Wall-E Review

We saw the 2:50 showing of Wall-E on Friday. It was a great time to see the movie. The theater was not too crowded which helped with our crowd. Joshua could wander up and down our row without disturbing too many people. We had great seats in the middle of the theater. Also, Grace and Caleb got free Wall-E watches because we were there opening weekend. Gotta love a perk!

There were tons of previews and not a single one stood out. (That is not a good sign if you are in the movie business.) Then the short started. It was wonderful. The premise was crazy and the animation beautiful. The laughs were straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon from my youth. You have to love when they pull you in with the subconscious connections.

The first 30 minutes of Wall-E are incredible. There is little to no dialogue, but I did not hear a complaint from our children. The pictures and movement was so memorable that the kids were transfixed. I thought they would want us to leave, but they loved the growth of the relationship between Wall-E and EVE. When they leave Earth, the pace of the movie really increases. The difficulty of watching a show like this is you know that Pixar has packed in the details. I know I missed these details while trying to get a drink for Joshua or popcorn to the kids. I think this is a movie that you see more with each subsequent viewing.

After the Earth segment, the pace picks up and there is no slowing down until the end. I won't spoil the movie, but I do want to say something about the tone. I have read that what Dr. Seuss' The Lorax is to children's books, Pixar's Wall-E is to children's movies. The environmental message is not as strong, though it is a component of the movie.

So to recap, you might like this movie if you like movies:

• About post-apocalyptic life
• With incredible visuals
• Preaching a save the earth theme
• Depicting robot love stories
• Jabbing us for the over commercialization of America
• Showing kids playing in space
• That mock the movie-going public (and our infantilization and greed), or
• Of a love story between a janitor and a sexy, geeky gal.

I liked it a lot and loved the different messages and themes. But, in fairness, Mary enjoyed it but did not love. I think you should go and see it because it is a Pixar movie. And you have to support great entertainment.