Reviewed by Max Foizey.

Release Date: June 27, 2008
Directed By: Andrew Stanton
Starring: Ben Burtt, Sigourney Weaver, Jeff Garlin
Rating: G

If you remember the 80's, one look at the small robot Wall*E will remind you of Johnny 5 of "Short Circuit" infamy. The similarity is so strong, I kept waiting for Steve Guttenberg to pop on screen at any moment. (No such luck, fellow Guttenberg fans.)

W.A.L.L.*E. stands for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class. (Good thing they dropped the 'C' from the abbreviation, because otherwise his name would be "Wall Ec.")

Wall*E (I'm calling him Wally from now on) is the last robot still functional on a deserted Earth, some 700 years in the future. Somehow Wally develops a personality, which means he enjoys Rubik's Cubes and show tunes. His best friend is a cockroach, which means he is in dire need of friends.

Humankind left on a huge spaceship years ago, as a corporation known as 'Buy N Large' rendered our planet uninhabitable through its money-hungry capitalist ways. Having been on a spaceship for more than 699 years, humans have become fat and lazy, completely beholden to machines to make their every move. (Wait - in what year is this film set? 2008?)

They've been sending robots back to earth every now and then to check for plant life, the sign that they can finally return home. A search robot named Eva travels to earth and finds plant life, and in the process charms our pal Wally.

In a structure reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's "2001," there is no dialogue in the film until Wally and Eva get to the spaceship, some forty minutes in. In another nod to Kubrick's masterpiece, the villain of this film is a steering wheel with one red eye, an obvious nod to the evil supercomputer HAL9000. While I appreciate these things (Look! Pixar is making '2001' for kids!) I would be very surprised if a six year-old reacts with anything besides boredom.

The anti-capitalist message seems unnecessary, and hurts the film. Why can't a kid's flick just be fun? That's the biggest crime of "Wall*E:" lack of humor. It's not a very funny film. In fact, it's downright depressing. Are kids going to line up to watch a film about robots falling in love? And if not, just WHO is the audience for this film?

Pixar is at the top of their game visually speaking, with some of the early shots of earth looking almost photo-realistic. "Wall*E" looks gorgeous, but feels like one of Pixar's lesser efforts. It's less "Finding Nemo" and more "A Bug's Life."

Ready for a new kind of radio? Check out the award winning Max On Movies, every Saturday from 2-4pm on 97.1 FM Talk. You'll hear breaking news about upcoming films, reviews of the latest theatrical and DVD releases, and interviews with your favorite actors, directors, and writers. Max On Movies was awarded a Certificate of Merit in the Special Program category from the Missouri Broadcasters Association in 2007. A member of the Saint Louis Gateway Film Critics Association, Max has written about film for various print and Web media, and appeared as guest critic on nationally syndicated radio shows. Max's favorite part of "Wall*E" is Peter Gabriel's end credits song. E-mail Max at mfoizey@stl.emmis.com