Stars:
*** 1/2
Rating: G for good for
all audiences
Run
Time: 1
hour, 37 minutes
Robotic
romance springs eternal in Pixar’s latest entry into the 21st
century animation sweepstakes.
WALL-E (aka
Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) is the last robot left on the
depressing dystopia that is Earth, steadily cleaning up superfluous trash while
the population has lifted off on Axiom, a state-of-the-art home away from home.
(“Space is the final fun-tier!”)
WALL-E’s
days are spent crushing mountains of garbage into controllable cubes,
collecting intriguing curious and watching and re-watching a battered VHS copy
of “Hello Dolly!”
That tiresome
routine is turned upside down with the arrival of EVE, a fetching, egg-shaped
probe sent to Earth to determine its tenuous life-sustaining status.
Sparks fly,
and how. WALL-E shows of his collection – an old-fashioned egg-beater, an absorbing sheet of bubble-wrap, crusty
light bulbs and a Rubik’s cube – to impress the impenetrable EVE, all
beautifully sans dialogue.
High-tech
hell breaks loose when EVE is beamed back up to the Axiom and a lovesick WALL-E
stows away on her transport. As seen from his luminous, telescopic eyes the
Mother Ship is the ultimate nightmare in technologically advanced – a brave new
world of obese inhabitants existing on nothing but virtual exercise and lunch-in-a-cup.
255,642 days of inner-galactic cruising have made them soft.
It’s best
not to dig too deep into “WALL-E’s” narrative as much goes unexplained and its dramatic
mysteries – too many to count -- are shrouded in stunning visuals and the
titular hero’s search for the perfect love match.
But “WALL-E”
isn’t lacking a social conscience, passing politically correct judgment on
waste, gluttony, instant gratification and global warming. There’s a glimmer of
faith wedged between scenes closely inspired by “2001: A Space Odyssey”, “Blade
Runner”, “Star Wars” and even Charlie Chaplin’s iconic Little Tramp.
Sensory
overload – yes there can be
too much of a good thing – and sci-fi thrills butt up against a charming
affair; love-bots robotically cooing their affections to the tune of a
deliciously adult score courtesy musical demi-god Thomas Newman.
Beautifully
executed with a wink and a nudge, “WALL-E” is a film with heart.