We saw Wall-E today.
The theater messed up at first. It was kind of odd - because the obligatory movie pre-views were for very intense (violent) or mature films. One of the previews was for a movie called Deathrace. Another was for “Burn After Reading” - an upcoming Coen Brothers film. Parents were in the theater with a lot of young kids - and they clearly weren’t comfortable with what their children were seeing. Someone went and complained and I guess the theater figured out that the movie about to be shown was Wanted. So abruptly the film stopped (without the feature film actually beginning). After sitting for a few minutes we were instructed to get up and go into another theater room where in fact we would see Wall-E.
Wall-E is a movie with micro and macro perspectives. A tiny robot is left alone in a world of abandoned skyscrapers and immense mountainous heaps of garbage in all directions. The robot, Wall-E, is entrusted with the job of compacting the garbage into small cubes and piling them up. It’s a massive job and he works faithfully at it. Except for a cockroach as a friend, he’s alone in this world. This premise is very cute and interesting. It’s also a fantastic setup for feelings of melancholy.
I won’t explain further what the movie is about or what happens after this beginning - but I definitely suggest the film to all Pixar fans And who isn’t a Pixar fan? My one caveat is I’m not sure this movie is as kid-accessible as some of the others … I feel that the excellent and wholly original Pixar films keep getting more sophisticated and while they will appeal to kids, I’m starting to feel they are aimed more and more at mature thinking adults and thoughtful adolescents. This isn’t really a complaint at all. Just an observation. I love what Pixar is doing and I hope they continue to push the envelope of what can be done with story-telling and animation.
After the movie was over and we were filing out of the theater, the theater manager was apologizing for the initial mistake and handing out complimentary tickets for us to see another film.
1Dan on Jun 29, 2008 at 8:56 am:
I loved Wall-E. I thought it was Pixar’s finest, by far. But I’m a sci-fi geek like Andrew Stanton who made the movie. It touches on all the things I love about a movie. It has a beautiful love story, and a great message that emphasized the value of green life. It was also quite poetic, a symphonic poem.
2jeff h on Jun 30, 2008 at 9:04 am:
ivy and I went to see wall-e also, and are wondering if all the people who were sitting in the theatre to see “wanted” got up and left after watching the trailer for what must truly be the world’s worst idea for a movie ever — “Beverly Hills Chihuahua”. We also want to know how many of them came out of the theatre thinking, “Man, I want to see that!”
3Dan on Jun 30, 2008 at 9:06 am:
Jeff,
I agree. That was the worst, most awful trailer I ever saw!
4danithew on Jun 30, 2008 at 9:35 am:
After seeing the Hollywood Chihuahua trailer it occurred to me that when the movie was pitched, the movie executives involved must have been completely drunk.
5Non-Arab Arab on Jul 2, 2008 at 7:29 pm:
Saw Wall-E this past weekend and wow! Incredible film on so many levels. I’ve heard a lot of questions about whether it would appeal to kids, but we brought our gaggle of young ones and they all loved it. I think it’s what a truly great film should be: capable of appealing to people on multiple levels. The deep-thinking sides of us and the parts who just like some good old fashioned entertainment. This one hit every sweet spot in my mind and the kids, wife, and I all loved it.
Same thoughts on Beverly Hills Chihuahua, but those executives may not have been quite as drunk as you and I thought: our little girl wouldn’t stop hassling me about how much she wanted to see it!