Friday, Jul. 04, 2008

Robot tugs at human hearts

Calling Pixar’s latest movie a masterpiece seems a bit hollow, since it happens every time they release a new film. But somehow, it means more this time. There’s some sort of magic dust surrounding "Wall-E" that makes the word "masterpiece" seem fitting.

Maybe it’s because that out of all the films made by the company known for its brilliant imagination, this one is the most imaginative. Maybe it’s because that out of all the films made by the company known for telling great stories, this one is the greatest. Maybe it’s because that for a film company that puts heart in all of its films, this one has the biggest.

To put it bluntly, "Wall-E" is my favorite movie of the year. It’s hard to imagine a movie making me feel so good, so happy and so hopeful. This is a movie with big ideas, something that some people think that "kids movies" aren’t supposed to have. But it does.

During his valiant press junket for "The Love Guru," Mike Myers said that he wanted his movie to be a delivery system for this uplifting set of ideas and beliefs, while still being a comedy.

"Wall-E" is just that. It has such a wonderful message about love, faith, humanity and our ability to do great things together. But don’t let this make you feel overwhelmed; all of this is only there if you want it to be.

On the surface, it’s still an almost unbearably charming comedy about the journey a little robot makes to find the other little robot that it loves. (If there was any collective group of filmmakers that could make audiences choke up with emotion at the sight of two computer-animated robots holding hands, it had to be Pixar.)

This is a movie that you can grow on. If you take your 6-year-old to see this movie, if they want to they can come back 10, 20 years later and discover the movie again, and see all of the things it has to say.

To call a movie beautiful may seem kind of over the top, but again, it just seems fitting when describing "Wall-E." "Wall-E" is funny; "Wall-E" makes you cry, "Wall-E" is happy, "Wall-E" is sad. But more than any of that, "Wall-E" is a firm and pleasant reminder of what movies can do, what they can say, what they can make people feel.

I recommend this movie to anyone who wants to have a smile on their face.

— Nick Jimenez, 16, will be a junior at Legacy High School in the fall.