The Belated Second Half to My Post on WALL-E

After I published the last post on my blog Saturday, promising that I would finish it after seeing WALL-E again that afternoon, I stepped outside my apartment to check the mail. While walking back to my apartment I heard a clacking noise and what sounded like karaoke. I stopped where I was and listened. At first I couldn't make out the song, though it sounded familiar. Then it struck me: it was the Yeah Yeah Yeah's song "Maps." That's not typically a song I hear around my apartment complex, let alone someone singing it karaoke. I had to see what was going on.

I wandered over to the apartment where nearly a fourth of the guys in my ward live - it's the only full guys' apartment in the complex. When I got there, I looked in their open, screenless window and saw three of them playing Rock Band. I went in and sat on their couch and watched. That was my first exposure to Rock Band. After watching for awhile, two of the three guys got tired and decided to stop playing for awhile. That gave me and another person opportunity to jump in.

Rock Band is addictive. It was so much fun; I especially enjoyed drumming. Anyway, we ended up playing for a few hours, and I missed all the matinee showings of WALL-E. It was worth it though.

I finally saw WALL-E again after work Tuesday afternoon. I love that movie, and this is why (don't worry I won't spoil anything for those who haven't seen it): While playing Rock Band I overheard a discussion a few non-rockers were having. They were talking about the movie. One of them said that someone they knew said it wasn't worth paying money to see. This upset me. I turned back, the song we were playing had ended, and I said, "That person has no soul."

Obviously they do, but I worry for that soul. WALL-E is the type of movie that if I were in a relationship with someone and they didn't feel something emotional or at least really enjoy the movie, I would have some serious doubts about the kind of person they are. But that's just the kind of person I am. This film moved me like no other Pixar film. Maybe I'm a sap for robot love stories, I don't know. Maybe it was the fact that a lonely robot, who had been alone for 700 years, finally found companionship, and I want to relate during my own 700 year period. Maybe it just portrays universal themes and feelings in such a way that I can't help but feel. I remember one moment Friday night towards the end of the film, during one of the most dramatic scenes. The musical score cut out and all extraneous sound vanished. The theater was completely silent. No one was talking obnoxiously to the person next to them. No cell phones went off (thank goodness!) like they always seem to do during the worst possible times. No one was restlessly moving in their seat. I heard nothing. It was spectacularly silent. Everyone was invested in WALL-E's story. It was the kind of moment that makes moviegoing worthwhile.

Seriously, WALL-E is easily the best film of the year thus far. Nothing really comes close. With WALL-E, Pixar has created its most memorable character yet. They took a robot, gave it a soul, and let it make its way into our hearts and imaginations with just a few simple utterances and robot noises. (Major props have to go to sound designer Ben Burtt, the man responsible for making R2D2 such a lovable droid. He's probably the best at what he does and has been involved in some remarkable films like the Star Wars trilogy and the Indiana Jones films). When I think of other Pixar films, I remember the plots or the goodnatured humor, but when I think of WALL-E, I immediately think of that little robot. The characterization is so deep and memorable; think of a robotic Charlie Chaplin and you have a good start to a basic understanding of WALL-E's character.

The second viewing was not as powerful as the first, but I didn't really expect it to be. Nothing much will compare to the magic of seeing this film for the first time. It really was an amazing experience. Perhaps my second viewing was more detached; I was paying more attention to the cinematography and the amazingly detailed animation, but nonetheless, the emotional core of the story still touched me.

If you have not seen this movie (and you have a soul), I suggest that you do so. Anyone urging you to see some other film in the stead of WALL-E is not really your friend. Don't let inferior films like Get Smart or Hancock distract you from seeing the current best film of the year.