Dark Knight and Wall-E

Yep, there's another Dark Knight review, I just got back in having seen it in the UK previews. Wall-E I also saw recently, only a couple of days after release (yes, I was much more enthusiastic about Dark Knight than Wall-E at first)

*Contains Spoilers*

Walking to the cinema I tried my best to prepare to be disappointed, I know full well how films tear your hopes out when you are too enthusiastic.
This film is excellent, and harbors most if not all the mood and consistency of Begins, which I love in sequels. But the only flaw was how looooong it was. I was aware it was a full 20 minutes longer than (an already stretched) Batman Begins. More on that later.

From the get go, we have Ledger as The Joker, and throughout the film we are bombarded by his amazing performance. Now I know a few skeptics out there who feel people are overdoing Ledger's act, even glorifying due to his passing... but I do agree that his Joker steals the show. Much like Johnny Depp in the Pirates movies, as soon as he's on screen there is a great energy, and when he isn't, things settle.
Of course, this is also thanks to a creepy-as-hell soundtrack. Joker has this theme "music" which is more like a cringing metallic scratching sound which starts so quietly... and builds.. and builds and builds as the Joker's behaviour becomes more and more erratic in the scenes. Terrifying. Yet at the same time, there are some truly funny moments which due to his nature.. you feel you shouldn't find funny!
The chemistry too between Joker and Batman is solid as granite too, you really feel that Joker is Batman's opposite, his ultimate nemesis as he cannot understand why Joker does what he does (which plays back to Begins with Falcone telling Bruce "you always fear what you don't understand")

The rest of the film (yes, it's that obvious that Joker stands above it all!) is... a bit of a mess to be honest. We are introduced to Harvey Dent who is one of my favourite characters in Batman lore, and for fans, it's like looking at a time-bomb. We all know, we all look at that side of his face and think.. soon.. it'll go horribly wrong. But with Harvey's escalation as a character there is a lot of lawyer/cop/money dealings/techno-talk with phones and sonar which kinda slow it down a bit.
We have a nice triangle with Bruce-Rachel-Harvey, but Harvey never discovers who Batman is... So when Batman makes the choice of saving Harvey over Rachel (were Rachel is killed as Commissioner Gordon was too late)... Harvey has no *utter* hatred of Batman in the showdown at the end.. at least not to the extent it could have been.
Harvey Dent becomes Two-Face in a rather throw-out way. Amazing development in his character and great effects work on his face, but this is were the film feels too long and too rushed. Two-Face is dispatched almost as soon as we get to know him, we don't even know his motives except revenge (maybe it's just me as a fan of the character, demanding more)

I guess they knew what they were doing, Two-Face being a creation of the Joker's, marring Dent's good name which is briefly validated with the spinning coin landing on the good side as he died (VERY Batman Forever in this scene). There are rumours Two-Face isn't actually dead... I hope these are untrue (although it does stand, as Batman doesn't kill people... yet he kills Two-Face?)

Ultimately, see it, but be prepared for a longer film. It is worth seeing for Ledger's performance and this isn't just hyping the praise for sake of validating his career in passing. I think it is all an actor could want, for their final act to be their best!

*Contains Spoilers*

Compared to Dark Knight I was a little skeptical going into this one. I knew nothing, except a robot romance and Wall-E talked (at least his name). At that I was very worried as I thought it would be like.. ET again.
How wrong I was. I will argue that Wall-E is the best Pixar film made yet. Why? Because it's short and doesn't outstay its welcome like "The Incredibles" and doesn't feel repetitive like "Finding Nemo" did a bit (and I LIKED Finding Nemo). Wall-E plays like a silent film, both lead robots only have three words between them! (Thank god they didn't talk!) Yet one would think this would be limiting, in actual fact it is a boon. Wall-E and EVE have such character! They are charming and completely compelling, genuine and real; you actually feel for them, the audience laughed at the right times, and went silent at the gripping moments.

Animation wise, it is beautiful. The first quarter is just mind-meltingly stunning, from the gritty, dirty and barren Earth cityscape to the jaw-dropping vast space visuals. True, you might say that modeling, texturing and animating a robot is easier than say.. a rat.. or a human being.. but there is real details in Wall-E, especially his eyes, and I find it a testimony to animators to bring such stereotypical, inanimate characters to life!

The film's length and pacing is perfect, it doesn't stop for rest, it doesn't rush and it always keeps you interested. Unlike previous Pixar films which tended to linger, or verge on " this is our computer game section" action sequences. The action does get a little crazy near the end, but it is a kids film!
There are some typical robot plotlines, like the commanding robot that turns on its human masters due to inhumane protocol (ripped straight from 2001: A Space Odyssey, on purpose though). There is a distinct Apple Mac theme, Wall-E's start up sound, Wall-E having an iPod at his "house" and Auto being voice by the Apple Mac "text-to-speech" program. But I just find those things charming.
Also, I wasn't expecting humans in this film, but not as much as I wasn't expecting how they portray humans in this film! Amazing work.

Don't be afraid of the cutesy advertising, Wall-E is a testimony to animation more than any other Pixar film and demands to be seen on the big screen. It plays like an animation should be: short, moving and funny.

Ultimately, these two films are going to be high on my final top 10 at the end of the year.