzz in the hallway afterward…”What????” and “We should have seen Kung Fu Panda.”

Bad move, Pixar. You won’t get my money again until you get back to your roots and make us laugh!! And be sure to tie it up with a neat bow. They’re children!!! Children in a world that pummels them with doom and gloom!! Give them a reason to smile!!

Jun 28, 2008 - 9:19 pm Eveningstar:

Half of you haven’t seen this movie, or watched the first fifteen minutes and gave up. Reviewer included.

Jun 28, 2008 - 9:34 pm JerseyCajun:

Sue,

Indoctrinate into what? There’s no political environmental message trying to sell kids on buying carbon credits with their allowances, or plea to get children to support the Kyoto protocol. The movie simply has the “audacity” to suggest we use our freedoms, our liberties, and our lives responsibly for our own sake, because the human race does have a tendency to get wrapped up in our “things” in lieu of focusing on each other. The movie is persuasive, not belligerent.

On top of that, did you *watch* the ending? With human beings re-discovering their passion for real living - and choosing to *voluntarily* improve their state of being - which leads into the credit sequence indicating a second Renaissance amongst humankind? That’s ‘hopeless’ and ‘dreary’?

Jun 28, 2008 - 10:00 pm Cipher:

The world IS doom and gloom. The sooner our children realize it, the better off they’ll be.

Jun 28, 2008 - 10:08 pm John:

pch1013 is awesome. I agree with him

Jun 28, 2008 - 10:36 pm Rob:

@Sue,

If this isn’t sarcasm, then instead of give you a firm rebuttal, I’ll just take pity and be glad that my jadedness hasn’t rotted into the very core of my soul, as it has you and the other slack-jawed yokels at the theater you went to.

Jun 28, 2008 - 10:40 pm J Gambill:

After watching this tonight with my wife and children, and having read this review, I must say I have sympathy for anyone that is led around by their political nose. To have to apply right and left wing affiliations to everything you encounter must get tiresome.

This movie evolves from gloomy (but still technically astounding) to compassionate and full of hope. I’m guessing Sue was one of the people that needed to be awaken at the end of the film (from her comments) - because she obviously missed the transition.

The physical humor was very well done, garnering laughs from both the adults and children in the (filled to capacity) theater. Wall-E’s expressive eyes and gestures were far more touching than any dialogue could have been, and EVE, driven by her “directive” through most of the movie, develops a heart of her own, further removing any element of a gloomy conclusion.

The closing credits depict healthy human silhouettes planting seeds, vegetation sprouting, flowers blooming… but I think our reviewer had formed his politically motivated negativity long before the credits rolled.

Thank you, Kyle Smith. You’ve shown me the misery associated with a two party mentality, so that I can avoid it.

Jun 28, 2008 - 10:41 pm GazMan:

Sue,

About the 2X4; Andrew Stanton (writer, director) wrote the script for this movie well before Finding Nemo and the climate crisis was news. After hearing all this political talk about the movie he made a statement that the film’s premise was solely based on the simple idea of “what would it be like if all the humans left earth and forgot to turn the last robot off?” The rest just came from what Stanton assumed would be logical in the distant future. The point is, you have strongly bought into a theme of the movie that was only a backdrop. The focus of the creative team was always on the romance and the sensory experience of the viewing.

One thing I really find interesting about your comment is your perception of the experience felt by others at the same screening. “Bad move, Pixar.” you said. Well, you’re wrong. This is the same observational phenomenon seen when people buy a new car (or anything, really). If you went out and purchased a BMW right now, I guarantee you that you’d suddenly see 100 times more BMWs driving on the streets than usual. The same as how your ears can always hear the whisper of your own name over a crowd of people having different conversations.

We only notice things that are familiar to us. Your subconscious has left the film searching for other opinions the same as your own - that’s all. I would bet a million dollars that if I were to survey everyone else that saw it with you it would come back with the same glowing consenus seen everywhere else. Unless, that is, by some crazy freak coincidence you live in an area full of narrow-minded neanderthals.

Jun 28, 2008 - 10:49 pm Anonymous:

My 5 year old had no comment except that Wall e had wipers on his eyes. This movie is not what we expected and from the reaction from the audience it wasn’t well received. My sister fell asleep and it was a yawner!!!!!! Previous Pixar movies were classics, but this one will not even be bought on DVD!!!!( and I have bought all the previous movies)

Jun 28, 2008 - 10:52 pm hrachwal:

My 5 year old commented on the wiper blades on Wall e’s eyes. I found the film insulting. My sister fell asleep. A classic, hardly, I will not buy on DVD and I have ALL the Pixar on DVD’s.

Jun 28, 2008 - 10:55 pm GazMan:

To: Anonymous

Sue, is that you?

Jun 28, 2008 - 11:12 pm Eric:

If you see a person that is irrationally angry about the movie, like anonymous (above), here’s a secret tip: it’s because they’re fat.

Jun 28, 2008 - 11:24 pm kenscar:

Wow. What a bunch of tasteless windbags on this thread. WALL-E is a masterpiece. Just stick to your “Full House” DVD’s and leave the real cinema to those of us that have brains.

Jun 28, 2008 - 11:44 pm RobSoLF:

Jerseycajun gets the medal for the best post, here. Cuz for one, it best suits what the movie was about, AND answers the political questions of the “conservatives”.

It’s pretty remarkable. Liberals have a healthy mistrust of big corporations. Conservatives have a healthy mistrust of big gov’t. But really, they both have a very healthy mistrust of consolidated power. If only they’d come together to recognize it. after all, both entities(gov’t and megacorp) become one and the same in this film.

You would think that the whole “‘relax, let those of us in power take care of you’ = disaster” message of the movie would become clear and agreeable to both philosophies.

You’d also think that a concept in which the meek, the loyal, and the faithful character becomes the savior in the end, would also be agreeable and clear to both philosophies. That that character would inspire the others to stand up and rebuild what they had lost; that THIS would inspire beyond any political barrier, as it adheres to the danger of over-consumerism as well as over-reliance on the gov’t to solve your problems…

Apparently not.

Turn off Hannity. Read a book. Stop calling anybody who isn’t like you a liberal elitist. Our problems are far too complicated for a liberal or conservative philosophy to figure out.

And you’ve gotta love a movie that fascinates kids, and yet gets adults to talk about things like this. If you don’t… well, you either haven’t really seen it or have some real soul searching to do.

Good luck with that, sincerely. But the rest of us are moving on, with or without you.

Jun 29, 2008 - 12:05 am JW:

There is no “evil” corporation in this movie, I won’t go into details, but this movie makes little to no reference to a company that will do anything for profits. Anyone who says otherwise either has not seen the movie or wasn’t paying attention.

Jun 29, 2008 - 12:33 am Max:

Another comment: Sure the film doesn’t have much dialouge. 2001: A Space Oddessy didn’t had much dialouge, but that film got tons of good reviews. Some dark films have been praised, but how is this film dark? It looks cute (I’m from the UK, so WALL-E is coming out in that country July 18th )

Jun 29, 2008 - 1:28 am theropod:

Say it isn’t so!
How is the neo-conservative cult of paranoia going to react to the FOX NEWS highly positive review of WALL-E?

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Jun26/0,4670,FilmReviewWALLE,00.html

How could it be that the televised voice of the brainwashed Republican masses recommends a movie that is so full of vile and evil conceptual messages such as love, caring for your surroundings, survival, and social interaction? I guess FOX NEWS can no longer be news source. What’s left now? I guess we’ll have to rely on the blog postings of undereducated nobodys who deem themselves as self-appointed experts the moment they lock in thier legal name as a web domain URL. Thank God for the faceless internet.

Jun 29, 2008 - 1:59 am gus3:

I fall into the camp of those who actually watched the entire movie before making a single comment on it, online or otherwise.

::”And as those of us who have actually *seen* the movie have been saying, though there are darker elements here than in most animated films, it resolutely does *not* end darkly at all.”::

That’s an hour and forty minutes of my life I want back. I’d say that’s a pretty dark ending. I haven’t had that opinion of a movie since “Cats and Dogs” in 2001.

::”this movie makes little to no reference to a company that will do anything for profits.”::

Uh, do you think those people went to space *for free*?

::”Andrew Stanton (writer, director) wrote the script for this movie well before Finding Nemo and the climate crisis was news.”::

The climate doomsayers have been plying their trade since long before Al Gore signed on to the hockey-stick temperature chart. My first awareness of “climate danger” in my education was right around the time Stanton turned 11. And those textbooks were already worn out when we got them.

Then again, the facile equation of Wall*E-hate with Hannity-love isn’t a feather in some people’s critical-thinking caps.

Jun 29, 2008 - 2:02 am Eshto:

RobSoLF you are right on. I am at least comforted by the fact that I know quite a few conservatives who would tell the few morons here to speak for their idiot selves.

Just out of plain morbid curiosity though, I have to wonder just how backwards someone has to be in their sense of right and wrong to seriously consider “keep the environment clean” to be some sort of insidious political agenda.

Do you actually WANT arsenic in your drinking water…?

Jun 29, 2008 - 2:05 am gus3:

Eshto:

“Keep the environment clean” is too often double-speak for “down with capitalism” and “you only think you own your house.”

I was willing to hope that Pixar didn’t fall for that line of thinking. I was mistaken.

Jun 29, 2008 - 3:45 am Chris:

Great movie! I saw it last night, the first 40 mins are the best pixar has ever created. Once they hit space it kind of loses its focus, but still a great film all around. people on this board are a little rediculous, but their thoughts are theirs. It’s a love story and a lot of you are overlooking that. “Down with capitalism”? are you kidding me? An animator’s job is to entertain, and the director is a warm hearted family man. This is a stab at social commentary like finding nemo is a stab at bad parenting.

Jun 29, 2008 - 4:29 am Navytech:

Is Wall-E a conservative movie?

What was the motivation for the AXIOM’s autopilot (the ships wheel) to destroy the flower?

I say: The ships original purpose was to act like a lifeboat while the earth was cleaned back up; the EVA robots were originally designed to detect just such a reclamation success. But when the “all is hopeless” emergency override “DO NOT RETURN, ever” order was received, the ships wheel became unable to accept any data that would initiate the voyage home by the ships autoreturn subroutine. He goes full HAL. He kills the flowers that EVAs brings back.

Unable to accept new data that conflicts with a doom and gloom all-is-lost message? Hello? Paging Algore! LOL One of this movie’s messages is open your eyes to new data and new hope.

I also note that EVA likes to dance when “she” thinks no one is looking, yet when her DIRECTIVE kicks in, she become truly robotic. I think this movie should play quite well to the victims of the former soviet empire.

Jun 29, 2008 - 4:45 am FreshMetro:

It’s a cartoon from Pixar. How can it even be compared to 2001? It was great. Go see it. If you like sci-fi and fun films, go see it.

Jun 29, 2008 - 6:22 am JerseyCajun:

Gus,

Just because it often coincides with anti-capitalism in other films doesn’t mean the two are inseparably linked. This movie proves that.

The environment itself is not a code word for anything in this film. And if environmentalism puts humankind as subservient to the environment and conservationism places humankind as the stewards or benefactors of the environment, then this movie is squarely in the latter box.

As I said before, there is absolutely nothing in this movie that promotes collectivism, socialism or communism, and as a Libertarian myself, I’m pretty sensitive to picking up those elements in films.

Jun 29, 2008 - 7:00 am Marc:

I saw the movie last night. Wow, awesome. To say this was about an eco-liberal agenda is way off base. In fact, the message I came away from the film with was the importance of self-determination. I think self-determination is the root from which conservative principles spring forth, so you could say this movie is about that. However, it is much more complex. To quote a previous post by RobSoLF, “Our problems are far too complicated for a liberal or conservative philosophy to figure out.” This film equally moves beyond a political allegiance.

As an aside, I have never understood why we conservatives are so polarized by the environmental movement. Are improvements in efficiency and developments in new energy sources really that bad? Isn’t recylcing and taking care of the planet merely a sensible thing to do? This is our planet, God entrusts us to care for his creations… just a thought.

Jun 29, 2008 - 7:04 am Navytech:

BTW, I found the short: PRESTO to be a delightfully violent change from previous efforts like the saccharine, happy-happy, and gag-inducing BOUNDIN. I haven’t seen a cartoon this much fun since the original unedited Bugs Bunny/Roadrunner shows. More like this please.

And again, done with visuals without dialog

Jun 29, 2008 - 7:12 am Phil:

Did you actually watch the movie Kyle? Or are you just trying to be original with your gloomy and inaccurate review? I went to see the movie on Friday and thought it was FANTASTIC. Lighten up a little, chief.

Jun 29, 2008 - 7:50 am James:

Did Kyle Smith actually watch the movie? I think not, I watched the movie last night after reading this review and I have to say, Kyle has missed the entire plot line! I am not even sure if Kyle stayed through the movie till it’s end.

***********

Go see this movie, bring the kids! It’s a great flick and it is definitely NOT a Pixar failure! I enjoyed it completely! I give it 3.5 stars. It’s no “Incredibles” but it’s a damn fine movie.

Most of the young kids in the audience didn’t even get the “dark” parts. Yeah it’s dark and gloomy in the beginning but it has a triumphant ending!

I as a conservative didn’t take umbrage at the destruction of earth due to over consumption and a disposable society because real conservatives don’t believe that any way! Real conservatives turn off their TV’s, we work hard, we start our own businesses, we recycle, we care for the environment, we don’t believe in living purely for entertainment nor merely possessions, we read books, we carry guns, we hunt (not for mere sport), we grow our own food, we save money, we build families, and we go to church. We are not money grubbing, profit for profit sake, environment ignoring, racist, hate mongers. The movie implies that big government was taken over by big business, specifically the BnL (Buy N’ Large) corporation who built the robots, the ships, and every single product in their disposable society. As we remove hard work and move towards a more automated carefree environment; we come closer to this fictional future. But this was not an attack on conservatives it was a purely fictional story with a happy ending.

Jun 29, 2008 - 8:09 am Jean:

SO,
Liberal = WALL-E + love of earth + promoting health + teaching my kids to respect their environment and themselves + facing the truth of our failings and trying to do something about it…

Conservative = love of self + feeling insulted when the truth is told + seeing any criticism of our country (and now our habits, apparently), as anti-American

Proud to be the former - do you people realize how paranoid you sound??

Jun 29, 2008 - 8:28 am CW:

I saw this move on Friday and I have to say that it was the best PIXAR movie that I’ve seen to date. The guy who wrote this review, Kyle Smith is either completely retarded or didn’t watch the movie at all. Perhaps he wanted recognition for being the only guy to write a bad review on one of the best family films to come out in a long time. Don’t listen to what this guy wrote and go see the movie. You won’t be disappointed unless you’re the type of person who lost out on a chance of happiness in life and feels compelled to rain on everyone’s parade in order to justify one’s own existence. I bet Kyle Smith probably gave Pan’s Labyrinth a fantastic rating…

Jun 29, 2008 - 9:00 am JH:

I saw the movie: I liked it. A lot. And yes, it was depressing. Yes, it was a little environmentally over the top. But, that’s what satire is all about. As for being anti-American, are we REALLY that vain to think that America is the only country holding the blame for polluting Earth?

Jun 29, 2008 - 10:20 am Mark:

Well, as much as this reviewer and commenters on this page wish to have their ideology vindicated by this movie’s failure, too bad. Wall- E is crushing its competition in the movie theaters as I write. 60+ million in one weekend? Looks like maybe the movie-going public has an appetite for the message in Wall-E.

The animation is stunning. The story is beautiful. Yes, there is a message about that environment, and where we are headed as humans. You might want to ponder it instead of instinctively calling it “moonbattery” without even seeing the movie.

The other movies that this reviewer and other here have compared Wall-E to (fantasia, blade runner) are undisputed classics. Wall-E will be one to.

Jun 29, 2008 - 2:35 pm Ellie:

I saw it last night and it was most definitely not what I expected. It is didactic, but entertaining. I came away thinking that I really do know some people that fat so resolved to watch what I eat and get more exercise, and was reminded that I could do a lot better job at recycling things. It motivated me.

Jun 29, 2008 - 5:00 pm David H Dennis:

Navytech, I thought you had an excellent point about self-determination being the real theme of the movie.

Of course regardless of what anyone says about the film, absolutely nothing is going to take the critical or box office success away from this brilliant and gutsy production.

The only thing I can say that hasn’t been said before is that I wonder why Pixar has this bizarre knack for picking subjects that seem highly unappealing when mentioned in a sentence and making them wonderful.

Who else would make films about insects protecting their home, a fish looking for his son, a garbage dump robot looking for love? Those are tough subjects to make appealing but Pixar does it brilliantly.

Amazing.

D

Jun 29, 2008 - 5:07 pm Ellie:

I forgot to mention that we went early as I”d read great reviews and didn’t want to miss the beginning because I had to stand in line for a long time. There were very few people in the theater. It was being shown on two screens and the first one had started an hour earlier. Perhaps that was why.

Jun 29, 2008 - 5:41 pm yahmes:

i looked at other review by this author, just by titles alone, he seems to watch the ads listen to all the people who say bad things about the movie, and then write a terrible review about it. so basically this review is *proof* that wall-e is a masterpiece.

Jun 29, 2008 - 6:37 pm Winston:

I really wanna see it

Jun 29, 2008 - 7:03 pm DJordan:

I just saw WALL-E last night, and I really didnt feel preached at. I agree that there are definently movies out there that are just mind less vehicles for liberal propaganda, the awful Happy Feet being the first one that comes to mind. WALL-E was not one of these. The premise, the earth being full of trash, was just as fantastical as talking toys, and just as necessary for the plot of WALL-E as the latter was for Toy Story. The only messages I received from it were that it is good to think for your self (a good thing), enjoy the world around you(a good thing), don’t be wasteful (a good thing), and don’t be lazy (also a good thing). I guess the whole don’t allow a robot named Otto to control the ship lesson was also there, but that is a very important life to learn anyway. So they chose a fantastical setting to tell a unique story in a unique way and taught a few good life along the way. One could read into it and claim that they were blaming America for ruining the world, fighting in Iraq, and not killing enough babies, but why ruin a good movie by making up stuff?

Jun 30, 2008 - 12:40 am Steve:

wall-e is not a leftist environmentalist film at all. what makes environmentalists so distasteful is their anti-human viewpoint. this movie is pro-human. in the film, humanity only became a mess by giving up on its work ethic and human curiosity. the humans have abandoned religion and replaced it with a crass consumer culture and it is laziness, both physical and intellectual, that is the villain here. the captain’s turning off of the autopilot robot is symbolic of humanity reclaiming its destiny. wall-e’s love for eve is a glimmer of humanity in a mechanical world, and this love rubs off on the humans. when the captain sees wall-e’s “hello dolly” video in eve’s video feed he begins to ask about dancing and about the lost civilization of earth. in addition when watching wall-e and eve, the two humans who they meet on the ship hold hands and begin to realize what they have been missing. when these two humans catch the falling children with the line “get ready to have some kids” it is symbolic of humanity’s rebirth. the message of this film is that as humanity achieves new heights of affluence there is the temptation to rely on wealth and technology and to lose sight of what makes us human. the pollution of earth is not a sign of humanity’s technological progress but rather its abrogation of responsibility for the world. the ending credits show in the style of ancient wall paintings humanity rebuilding the world and growing crops. earth is only complete with humans as its master. this film does not celebrate a world without men. it is a positive, pro-human message.

Jun 30, 2008 - 7:38 am Anonymous:

Jean:

“SO, Liberal = WALL-E + love of earth + promoting health + teaching my kids to respect their environment and themselves + facing the truth of our failings and trying to do something about it…

Conservative = love of self + feeling insulted when the truth is told + seeing any criticism of our country (and now our habits, apparently), as anti-American”

What a load of crap. Demonize the other side. That’s how we should debate. The extreme left and extreme right is what will destroy this country. As far as the world is concerned if it is destroyed I’m sure man’s stupidity will have something to do with it.

I haven’t seen the movie yet but I plan to. As we all should know by now the critics are usually wrong so I’m looking forward to seeing a good movie, hopefully.

Jun 30, 2008 - 10:16 am aloysiusmiller:

Big corporation rails against big corporations.

Big corporation makes a movie that is one big merchandising shtick for toys.

Big polluting corporation tells us that pollution is wrong. How much plastic will the toys generate?

God Bless America (and big corporations)

Jun 30, 2008 - 12:11 pm Terry:

Movie was okay for me. Sucked eggs as a movie for my 7 year old. Wife plain hated it.

Jun 30, 2008 - 12:20 pm Dave II:

Just wondering, (and no, I haven’t seen the movie yet, but plan to)… if this is Pixar’s little “poke in the eye” at their NOW “parent” Disney corporation, a la Dreamwork’s “Shrek”??? Or was the whole BuyNLarge corporation just a convenient scapegoat to facilitate a story line without having to mention a particular form of political government???

Much easier to pin commercialism run amuck on a Big-Time corporate boogy-man, than call capitalism into question for producing “too much” garbage for the planet, and creating lazy do-nothing consumers!

Whatever…all these comments have given me a great “perspective” to see this movie by. I can only hope, like most of you seem to think here, that the TRUE story line comes through…”all the garbage”!

Jun 30, 2008 - 12:28 pm Nanni:

I took my 5 year old grandson to see WALL-E. He was enthralled. He loved the Robots, the music and the little cockroach. He liked that they were cleaning the trash and even caught the allusion to Monk (which we watch avidly). He like that WALL-E had a girl friend named EVE. He said nothing about evil America, big corporations, pollution ruining our country, or liberalism. Get a grip! It’s entertainment with a message. So what else is new? Great flick. Loved all the allusions. The big lesson is “If you don’t like it - you can fix it”.

Jun 30, 2008 - 12:33 pm William Woody:

Oh, for goodness sake, the environmentalism in WALL-E is a MacGuffin: “a plot device that motivates the characters or advances the story, but the details of which are of little or no importance otherwise”, to quote Wikipedia.

The fundamental story is “the last robot on Earth finds love and adventure”; how he becomes that last robot on Earth and how that adventure is driven is of no importance: WALL*E could have been the last archaeology robot sent to find the Maltese Falcon statue–the story structure would have remained exactly the same, right down to the arrival of EVE and their return to the mother ship, and the adventure that follows.

The fact that environmentalism is used as a driving–both otherwise meaningless–plot device is quickly revealed when you start asking questions about the movie’s structure: is consumerism bad? WALL*E, a product of that consumerism, finds value in collecting treasures–consumer products–in the piles of trash. And the trash itself: if humanity is so advanced they can launch people into space, couldn’t they just launch the trash into space instead?

WALL*E is not Happy Feet: there is no coming together of characters questioning the evils of consumerism and a promise to do better. There is no lecture; the MacGuffin drives a bunch of rather funny images during the third act, but there is no moral value assigned to those images. And yes, I saw the film–and despite having an extremely low tolerance for environmental lectures and environmental hypocrites, I did not feel lectured at in any way.

You know, if you are nominally a film critic, you’d think you’d know a MacGuffin when one hits you in the face. Sadly, it appears Kyle Smith doesn’t know what a MacGuffin is–which makes me question his effectiveness as a film critic.

Jun 30, 2008 - 12:41 pm Mike:

‘They float through their troglodyte lives as unquestioning subjects of the master corporation (the same one that ruined the Earth) that houses them, distracts them and feeds them.’

Sounds like welfare junkies under an Democratic government. Which would make the film a cautionary conservative tale.

Jun 30, 2008 - 1:28 pm March Hare:

Did Mr. Smith see the same movie I saw this weekend? I thought the overall message of the film, as well as the ending, was quite hopeful and upbeat. And the mini-art history lesson during the ending credits (you have to pay attention!) was a nice touch. Although kids might not understand it without adult help.

During the climax the theater, which included several small children, was ABSOLUTELY SILENT–a sign that we were all caught up in the moment, from seniors to youngsters. That’s not an easy thing to do!

Jun 30, 2008 - 4:21 pm gus3:

::”During the climax the theater, which included several small children, was ABSOLUTELY SILENT–a sign that we were all caught up in the moment, from seniors to youngsters.”::

Caught up, or asleep.

Jun 30, 2008 - 9:29 pm REM1:

No way! I loved this movie!! (HATED Ferngully, btw). Eva and WALL-E are adorable and I agree that the environmentalism was really just background. The central part of this was the relationship/adventures of the robots. I didn’t get a propoganda vibe at all.
Also, the ending was very positive and I LOVED the credits!! I guess it’s hard for me to rant about something that seems to turn out ok in the end?

Jul 2, 2008 - 8:26 am Zigory:

One of the most important qualities Walt Disney’s movies, television programs, and theme parks imparted to me as a child, and to children everywhere, was a feeling of reassurance.

To a child, the sense of a system and society that is dependable and rational is extremely important to his feeling secure and optimistic, to his feeling free and motivated to learn and grow and become ambitious within that society.

The new Disney-Pixar movie Wall E is not at all in the spirit of Walt Disney’s movies.

Above all, the problem with this film — and the fact that busy parents, or their child care providers, will one day buy the DVD and play it over and over for their children without watching it — is the message that the universe makes no sense and the future is dark and adults are incapable of dealing with their problems until long past catastrophe. This is not a reassuring message to children who love life and can’t wait to grow up and flourish. It is harmful.

As my 5-year-old son said, “That’s a Garbage Planet. That’s not Earth. Why are they calling it Earth?” He understands that Earth makes sense. People are rational beings.

I explained it’s a make-believe silly story about Earth in the future where, as my wife said, “people become stupid” and can’t get rid of garbage. (Even though they can create a spaceship to hold and feed the entire human population for 700 years). I reassured him and his sister that it’s ridiculous and that this is not going to happen in real life.

Jul 2, 2008 - 9:23 pm March Hare:

To Gus3:

Well, either the audience fell asleep ~really~ quickly or they were caught up. I didn’t hear any snoring, either.

To Zigory:

I found the ending optimistic, especially if you watch the ending credits and see the Earth coming back to life, the rivers and plants restored. But, you’re right, kids who watch this on DVD without adult input might miss the message, especially preschoolers.

Jul 3, 2008 - 12:34 pm

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