
Pixar does it again. Great story, spectacular visuals, and pretty amazing that the two main characters (Wall-E and Eve) really can’t talk yet do a better job of communicating than 90% of Hollywood. As a side note, I bet this movie does more for the cause of environmentalism than An Inconvenient Truth. The vision of the garbage filled future and the overdrive consumerism of Buy N Large (aka Wal-Mart) is pretty horrific.
Rating: 4.5/5
Saw it yesterday while visiting the ‘rents. Very good – I am always fond of movies in general and animation in particular which can convey the content and meaning without dialog, as is done brilliantly for the first third or so of WALL-E. I have to say, with the mountains of trash and the human race reduced to lazy lumpen blobs with no initiative other than mass consumerism, this movie reminded me a lot of IDIOCRACY (though without all the crass Mike Judge humor).
Of course it’s also amusing watching the wingnuts respond to this. Since, as you observed, the role of Buy N’ Large and the idiot consumerist lumpenproletariat comprise an implicit criticism of our mass consumer culture, I’ve read a number of wingnuts berate the movie as “anti-capitalism”. And, of course, since Fred Willard (the Buy N’ Large CEO) is seen making a speech in which he directs his minions to “stay the course” which has obviously led to the failure of human civilization, this means the film is also AN IMPLICIT CRITICISM OF THE LEADER AND MUST NOT BE TOLERATED!
Freakin’ Awesome
Best one they’ve done since The Incredibles
It occurred to me walking out of the theater that the most impressive thing about Pixar is how consistantly impressive theyve been. I think since Nemo its been this regular thing of thinking I know what I’m seeing and having been pleasantly surprised. I mean I even kinda liked Cars now that I’ve seen it a few times.
I read, I think on AintItCool.com, a reviewer saying “you think you know what this movie is about, but you have no damn idea.” And as much as I had been taking in the trailers and everything, damned if he wasn’t right. The opening and the semi-predictable anti-capitalist, pro-environment implications are right there in the beginning, but, and this was the staggering thing, that wasn’t even really the message.
Very minor spoiler follows I suppose, but by the end its not even about saying “I’m trying to convince you to stop just sitting around doing nothing,” but more about the more interesting, more resonant “you know what? I don’t even have to convince you because you already know this.”
Best movie I’ve seen since Golden Compass. Nothing much more profound than that to add, except that the message was well taken.
Interesting post, I think this whole anti-conservative message thing that is being brought up is more funny then anything. While searching for different posts on this I found a a pretty funny letter to conservatives pissed off at Wall-E on the Pitch website out of KC. Here is a link if you would like to take a look…http://www.pitch.com.