Robots
Director: Chris Wedge and Carlos Saldanha
Year Released: 2005
Rating: 1.5
In the DVD commentary, one of the producers (inadvertently?) points out this movie's major flaw: they started with a visual idea instead of a story idea. The digital scenery is amazing, naturally - Robot City is like a massive Rube Goldberg contraption - but any and all appeal from the characters comes from their celebrity voices (Mel Brooks being a particular favorite of mine) and not from the 'humor' (flatulence jokes, "I lost my parts," everything Robin Williams says in his 'female' voice) or plot clichés (let's borrow from Lucas!). The strain for 'hipness' amidst budgetary surplus and the need for a huge box office is evident in the soundtrack: yes, you get a twinge of Tom Waits' growling and some James Brown, but then again there's also Britney Spears and Kenny G. Egad, people.
