Summer Movie Suicide Mission No. 15: WALL-E

In which one man attempts to view every summer blockbuster for the entire season, regardless of taste, genre, or hot dog milkshakes.

WALL-E is the kind of film I don’t think I even need to rave about, as you can’t turn any corner of the internet or elsewhere without somebody else doing so. Suffice it to say that WALL-E is a fantastic piece of work, a cautionary tale equal parts saddening, maddening and uplifting.

Pixar Animation Studios (Toy Story, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, et al.) has built a solid track record in the field of computer animation, rendering worlds that feel like our own, but somehow brighter and better. Pixar has really created a fresh genre where fantasy feels real, and human.

WALL-E has taken criticism from a number of sources, a likely backlash when it comes to a movie this universally revered. Critics have claimed that it’s too dark for children, claiming that an uninhabitable world is not the sort of setting that’s gentle enough for the impressionable ones. But the kids in my theater seemed to enjoy it just fine, and if they learn to heed the warnings about excessive consumption, all the better.

Others have claimed that WALL-E plays as leftist propaganda, that it is alarmist about the crises facing the planet. But those crises are real. We throw out more garbage than we know what to do with, and our ecosystem is in serious danger. Only the most dubious of scientists would claim that the climate crisis is not something worth being alarmed about.

The film has come under fire from, of all places, obesity rights groups, who claim that the film (which portrays exiled humans living on a luxury satellite as fat pigs, who are mostly immobile and eat all of their food in milkshake form) is insensitive to the overweight. However, the film really portrays obesity as a consequence of not having a planet to live on, and being spoonfed by a large corporation whose sole business seems to be forcing consumption upon its consumers. Similarly, the film has been portrayed as anti-corporate, which is indeed a large part of its message. The future is portrayed as a world where corporations and government have become synonymous. Of course it’s a bit of a slippery slope, but not terribly far fetched when we take a long look at the world we live in now.

Further, some have claimed that the film’s anti-corporate message runs counter to the business behind the film (Disney), which has manufactured countless WALL-E themed products to cash in on the franchise. Well, I guess I can’t really argue against that one.

It’s undeniable that WALL-E is a politically charged film, and if you fall on one particular side of that fence, it may stick in your craw a little. But I’d wager that even those who disagree with the film’s agenda would still be sucked in by the story, which is characteristically charming and endearing. And WALL-E himself is kind of like a new E.T. (just look at the eyes and listen to the voice). And who can hate on E.T.? People without souls, that’s who.

That’s not even to mention how beautiful this film is visually. Pixar has come as close to perfecting digital rendering as I can possibly imagine. In last year’s Ratatouille, when Remy looked out over the animated Paris, I felt like I was looking at the real thing. WALL-E is even sharper. The post-apocalyptic Earth looks both real and frightening, and provides a rugged point of juxtaposition for WALL-E himself, the cuddly figure who roams its corners alone.

WALL-E is a complex text, whose happy endings aren’t really that happy, and whose overall tone can get very dark at times. But this is really what we should want from our entertainment. Film can be incredibly democratic, giving the public the cute story it wants, but still have themes that run deeper, and mirror society at both its best and its worst. Anyone expecting a trifle of a kid’s movie may be disappointed at first, but if they stick with it, they’ll be rewarded. And anyone who expects a little more shouldn’t need my encouragement to see this one.

On my way out of the theater, I knew that this was one of the best movies I’d seen this summer. But the more I’ve thought about it (and I’ve had a lot of time to think, since, as you may have noticed, I haven’t been writing anything), it really gets better and better. Hands down, WALL-E is the best film of the season, and the best of the year so far. Believe the hype. It’s earnest, bold, sweet and frightening. WALL-E will be a big smash come award season. Maybe it’s time the Academy gave some Best Picture love to an animated feature.

After all, this might be the realest fantasy you’ll ever see.

Film: WALL-E
Director: Andrew Stanton
Stars: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Fred Willard, Jeff Garlin, Kathy Najimy, Sigourney Weaver, John Ratzenberger

Viewing Situation: Weekend matinee, half full house; standard projection
Rotten Tomatoes Average: 97%
My Grade (Out of 10): 10

Next Up: Hancock