So... is Wall-E an eye-poppingly gorgeous animated feature, a humourous "kid flick" with cute robots in it, a cautionary tale about mankind's current excessive tendencies, or a heart-breaking romance?Well, as it turns out: it's all of those, and more! I was in the camp of doubters when it came to Pixar's latest offering, as I couldn't believe that it would actually measure up to the hype being heaped upon it (including several reviewers claiming that it was the best film of 2008). Now that I've seen it, though, I'm firmly (and proudly) atop the Wall-E bandwagon. Watching the movie itself, followed by some very entertaining special features on the DVD, were several of the best hours that I've spent in the last few months.
The amount of creativity in this animated film is staggering to me. Whether it's the visuals themselves (which are some of the best I've ever seen), the use of sound effects to substitute for dialogue, the sheer scale of several scenes (aboard the Axiom itself as well as back on Earth), the humanity that Wall-E himself was imbued with, or just the number of humourous references... this "cartoon" is a true feast for the eyes, ears and minds of its audience! In virtually every scene there appeared to be more than one thing going on, promising a rewarding experience for additional viewings later on.
And if anything is ever going to turn the tide on the obese-itizing of our culture, maybe Wall-E, with its hapless chair-bound, 400-pound models of humanity will be it. Hopefully that message wasn't too subtle for most of the fans of the movie, but I guess we'll have to wait and see on that one.
For those who took the time to watch the credits, there were two special treats: a wonderful new song by Peter Gabriel ("Down to Earth") written specifically for Wall-E, as well as adorable vignettes of Wall-E, Eve and Mo scampering around the edges of the frame. I love when film makers come up with innovative ways to keep the audience watching the credits, and Wall-E's creators hit the ball out of the park in that regard.
If you haven't seen Wall-E yet, you're missing out on great deal of fun. Check it out, and I don't think you'll be disappointed. And, if you're at all like me, you may even end up shedding a tear or two before it's over!
Rating: ****
4 comments:
I'm extremely glad you loved the film, but I hate that you got the messages all mixed up. The obesity in the film was not the issue. In fact the humans were only obese because of the effects of micro gravity. The issue in the film was that they were big babies who couldn't get out of their chairs because they'd been waited on all their lives. This is not what made them fat, and fat was not the issue. Consumerism, environmentalism, and most of all romance were the issues in the film. It wasn't "fat is bad" and it very well shouldn't be.
Well, good job expressing your opinion as fact... maybe you've got a future as a movie reviewer?! :-)
Actually, if you watch some of the ads on the Axiom carefully, you'll see that the people were actually consuming huge quantities of food (much more than they'd need for a healthy existence) and you'd see that the foods weren't of the healthy variety. Microgravity would make them weak and reduce bone mass, yes; but what made them so grossly overweight was a combination of lack of exercise (as you note) and poor dietary choices... which is exactly what's causing the obesity crisis in the United States right now.
Fat is only "bad" in the sense that it's unhealthy and reduces the life expectancy of those who are grossly overweight. I would assume from the graphics shown at the end of the movie that returning to Earth eventually lead to those people getting more exercise, eating better food, and thereby improving their health. All of which is "good" in most peoples' minds, I would think.
And I certainly won't go so far as to say that "you got the messages all mixed" because that would be just plain rude. Instead, I'll say that it's a great film that people can agree to disagree about.
This is definitely a great film - regardless of who made it or the hype surrounding it. My youngest son watched the movie 3 times in a row on day over the holiday season. He's 4.
I liked how they were able to tell a good story with very little dialog. There are several subtext to the film, but you don't have to delve into them to enjoy the film - a sign of a good film in my mind.
I'd say the message was more about mindless consumption and unquestioning following. The humans did what was suggested to them, which was clearly in the interest of BnL. One might interpret that as what current big business suggests - thinking here specifically of places like McDonald's and Wal*Mart. They tell us about the "what's best" and most go with the flow.
Anyhoo, that's the subtext that leaves adults something to talk about after watching the film. One of my favorite "kids" moments is when Eve gets stuck to the electromagnet on the ship. Her efforts to fly away frustrate her, so she takes it out on the magnet and the ship, causing a large chain reaction of falling supertankers.
I loved this movie for a variety of reasons (not the least of which is the variety of subtexts to be explored in conversations about the movie), but the main one was the the incredible use of sound effects. Back in my music production days, I had to so music and sound effects for some small clips and it's very difficult to do this well. Wall-E does it very well.
It also reinforces the notion that film is more than just a visual medium.
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