One day, a ship arrives from space, dropping off another bot, this one called EVE. The frightened yet curious Wall*E sees her flying around and develops robotic romantic feelings for the shiny new robot. What follows is a tale of one robot's pursuit of a curious thing called love, his timely interactions with other robots and humans, all of which lead to an alteration in the direction of human history.
The story is a simple one, yet it is one that works on many levels. There is the story of a curious robot, there is the desired romance, there is social commentary on our consumer culture, and the story of waking up and seeing what is going on around you. I must say that this film came out firing on all cylinders and there is so much going on that it comes with built-in replay value. Whether you choose to watch on the surface, going along with Wall*E for the adventure of a lifetime, or if you want to dig into what it is saying about society, it is all there for the taking.
Wall*E is brave filmmaking. There is very little dialog, especially in the first half, meaning that much of the story is told through physical movements, reactions, facial expressions — it is very reminiscent of the silent film era. This is definitely not your standard kiddie cartoon flick. Don't get me wrong, this is definitely a film for children or those with an inner child, but it has something for everyone and it does not pander to anyone.
This film is an extraordinary achievement. After last year's masterpiece Ratatouille I did not think they would be able to top what they did there, and I think they just may have done it. Of course, time and a few more viewings will ultimately determine its place within the pantheon of Pixar films, but I have a feeling that this one will rank quite highly.
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