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Wanted honestly was disappointing. The action sequences were definitely awesome but if it didn’t have the excuse of being an adaptation of a graphic novel, it was mind-numbingly stupid. The action sequences are relentless and violence involved curving bullets and bashing guys for training (you’ve a wax-like bath later to help you recover). Angelina Jolie looked horribly anorexic and James McAvoy still has some distance to go in order to convincingly play a badass macho killing machine. Our weekend would have been a downer hadn’t it been for the other movie we watched the previous night - Wall·E.
Pixar has achieved the epitome of not only animation but also adept story-telling. How else would you explain the brilliance of a movie focused on the love story of two robots that have a two-word vocabulary. Ash rightly said that their relationship was like that between a slickly-designed (with smooth edges) highly-efficient Mac (Eve) and a clunky weird but cute PC (Wall·E). Seth Godin says it perfectly when he points out that Pixar rightly chose between doing a great movie versus a movie with merchandising potential. That said, I’ll not be surprised if we seee Wall·E and Eve toys. The magic of Pixar as I mentioned is not just in the superior animation that they manage to surpass themselves with each new movie but also the immense attention to the fine art of story-telling. The intonations and modulations used by Wall·E and Eve in calling each other to reflect various emotions are more enough to reflect the mischief and love between the two. I’ve been going Evaaa and Eeeeva ever since I saw the movie. I had already been blown away by Pixar’s animation capabilities but found their plot lines and story lines weak (apart from Monsters, Inc. and Toy Story, of course). But the Wall·E eliminated those doubts.
Wall·E’s character as a lonely robot who dutifully goes about his job of building skyscrapers of compacted trash on the abandoned Earth yet being desperately lonely for company after watching Hollywood musicals is enough to make anyone with a heart go awwwww. Some of the brilliant sequences in the movie include Wall·E’s silent following as Eve goes about hunting for organic vegetation and his subsequent care as she locks herself down upon finding Wall·E’s plant. The musical number serenading each other outside Axiom complete with an extinguisher-powered flight is equally cute. Of course, aside from this love story Pixar carries the message of environmental conservation and anti-commercialization. Yet the message is very subtle and it doesn’t try to ram the preachings down your throat and stays faithful to the central characters and its storyline (but of course, the killjoy right-wingers disagree). It had shades of Idiocracy with its dystopic future bereft of vegetation and powered by fluid food. If you haven’t yet seen this movie, go out and see it even if it is the only movie you’ll see this summer. And yes, stay and watch the closing credits (and come early to watch the opening short).
by Patrix | on Tuesday, July 1st, 2008 at 1:22 pm | 
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July 1st, 2008 at 1:52 pm reply
A worthy post of a wonderful movie. I really wasn’t looking forward to seeing it after I almost fell asleep during Ratatouille, but Rajith convinced me to go. I was at the edge of my seat all throughout! I don’t think I can add anything more than what you’ve already said, except that the opening short seem to be getting better, too. If not story-wise, at least animation-wise. I think I can add Presto to my list of favorite Pixar shorts.
PS: Rajith wants a Wall-E toy.
July 1st, 2008 at 2:07 pm reply
Sampada, I’m not surprised Rajith wants a Wall·E toy. Methinks he is the cutest character animated or otherwise evar. The short as you mentioned is getting better and really stretches the creative genius of an otherwise ordinary occurrence from our retro pop culture.
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:48 am reply
Wall-e was just wonderful; one of the best animated and cutest movies ever. I had not expect Wall-E to be as good as it turned out; Andrew Stranton is a genius.
S
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:42 am reply
I wish I could time-travel ahead to the weekend and see it. I have been wanting to see it since day one. I really can’t wait. And Sampada, you fell asleep during Ratatouille?? Blasphemy!
July 2nd, 2008 at 4:04 pm reply
Wall-E was brilliant. That is all.
Yesterday our company took us interns out to watch Kung-Fu panda at the Alamo drafthouse [during office hrs -- now how cool was that!]. It was funnier and better than I expected.
So it was an animated feature filled week personally. :)
July 2nd, 2008 at 4:54 pm reply
Supremus, it is definitely a genius factory and talented bunch of folks that Pixar has nurtured.
Ashutosh, I loved Ratatouille too so dunno why Sampada slept through it. Perhaps like some, she couldn’t get past the rat image :) And you really must watch Wall·E.
Aditya, now that’s what I call a cool company. Hope they don’t expect you to ‘make up’ the hours. Kung Fu Panda although funny now pales in comparison to the genius that is Wall·E, story and animation-wise.
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:53 am reply
As long as I get things done they’re cool. And on July 4th (which of course is holiday) our hourly wage for that day (i.e., 8hrs) gets bumped up by 1.5 times the usual (overtime pay). So happy days. :)
Back to the topic, Wall-E is on an entirely different level. I can’t even imagine comparing the two. KFP was funnier than I thought it would be. So it kinda took me by surprise.
July 11th, 2008 at 12:47 pm reply
[...] I mentioned before, Wall·E may have references to protecting and conserving our environment but it definitely doesn’t make any sort of direct reference against or taunts to obese [...]