"WALL-E" is the story of a curious robot who chases across the universe to learn about life, love, friendship, and heroism. Wall-E is a robot programmed to collect and compact the trash that has taken over Earth, leaving Earth inhabitable. However, he's a very curious robot, and every time he finds some knick-knack in the piles of trash, he takes it back to his collection. He spends his time either doing his programmed job, investigating the land collecting knick-knacks, or watching old human films (some of the knick-knacks he collected over his time there).
When a space ship lands on Earth, Wall-E investigates, and meets Eve, a robot who is designed to look for plant lifeforms on various planets to find a suitable home for the survivors who escaped Earth 700 years ago. Wall-E becomes infatuated with Eve, and when she travels back to the Axiom (the spaceship on which the humans live), Wall-E follows her. Together they become involved in a plot to try and rescue the human race from the ship's computers and help return them back to Earth.
Wall-E is filled with comedy, action, and emotions seen through the eyes of robots. Wall-E's quirky personality, his desire for human emotions, and the fact that his best friend is a cockroach (showing that a cockroach will live through anything) make nearly every moment of the movie humorous. The plot of saving the human race puts Wall-E in some crazy predicaments. Combined with that, Wall-E experiencing friendship, love, and a sense of purpose for the first time make for a dramatic counterpoint to the humor.
While following Wall-E's adventures, the story attempts to give a social commentary on the way the human race is and could become. The humans on the spaceship have become overweight and lazy, spending their days eating and riding around on hover chairs talking with each other (including people sitting right next to them) over video monitors. They are oblivious to the world around them, which is shown when one of the women says after all her years on the ship, "We have a pool?" Movement becomes nearly impossible and they lack some portion of higher intelligence. Instead they are brainwashed by the ship's computers, believing that they are happier on the ship for the rest of their lives.
Although it's not a direct comparison to our own society, it does show what could happen if we let ourselves take for granted what we have. If we don't take care of ourselves and our environment, we could end up in a similar situation. The fact that Wall-E is on Earth because Earth is overwhelmed with trash is something that our society can relate to. The story behind the story in "WALL-E" is that we need to live a greener, healthier life in order to succeed.
The only places where "WALL-E" falls short is in minor plot points. For example, there are children on the ship, but the passengers on the ship are oblivious to everything but themselves. Another example comes in the captain's search to return home. As we've seen from the beginning, Earth is no longer a habitable place to live, yet the humans strive to return to Earth. Do we root for them to, even though we know it's not good?
Again though, these are only minor plot points, and after remembering that "WALL-E" is intended to be a fun family movie, these plot points are forgettable, and instead the humor, action, and family fun take center stage. "WALL-E" is a great movie. Even though there is very little talking in the first half of the movie, it is unnecessary, and the viewer is drawn in anyways, hanging on every action Wall-E makes.
Grade: B+
Kolin Kasten is a graduate of St. Norbert College with a Bachelor's Degree in English. He is a freelance writer who also works part-time for Monumental Films, a Wisconsin-based video business whose goal is to capture the important events in one's life on film. To learn more, please go to: http://www.monumentalfilms.net
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kolin_Kasten
No comments:
Post a Comment