Film File

WALL-E 'What if mankind had to leave Earth, and somebody forgot to turn off the last robot?' So goes the advertising slogan for the latest Pixar release - a film destined to be one of the summer"s biggest crowd-pullers. After hundreds of lonely years doing what he was built for, WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) discovers a new purpose in life when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE (Extra-terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator). EVE (the voice of Elissa Knight) comes to realise that WALL-E (voice of Ben Burtt) has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet"s future, and races back to space to report her findings to the humans who have been eagerly waiting on board the luxury spaceship Axiom for news that it is safe to return home. Meanwhile, WALL-E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets into motion a love story unlike anything you'll have seen anywhere. Think Jessica Rabbit and Bob Hoskins from an era long passed and you"ll have a fair idea of how this love story is going to pan out. After 800 years on earth, WALL-E has developed one little glitch - a personality. He"s extremely curious, highly inquisitive and, as one of thousands of robots sent by the Buy n Large corporation to clean up the planet while the human population went on a luxury space cruise, he is alone, except for the companionship of his pet cockroach, affectionately known as Hal - an homage to the computer from '2001: A Space Odyssey". As he compacts the rubbish, WALL-E amasses a treasure trove of knick-knacks including a Rubik"s Cube, a light bulb and a spork - which he keeps in a transport truck he calls home. Oddly, he also has a particular fondness for the film, 'Hello Dolly". A bit of a romantic, WALL-E dreams of making a connection one day, certain that there must be more to life than his monotonous job. By complete contrast, EVE is a sleek, state-of-the-art droid. She"s fast, she flies and she"s equipped with a laser gun. EVE, also called Probe One by the captain of the Axiom - the luxury mother ship which houses the displaced humans- is one of a fleet of similar robots sent to Earth on a scanning mission. One day, frustrated with not finding what she is looking for, she takes a break and makes an unexpected bond with the quirky robot. Together, they embark on a journey through space and romance. Peppered with multiple references to many sci-fi films of the 1970s like '2001", 'Star Wars", 'Alien", 'Blade Runner" and 'Close Encounters", 'WALL-E" is, like 'Toy Story" and 'Monsters Inc" before it, a clever movie that"s definitely aimed at adults as well as the obvious kiddie market. Given that there"s a distinct lack of verbal communication throughout the film, it"s a measure of the genius of Pixar that the audience is immediately engaged with a pair of objects which can only move in a defined mechanical manner. One of WALL-E"s greatest desires is to hold EVE"s hand - a simple gesture that, in this instance, carries an enormous emotional impact. Similarly, the emotions conveyed by the tilt of the head or the slow blink of an eye make this as powerful as the long train goodbye in 'Brief Encounter". The movie is not without its references to our world of mass consumerism - after all, the reason WALL-E is on Earth is to try to rid the atmosphere of the toxicity that forced all the humans on a rocket ship cruise in the first place. Still, this environmental message, while effective and subtly humorous, doesn"t take away a jot from the real meat of the movie: a love story for all ages. It"s got a bit of everything in there and I defy anyone, including moms and dads, not to catch a gulp in their throats at some points. Hurrah for WALL-E! Meet Dave Dave Ming Chang (Eddie Murphy), newly arrived in New York City, may be the ultimate fish out of water. There"s something about him that"s not quite right - for starters, he seems remarkably out of place and uncomfortable in his own body. And for good reason: Dave is not a man at all, but a ship made in the image of its miniature-sized captain. Keep up with me on this.... Dave"s forty-something, pleasant looking and nattily dressed, even if his attire - a white suit with black tie and a black handkerchief tucked in his pocket - harkens back to the disco-centric '70s. But, beyond his odd apparel, there"s still something not quite right about Dave. He"s definitely not from the neighbourhood...not even close. Even the way he walks is....odd; as he makes his way through the streets of New York, one of his legs shoots out way too far with each step, like he"s not comfortable in his own body. The fact is, Dave is a hollow vessel, but one crewed of well-trained miniature people - a world within a world - who feverishly attempt to direct Dave"s every action and conversation. In each section of Dave"s 'body", a skilled crewperson (average height: one and three-quarters inches), sporting an insignia depicting a specific part of Dave"s anatomy, mans a high-tech console controlling Dave"s movements. As you might expect, synchronicity doesn"t always happen as it might. This one did poorly at the American box office, and that"s a pity, given that it"s the best film Eddie Murphy has made in years. Mind you, that wouldn"t be hard. Murphy gives a wonderful performance as the robot Dave and his captain - physically energetic and possessed of many an eye-bulging moment of utter hilarity. The scenes when 'Dave' has to try to hold his own with members of the NYPD are alone worth the price of admission. 'Dave" won't last long on screens, but be sure and catch him on DVD if it's good laughs you're after.