Should I see it?
Yes.
To be honest, I had mixed feelings about this film. I wasn't as impressed with it as everyone else around me appeared to be. This is a good movie. It has a good script, interesting visuals and it is fun. I thought it was missing an emotional center however. Now, having expressed this concern to others I have found that I am absolutely alone in my criticism. Those around me find this to be an emotionally satisfying love story and a dang good family movie.
Given the overwhelming response from friends and family, I have to admit that it is likely I just didn't click with this one and have missed something.
The film follows WALL-E, a trash compacting robot who has been left on Earth to clean up the trash humans have left behind. He comes across Eve, a sleek robot sent to scout out the planet for plant life. The two robots fall in love. Finding a piece of greenery leave the planet and to deliver the plant to the humans drifting aimlessly out in space. Humans, after being sedentary for generations slurping down Big Gulps and watching TV have become physically gelatinous and mentally disabled. A car and mouse plot erupts as the robots enter the ship between them, the ship's captain and the ship's robotic wheel - it makes sense when you see it.
The plot is good, even with the change in scope half way through. I just didn't connect with a couple of beeping robots. Not being able to get into their, what I considered to be contrived, love story made it hard to really get behind the rest of the tale. Again, it has been made vividly clear to me that I am alone on this take on the movie.
What I did like was the commentary on our disposable culture and the wasteful fashion most of us twiddle away our lives consuming and watching screens. The social commentary of the movie is dead-on and very funny.
While I am a big enough jerk to stand against popular opinion in most cases and call a spade a spade, in this instance I am going recommend this movie not based on my own reaction but on the reactions of others. I have two reasons to do this. First, this is Pixar and they simply just do not make bad movies. Given their catalog, I have to assume I'm the odd one out. Second, everyone I know would chase after me with pitchforks and torches if I went against them on this one.
What can I say, I'm a big wuss at heart.
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