Before you read any further, know this.  Wall-E is one of the best films to come along in a long, long time.  Sure, if you haven’t followed Pixar over the years, it might be easy to compare this to other cheap kiddy fare similar to the mounds of trash Dreamworks produces every year.  But that predisposition will cost you the chance to see what arguably from this point on be viewed as one of the best Science Fiction movies ever put on screen.

On the surface, Wall-E seems like at least a pretty enjoyable kid centric flick.  Many of the advertisements would have you think that it’s a loving little story about a cute little robot that’s E.T., R2-D2, and Johnny 5 rolled into one.  Perhaps from this context it could even be comparable to the Robots movie from Dreamworks just a few years ago.  But what the advertisements wisely don’t tell you is that Wall-E is immensely more rich and deep than they let on.  Wall-E serves both as the hero of the film, as well as a guide to what Pixar envisions as both a bleak and utopian future set around seven hundred years from now.  It’s a future that somewhat realistically shows what would happen to our planet and species were we to stay in our same stubborn habits.  Director / Writer Andrew Stanton and crew do have a multilayered message of moderation and good stewardship within Wall-E, but it’s not one that beats you over the head with the point or is hidden under multiple blankets of subtlety.  And even this isn’t the main thesis of the movie, instead it’s largely focused on the humanic qualities of Wall-E himself and his new Apple inspired robot girlfriend named Eve.  Rest assured, this flick is not a one trick pony.

Technically, Wall-E is a marvel.  Ben Burtt provides the sound and “voice” of Wall-E, in probably some of the best work of his long career.  Pixar also experiments with some elementary mixing of live action and animation in a way that makes Happy Feet seem absolutely amateurish.  But quite expectantly, Wall-E is an absolute visual delight.  Andrew Stanton had already given us a rich environment full of color and wonder in Finding Nemo, but now instead of using oceans and coral reefs as his palette, we now get the entire freaking universe.  When Wall-E and Eve trip around in the vacuum of space, it provides a backdrop and scene for some of the most gorgeous scenes in recent memory.  One scene in particular after Wall-E has secured the Maguffin of the plot, brewed with an awe inspiring and fittingly dramatic score, is an honest to goodness eye-sweller in its beauty.

The film isn’t entirely flawless, as there are a few virtually miniscule plot holes that may bug you later on.  But you’ll likely be more than willing to dismiss them, as the sum of Wall-E’s parts equates to a genuine masterpiece.  There will still from this point on be those hungry for a more mature Pixar who may cite The Incredibles as their favorite film, and that’s just fine.  But as an ardent fan of Pixar for nearly a decade, I can say without hesitation that this is the studio at their absolute finest.  Not only is this likely to be their crowning achievement for years to come, but this is a movie that may be ranked very highly for a very long time.  Do yourself a favor and see it immediately.  And then be sure to drop by this thread in our movies board afterwards.

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