spykje’s review published on Letterboxd:
i cried. i did, the swelling music and earnest emotions got me at the film's halfway point. after that though, i couldn't help but feel this drag a little. it still continued to be entertaining, stunningly animated, and heartwarming, but the more it went on, the more the film sought out certainty--a conclusion where the bows are neatly tied--the more i felt it waver. and that makes sense, as a desire for certainty is antithetical to the film itself: the wild robot is at its best in the first half, as a touching coming-of-age story, both for roz and brightbill, learning to defy their programming and embrace the challenges of that uncertainty; it's a movie about finding your own place in the world. and it doesn't stop being that after, and there are some really touching moments, especially showcasing the power and beauty of community, but i can't help but feel it get a little too lost in the narrative power creep. i can't really tell if the film let's the power creep control its narrative, or if the narrative is designed to accomodate the creep, but regardless, the first half (the film in general really) is paced way too fast. jump cut after jump cut, montage after montage, the wild robot tries to rush the process, despite its whole narrative asking you to trust it. maybe i hate joy and whimsy, but i just needed this to be an exercise in slow cinema to work on the level something that looks this good, is acted this well, and has emotions this powerful should.
i think some of the film's commentary is interesting: it's depictions of a post-capitalist society, where whales float over the golden gate bridge and humans exist in soulless biospheres, are tastefully harrowing, but, like, roz also just kind of reenacts colonialism? again, i hate fun and whimsy, but the bit where she says something to the effect of "i know you all have your instincts, but i know what is right"... haven't really thought this reading out (and i don't want to because i know it's nonesense), just kinda struck me when she said that line.
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