Movie: Wall-E

I don't really have the energy to write a full review of Wall-E, which we snuck out a little early today to go see (shh, don't tell anybody). Suffice to say: love.

A couple of highlights: Sigourney Weaver voices a ship's computer on self-destruct. The scenes with the cockroach are funny and adorable. The ships in the dry harbor are frightening and sad and Eve's frustration is palpable. How is it possible that a robot's emotions are palpable? The animators didn't cheat, that I could see; the robots didn't smile, or get themselves out of a jam with suddenly opposable thumbs, or otherwise become implausibly people-ish. Yet they had personality to spare, especially Wall-E. The end brought tears to my eyes. Stupid robots.

Another fun note: one of the robots is rebooted, and the sound it makes when it turns on is the sound a Mac makes when it turns on. Funny.

And the closing credits were awesome. Lovely imagery telling the coda to the story.

My biggest complaint had to do with the audience surrounding us. In front of us, we had a pair of women with their obviously handicapped young woman companion. In back of us, we had a family of indeterminate size with a couple of relatively young children; I'd guess 5-7. Three guesses which party annoyed me more. Yes, it was the family, but again, not for the reason you might think. The adult (or adults) in the party would not shut up. The children were speaking conversationally, asking questions as kids are apt to do, and that didn't bother me. What bothered me was the fact that about 7 times out of 10, the adult (or adults) answered them conversationally. Meaning that Bruce and I got to hear the explanation of how there was so much trash on the world as if they were speaking to us at a dinner party. Every so often there would be a "Shhhh!" or a response in a whisper, but far more often it was as if these people thought the movie theater was their own living room.

I'm embarrassed at myself to report, however, that the young handicapped woman made nary a peep. When I realized she was handicapped, in a way that may make her prone to loud involuntary outbursts, shamefully, my first thought was "Oh great." Then in my head, I was all, "Wait, she has every right to be here, and I would want people to give us the same courtesy if we had Caetlin with us." I remain embarrassed to admit that she was far better of a movie watching companion than the family behind us.

Anyway, good movie. Way way worth seeing. Just don't talk to your kids as if you were in your own home, m'kay? Thanks!