Java Man Reviews WALL-E (Rated G) Directed by Andrew Stanton. Written by Stanton & Jim Reardon. With Fred Willard and the voices of Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy & Sigourney Weaver. Originally appeared in LakewoodBuzz.com August, 2008.
OVERVIEW:
Earth has been abandoned for centuries and all that remains is a robot and his sidekick cockroach (you knew nothing could kill them). WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter: Earth-class) is a mobile trash compactor who continues to do his job decades after his inventors have lifted off for outer space. The humans, now obese and obtuse, live on Axiom, a continuously orbiting spaceship run by computers and machines who cater to their every need. The humans just sit around with drinks and watch video screens . . . like now.
WALL-E doesn't compact everything. He keeps a collection of human artifacts, including his own spare parts, an old VHS of Hello Dolly (1969), and a little green plant. It's that little green plant that sets the plot in motion and attracts the attention of EVE, the Extra-terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator who comes to Earth to see if there are signs of life that may enable the floating humans to return to terra firma. WALL-E falls in love with EVE, having been programmed in the art of romance by thousands of viewings of Dolly. Meanwhile, competing powers aboard Axiom threaten the little green life form, and a battle begins for the survival of humankind.
REVIEW: 4 out of 4 Java Mugs!
Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) was the first film to marry film-making technique with computer technology. That was 40 years ago and technology has come a long way . . . yet the narratives of the two films are remarkably similar: They each take us on a journey far into outer space, only to discover that the meaning of existence lies in simple concepts: a newborn baby or a budding sprout. "It's not in our stars, but in ourselves."
While these may be serious themes for a G-rated movie, you don't have to be an existential philosopher or a Shakespeare scholar to enjoy this film. Kid's will love it, and so will you.
In addition to Kubrick's masterpiece, WALL-E alludes to other great moments in cinema history. The first 40-minutes contains no dialogue and calls to mind the touching and poetic work of silent film geniuses Chaplin and Keaton. The Alien sci-fi series is also evoked, complete with a Sigourney Weaver voice cameo.
Though it pays homage to other great movies, WALL-E is one of the most original films ever made, with an originality that is expressed in its inventive look, resourceful sound and vibrant characterization. An example is the creation of the lead robots. They speak precious few words but each character's ingenious visual design is combined with the amusing sounds they give off to express a range of emotions so wide that many human actors might feel upstaged.
In his 2008 documentary, Encounters at the End of the World, Werner Herzog comments that "the human presence on this planet is not really sustainable," an idea not totally hidden behind WALL-E's optimistic sheen. According to New York Times critic A. O. Scott, "When the whimsical techies at Pixar and a moody German auteur are sending out the same message, it may be time to pay attention."
Pay attention, but enjoy it too.
OVERVIEW:
Earth has been abandoned for centuries and all that remains is a robot and his sidekick cockroach (you knew nothing could kill them). WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter: Earth-class) is a mobile trash compactor who continues to do his job decades after his inventors have lifted off for outer space. The humans, now obese and obtuse, live on Axiom, a continuously orbiting spaceship run by computers and machines who cater to their every need. The humans just sit around with drinks and watch video screens . . . like now.
WALL-E doesn't compact everything. He keeps a collection of human artifacts, including his own spare parts, an old VHS of Hello Dolly (1969), and a little green plant. It's that little green plant that sets the plot in motion and attracts the attention of EVE, the Extra-terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator who comes to Earth to see if there are signs of life that may enable the floating humans to return to terra firma. WALL-E falls in love with EVE, having been programmed in the art of romance by thousands of viewings of Dolly. Meanwhile, competing powers aboard Axiom threaten the little green life form, and a battle begins for the survival of humankind.
REVIEW: 4 out of 4 Java Mugs!
Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) was the first film to marry film-making technique with computer technology. That was 40 years ago and technology has come a long way . . . yet the narratives of the two films are remarkably similar: They each take us on a journey far into outer space, only to discover that the meaning of existence lies in simple concepts: a newborn baby or a budding sprout. "It's not in our stars, but in ourselves."
While these may be serious themes for a G-rated movie, you don't have to be an existential philosopher or a Shakespeare scholar to enjoy this film. Kid's will love it, and so will you.
In addition to Kubrick's masterpiece, WALL-E alludes to other great moments in cinema history. The first 40-minutes contains no dialogue and calls to mind the touching and poetic work of silent film geniuses Chaplin and Keaton. The Alien sci-fi series is also evoked, complete with a Sigourney Weaver voice cameo.
Though it pays homage to other great movies, WALL-E is one of the most original films ever made, with an originality that is expressed in its inventive look, resourceful sound and vibrant characterization. An example is the creation of the lead robots. They speak precious few words but each character's ingenious visual design is combined with the amusing sounds they give off to express a range of emotions so wide that many human actors might feel upstaged.
In his 2008 documentary, Encounters at the End of the World, Werner Herzog comments that "the human presence on this planet is not really sustainable," an idea not totally hidden behind WALL-E's optimistic sheen. According to New York Times critic A. O. Scott, "When the whimsical techies at Pixar and a moody German auteur are sending out the same message, it may be time to pay attention."
Pay attention, but enjoy it too.