Wall-E Review [2]

Posted by Erik Luers on 07.03.2008

2001: A Space Wall-essy

So few films nowadays have the nerve to simply be quiet. In the summer blockbuster season, there's one loud explosion after another, one multi-million dollar effect after another, one superhero after another,etc. For all the adrenaline and high octane thrills promised by producers, very few of these films actually come through in terms of excitement and grand spectacle. Too many, promising to be new and daring, feel routine, generic, and rather manufactured entertainment. Pixar's Wall-E is luckily able to take a different route, relying on small, quiet moments that require precise attention to detail, and a glowing sense of passion from everyone involved. Wall-E makes you care because its creators care, and I delighted in the shared enthusiasm.

Wall-E is the story of a robot, a garbage compacting one at that, seven hundred years in the future. All alone on Earth (save for his trusty cockroach sidekick), Wall-E surveys his desolate environment, working hard to group all of the city's trash into towers resembling beautiful urban architecture. Apparently unable to feel loneliness, Wall-E listens to his Hello Dolly cast recording, humming along as he goes about his work. The fact that there is no one to benefit from this work doesn't seem to bother him one bit, nor does the sight of other Wall-E compactors, broken down and destroyed, decaying away like the rest of the planet. He seems content, as each day serves as new discovery for the robot, embarking on treasure hunts on a daily basis. One nice moment occurs when Wall-E finds a case containing a wedding ring and, observing it, quickly throws the ring away; he is gleefully delighted by the case's ability to flip open and close.

Every screenwriter will tell you that you must start your story on a special for your lead character and Stanton does just that. He has a special visitor land on Earth for Wall-E to be intrigued with. Her name is Eve, a highly advanced robot; she resembles an Ipod or or at least some product from the Apple corporation. She has been sent to see if any life exists on Earth, which would then deem it safe for the humans to return from their longer than expected trip in space. Wall-E and Eve, of course, begin to form a unique bond (a bond for they enjoy each other's company, unique because they are machines after all). Thus ends the daring, nearly dialogue-free opening for the film. Wall-E will be sent into space with Eve to encounter comedic situations in the second act, though, for me at least, the film then begins to falter a little bit.

In some cases, Wall-E serves as a homage to science-fiction pictures of the 1960s and 1970s, vigorously paying its respects to one Stanley Kubrick and his 1968 masterpiece, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Music selections from 2001's iconic soundtrack play here as sort of an interesting companion piece to the earlier film, allowing older viewers to smile in their appreciation for both works. Stanton also chooses to have an evil, menacing character resembling Hal-9000, right down to the piercing red beam and chilling, distinct voice originally on display via one Douglas Rain. When the ship's captain gets into a tug of war, so to speak, with the machine, Stanton seems to be paying his respects to Kubrick, as much as he is trying to mirror Arthur C. Clarke's original, mind-blowing concepts and ideas.

The film is not perfect, however. After such a great, risky introduction, the piece starts to lose its way once we make our way into outer space. The film begins to drag, as if Stanton's spec script concluded with Wall-E's departure off of Earth. We meet a robot obsessed with cleanliness; he's a Howard Hughes for the 28th century. It's funny at first, but the OCD gimmick quickly runs out of steam. We are introduced to human beings of the future: obese, lazy and digitally animated. That's one strange directing choice Stanton makes; why did the past consist of humans with flesh and bones when now they are nothing but computer graphic creations? It's a bizarre choice that provides the audience with more questions and no answers. In one scene showing the profiles of the ship's previous captains, man has apparently evolved into a Pixar creation, looking more like Buzz Lightyear than you or I. My guess? Perhaps someone really wanted to work with Fred Willard.

Wall-E is an enjoyable summer entertainment that has its heart in the right place, although I do question its main theme of avoiding big, bad commercialism. As other critics have pointed out, if we are to believe that consumerism is so catastrophic, why do I see children with Wall-E t-shirts and action figures? It seems hypocritical on Disney's part to go against what Pixar's film is trying to say. Instead of saying "buy this, buy that", perhaps we should be happy with what it is we already have, whether that be a rubik's cube, a friendly cockroach, or an old VHS copy of Hello Dolly .

The 411: Wall-E works better than most of the summer fare currently out there. Although not perfect, there's enough here to recommend, whether it be the nice sci-fi touches (including Sigourney Weaver in a voice cameo) or the silent film-esque nature of the first act. Most of all, its ideas are strong and honorable; its message is important and timely. Give this one a look.

Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]