Wall-E: A Review

There's something inherently wrong about using words to describe the brilliance of WALL-E, because this is a film that places the emphasis squarely on visuals and music to tell one of the most magical stories of the past few years.

Alfred Hitchcock once said that you're ready to start shooting once the script has been written and the dialogue has been added. The people behind WALL-E understand better than most that talk is cheap and that characters are truly defined by their actions, not their words.

WALL-E is a thoroughly adorable creation not because he offers snappy banter and pop culture references while mugging for the camera like the dogs in that hideous trailer for Beverly Hills Chihuahua, but because everything he does speaks volumes about what a good-natured creature he is. In the same way that R2D2 was the emotional core of Star Wars, this little robot is the most human, genuinely heart-warming movie creation in years. Not since Puss In Boots flashed his baby blues in Shrek 2 has an animated character expressed so much while saying nothing.

And the deserted planet that WALL-E inhabits is an equally fascinating treat for the eyes. When seen from space, the familiar blue, white, and green sphere once known as Earth has turned a rusty shade of brown. WALL-E has been left alone on this abandoned planet to clean up the mess that humans have left behind, and his piles of garbage tower over the largest skyscrapers. The shots of this lone robot wandering through a desolate wasteland while humming a catchy tune are truly stunning.

WALL-E happily goes about his business, as he's done for 700 years, because it's the only life he's ever known. He works all day, compacting garbage into neat little cubes, occasionally keeping trinkets that he finds interesting like egg beaters, a rubik's cube, and the box that a diamond ring came in. The diamond ring, having no inherent value that WALL-E can understand, gets tossed on the trash heap.

WALL-E's managed to survive long after all the other WALL-E models have broken down, and like many Sci-Fi robots before him, the more information he assimilates, the more his own personality develops. He's a machine that's evolved to the verge of sentience, but we see him as a young child who's just beginning to make sense of the world around him and his place in it.

His only friend is a pet cockroach who follows him everywhere he goes like a loyal puppy, and WALL-E spends his off-hours watching Hello Dolly and emulating the dance moves. There's also something about the love story that he finds fascinating, but he doesn't quite understand it all. And then EVE arrives.

She's a newer model robot, apparently designed by one of Steve Jobs' ancestors, and she's been sent to Earth on some unknown mission. WALL-E is initially terrified of this strange visitor, but the more he watches her the more fascinated he becomes, and his initial timid attempts at courtship are thoroughly endearing to the audience, if not to EVE. No matter how many times she threatens to blow him to bits with her highly advanced weapons, all he wants to do is get a little closer, earn her trust, protect her from harm, and hold hands.

Beyond the love story and the laughs, there's some very effective social commentary on the dangers of mega-corporations and our increasingly obese, lazy society. This is deftly handled in a way that's hard to miss, but never heavy-handed.

I honestly don't know if most children will enjoy Wall-E because it lacks the hyper-kinetic action of typical kiddie fare, but I sincerely hope they'll respond favourably to WALL-E's expressive eyes, charming body language, and sweet-tempered personality.

If, after seeing WALL-E, your kids would rather watch Beverly Hills Chihuahua, I weep for the future.

And as for adults, if you don't find WALL-E to be a wondrous movie-going experience, there's an excellent chance that you're a cold-hearted bastard, and if I was the last robot on earth and my choice of companion came down to you or a cockroach, I'd choose the cockroach.