"WALL - E" Review

There is really nothing more charming than a tiny robot, unfamiliar with the behaviors of The Human, who is suddenly thrust into our world stumbling about while trying to make is way around. Every time WALL-E spoke, I had to resist the urge to pinch his cheeks and refer to him as a darling little trash clearing robot. Aren't you just the sweetest? And while I might be the last person on the planet to gush over the endearing WALL - E I feel like I need to say that despite his diminutive stature he most certainly kicks ass.

WALL - E (Ben Burtt)actually is an acronym for Waste Allocation Load Lifter-Earth-Class. This specific WALL - E that we have all come to love happens to be the last of his kind. Their mission had been to clean up the Earth while all humans were sent away on a five year "cruise" on the Executive Starliner Axiom. The WALL -E's were to stay to turn the planet back to life sustaining status. The beginning of the movie is just WALL - E going about his life alone (think I Am Legend or Castaway) with just a cockroach by his side. He returns home each night to watch and mimic scenes from Hello, Dolly (which might be the most darling thing ever). He's out one day building sky scrapers out of garbage when a space ship of some sort disturbs his peace and releases a tiny robot named EVE (Elissa Knight) whose job is to find plant life on Earth to bring back to Axiom. WALL - E begins to fall in love with EVE as he craves a connection with someone like him after so many years alone. She, being a woman on a mission, cannot be bothered and gives him a bit of the brush off. That is until EVE finds plant life and is summoned back to Axiom. When the spaceship comes to retrieve her WALL - E, thinking that his one true love is being taken away, follows in pursuit.

Axiom, which was to be a five year cruise sponsored by mega-corporation Buy N' Large (BnL - think Walmart) has turned into a 700 year long expedition in sloth. The humans have slowly turned into very large and lazy versions of their former selves, due to Axiom's cruise like atmosphere where everything is brought to them at all times. Everyone floats around in a hover chair of sorts and every meal comes in a cup. Doing something for yourself is a faux pas and even the ship's captain exudes indolence to the point where he has the ship run entirely on automatic by a rather devious device named AUTO. The only way for the humans to return to the planet is if an EVE returns with proof of life so that they can grow and flourish. Now that an EVE has returned with the proof it is the captain's job to get them back to Earth but after spending that much time away where everything is just a flick of the finger to press a button, away, why return? What will Earth have to offer than isn't already provided by Axiom? If there are robots to do literally everything then why do something for yourself?

This movie brings Pixar into the realm of social and environmental consciousness that was both surprising and endearing. Besides the story of a robot in love the bigger picture is what will happen if humans start to allow corporations to move in and take over. And what poor effects have we been having on the planet as a whole. The phrase 'liberal propaganda' has been floating around, but children won't necessarily see that though parents undoubtably will. And in comparison to the other movie of the summer that examines the negative effects that humans are having on the planet - M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening - where plants cause humans to commit suicide in the most gruesome ways possible; this blockbuster is a little easier on the eyes and the stomach. It's profound and has that 'Recycle, kids!' message without scaring someone shitless and it even thawed my ice block of a heart.

Comments

[Angie]

I took the whole family to see this and we all loved it! My three year old does a PERFECT "WALL-E" Too cute. We all want to see it again.

And the humans totally embarassed me...made me want to get up and do something!

[DianaCLT]

NoPasaNada - Your "Recycle Kids!" made me giggle. I didn't think we could put our kids in the blue recycling bin! ;) I know you were thinking, "Kids, recycle!" but you know, there are days when I would definitely like to recycle mine. ;)

There's a fabulous book, called "Wump World" with a very similar message as this movie, btw. Also along the lines of Dr. Seuss's "The Lorax."

[b]

While I found WALL-E adorable, the whole, "Humans are ruining the earth." crap bores me. Of course Michael Crichton's "State of Fear" is my favorite book, so I'm sure I'm in the minority here.

[Gina]

I thought the "propoganda" was tastefully done. I love satire as a story-telling tool.
Weirdly, the part my 5 yr old daughter that affected my daughter the most was when WALL-E had to leave the bug behind. She cried for 10 minutes until my brother told her the bug had to stay because it would die in space. Why didn't I think of that??? Anyway, she wants to be an "animal doctor." I would say that is a wise career choice for her.

[cagey]

I really enjoyed and loved this movie - I will definitely be watching it over and over when it comes out on DVD. Also, much love goes to the short just before the main showing (named Presto, I believe?)

Still, I could not help but snigger at the all the offerings of WALL-E merchandise available on Amazon. Hypocrite much?

[belle m]

of COURSE a cockroach would survive on a devastated Earth... Aren't they just living dinosaurs or something? I thought that was kind of interesting.

[Liana]

I thought the movie definitely had a message of hope as well- because people DID begin to see what doing things oneself and working hard was worth -- so along with the "humans are ruining the Earth" message, there was also the message that even if we turn our planet into a junk heap and ourselves into out-of-shape lay-abouts, we can still get ourselves in gear and DO something, that humans can make things better, too!

[Kim]

My daughter and I loved this movie. She was already a tree-hugger but this just reinforced her determination to reduce, reuse, recycle. I think the message was delivered in a subtle yet effective way.

Although, I'd love a hover chair. :)

[jodifur]

I'm in the minority and kind of a naysayer but I didn't love it. I liked it, I thought it was ok, but after a while I got it and was just bored. My 3 year old didn't love it either. My husband though it was fantastic.