This review has two spoilers and they are labeled as such in the article.
If that twat Leona Helmsley had seen Wall-E she probably would have left $8 billion to an unkempt robot trash compactor. Or by default Pixar. The nonpareil animation studio’s ninth film is arguably their best, a touchstone for the current culture that will outlive us all and make its way into lonely, lonely space one day strapped beside There Will Be Blood. I’m not overlooking the “contrarians’” views of the film either; Wall-E is definitely a hypocritical vacuum of sorts, vaulting its strong wake up, shape up and save-us-all-from-Wal-Mart message into millions of laps dampened by extra large sodas, fast-food flatulence and sweaty anticipation for an endless sea of Wall-E merch.
As a showcase for the contemporary mating of art, life and entertainment, this film is similar to having Big Brother tell our youngest generations to throw the damn hammer at the screen already. Is Wall-E subversive? Is it progressive? (The ongoing “liberal” argument is for retards). Well, it’s a kid’s movie for the summer. And I know that snarky bloggers are supposed to scoff at breeding, but I empathize with American parents who are forced to tolerate packs of smartass, rapping CGI animals year after year. The notions and visuals in Wall-E must feel like a pinch on the ass to them or a hit from a joint. And while 20something viewers without kids may prefer the “we shat and sat” message of Idiocracy—a film with admittedly similar themes and prophecies—director Andrew Stanton’s mainstream kid’s film still has more to say than all the hipster “artists” in Brooklyn. Go ahead and skewer the Mickey Mouse ears for the 1000th time in the galleries Disney is ahead of you.
Discourse about the film’s importance and message(s) will never eclipse the greatness of its first act—the robot waltz; the many transportive scenes between this forgotten island of a male and a more advanced, cutthroat female (that can fly no less, great). The robots playing these characters are free of Perez baggage (just guessing), so the audience is able to enjoy their courtship and ponder it in a way that’s arguably no longer possible with today’s humanish actors.
Like Paul Thomas Anderson did with TWBB, Stanton lets his film dazzle by ignoring convention out of the gate; Oscar-worthy sound design by Ben Burtt sharpens and buffs our attention, and it all happens sans dialogue; Stanton allows moviegoers the time to patiently reconnect with why we’re in a theater in the first place: to get away and go someplace else. With wars going on, so much marketing hype (to which I play a part, sure), $4 fucking bottled water at the movies, and Blackberry breakups, going someplace else takes longer than it used to. Getting bit smitten by a blockbuster film is exceedingly rare. So when it happens, as it does here, it’s like lucid dreaming, and when you leave Pixar’s realer than real animation, reality feels outdated. You want a pixel squeegee to uncover their signature pearly brilliance on a cigarette butt mashed on the street.
Sort of like love, or a Sam Cooke album, it seems that many viewers don’t want the waltz between Wall-E and EVE to end. Many of us wish to see the two of them roll around on Beach Fantasia and finally become a quixotic quasar with one last shot of metal PDA. Basically: “the fatties took the film down oh so slightly” and kept the film from being a masterpiece. Or the more extreme: “Not only did humans ruin the Earth, their sheer inclusion in the film was a minor kill-joy!”
But I feel that the third act is as strong and vital as the preceding two; it pounds the film’s commentary home like a cool but very smart brat. Directive: we are fat fucks.
One of my favorite scenes is when the fatties slide around helplessly on their intergalactic, Miami-neon cruise ship like boneless hungry hungry hippos. Tipsy with madcap absurdity, the scene’s rude irreverence is further amplified when two of the main fatties swing their arms around in a last ditch effort to save a row of tumbling chubby babies. Cue the female fattie joking to her male crush, “Get ready to have kids!” More than six of ‘em, darlin’. I was waiting for an artificial insemination scene. Humans are rarely portrayed as such a pathetic species on film, and like those chicken-not-a-chickens purportedly bred by KFC, I found myself wanting to bite into these barely sentient humans with a side of mashed potatoes.
Pixar’s decision to interject a live-action Fred Willard into the film as the powerless president of Buy N Large Corp—shown via video feed in contrast to the film’s cartoon humans of the future—is perplexing and ballsy. Far more so than Pixar’s decision to make a film about a chef rat. I’m curious to see how time treats this creative whim. Similar live-action video clips of Hello Dolly are timelessly complimented by Wall-E’s teary awe, but Willard’s character is aimed at the Dubbya Now.
Willard’s presence creates the strange sensation that we’re touring a finished Pixar movie rather than watching one. *Spoiler* The scene where he’s a hostage-like pawn and gives a final sign off has a trippy, surprisingly grim interpretation; it was like something you’d see on Adult Swim (where Willard occasionally pops up). It even recalls the mutating media flickers in Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers. *End Spoiler* The fact that Wall-E’s visuals can overpower Willard’s adult-aimed jabs of “Attention citizen-shoppers!” is tantamount to Pixar’s rolling stone MO and their need to dare expectation.
As the third act wraps up, the film’s recurring, Apple-inspired icon for “living plant” begins to mirror the blanket-bomb advertising and propaganda of Buy N Large. *Spoiler* The humans are headed back to Earth to farm “pizza plants” on its massive landfills and everything is alright…from a symbolic distance that ends the film on a humorously mild note. *End Spoiler* And while the ubiquitousness of the “living plant” logo drives home the film’s blatant green message to kids, intentionally or not, it also satirizes what the green “movement” is fast becoming: a kind of faceless marketing with shrewder design savvy.
And in this respect, Wall-E is itself a sly pop-art creation, the corporate illusion is complete. But to Pixar’s unwavering credit, as an audience member you still feel a healthy, unified regard for their badass staff and vision so many billions of dollars later. You feel like you’re experiencing ’00s greatness alongside them, and their cultural connection and wow-factor hasn’t been this strong since 1995 and Toy Story. When we look back at 2008, Wall-E will be up there.
Did I mention that this is a really romantic film, and that Wall-E looks exactly like Johnny 5?
10/10
- Hunter Stephenson / Slashfilm
July 10th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Didn’t this come out two weeks ago?
July 10th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
You’re right. This movie will outlive us all. Instant classic.
July 10th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
That is quite possibly the most sardonic review I’ve ever read for a G-Rated film. Bravo(?)
July 10th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
I hear you loud a and clear Hunter.
July 10th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
I think your about 2 weeks too late man.
Nice review though.
July 10th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Yep. Except, Stanton clearly did not want to make a ‘message’ film — listen to his appearance on NPR if you get a chance. The “blatant green message to kids” is in the movie as a functional story element rather than for didactic, preachy reasons. It ain’t Happy Feet. It’s just a plain robot love story and shouldn’t be thought of as a sermon, I think.
Stanton and Docter’s original idea started with just the last robot on Earth doing a futile job– the pollution aspect was reverse engineered to create the scenario. But I agree with everything you said anyway.
July 10th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
hunter’s reviews > all of rottentomatoes
July 10th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
@ ABCOC
There’s an expiration date? I didn’t know.
@ andy
Stanton doesn’t have to say a word. This is a message film. I guess all humans are shown as lardasses just for fun. Where does this argument go really? If Finding Nemo can have Christian overtones (and Stanton has admitted this—see The Pixar Touch p. 210), then Wall-E has a green message clear as day.
July 10th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Hunter
I was just saying pretty much everybody has seen it already, that’s all.
July 10th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
“Directive: we are fat fucks.”
You just made me laugh out loud at work… everyone is looking at me funny.
Awesome review, really brough it together.
July 10th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
It seems like the only other great film you have ever seen is There Will Be Blood. A movie that I only made last year, though is questionably compared to everything you have hackily reviewed since. Furthermore, I don’t think any of you know what you’re talking about when it comes to cinema.
July 10th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
A great review, but one quick question. He mentions in the review that Fred Willard’s character was taken hostage off-screen. Maybe I completely missed it, but I don’t remember anything like that happening when I saw it. Anyone else?
July 10th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
I think you need to look at Johnny 5 again, I hate those comparisons. Other than the binocular eyes they don’t look at all alike. Other than that, good review - I loved Wall-E.
July 10th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Good movie with a lot of flaws and continuity errors which are thankfully not relevant to the enjoyment of the movie.
See that sentence, that’s just as horribly constructed and written as that drivel you call a review.
I personally enjoyed the movie, by no means a classic and definitely not pixar’s best work but well worth watching.
July 10th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Wait, Fred Willard’s character was TAKEN HOSTAGE?
What??
July 10th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Excellent review. You summed up the movie beautifully.
When the humans made their first appearance the kiddo gasped, “They’re so fat!” I nodded and then afterwards we talked about the messages within in the film as well as the funny moments.
July 10th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
i hated the movie, i prefer talkies. at least it was in color
July 10th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
This review further confirms my thoughts as to this movie; bloggers and critics love Wall-E because of their political bent and not because it’s a great film. They love the “message”, to the point of ignoring how its presented.
I wanted to love Wall-E, and had come to the foregone conclusion that I would. I love Pixar movies, and this movie was getting unheard of reviews. As a 3D animator myself, I hold them in god-like status. How could I not like it!? It wasn’t until I was sitting in the theater, fighting back the zzzzz’s, that I realized I had been duped. The critics were wrong…this movie was BORING. Oh, and I’m not talking about the first half. The “oh-my-god-there’s-no-dialogue-what-will-people-think?!?” part. I loved that part. It was the only original period in the whole movie. As soon as Wall-E leaves Earth, the whole movie falls apart. It was completely uninspired and predictable. The humans stuck out as cartoony sore-thumbs next to all the beautiful photo-realistic imagery that proceeded them. It was like watching two different movies. One: a beautifully quiet movie that soared in its simplicity; and two: a movie with no subtlety and presentation more at home in a Dreamworks Animation picture. The first half shines in its originality and feels like it was gone over and over again until it was perfect, while the last half felt over-bearing, tacked on and rushed.
This movie deserves nowhere near a ‘10′. Maybe for its potential, but not for its outcome. For the most part, its a beautiful looking film but that can only carry it so far. Put aside the message and see it for what it is, a flawed and bipolar film.
July 10th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
hunter you are a bag of douche and should stick to playing halo instead of writing.
July 10th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Hell, I thought it was a good review and an interesting interpretation. I dunno what he’s ^ talking about
July 10th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Hunter you’re an amazing movie reviewer. I wish you’d post more reviews. I’d especially love to know your thoughts on Speed Racer.
July 10th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
If you go over to Metacritic and read the user reviews, you find that the only people who are giving negative reviews are the fatties. Seriously.
July 10th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
I think this is a movie like any other movie like it - it is ambiguous enough that every individual with a different ideological and political bent can interpret the film to fit their point of view or beliefs and not feel like they are watching propaganda. A minority of conservatives have called it left-wing propaganda, but then again the Huffington Post has argued the movie doesn’t push the environmental message hard enough. I am a strong conservative, more importantly I am against this idiotic green movement, and I didn’t have problems with this film. I genuinely believe Andrew Stanton when he says that this is not a message movie. At the very least, as was said in this review, it is not Happy Feet which starts off as a family-oriented animated feature and then at the very last moment body checks you with GLOBAL WARMING. I was more upset at that because it never advertised and such and if I have a problem with my kids being exposed to those kind of messages I should have at least some advanced knowledge about that so I can either avoid the film or discuss things with them so they are brainwashed into believing something they know so little about. From the very beginning it is a movie about a robot left on Earth, devoid of humans who have left the planet because they have covered it in trash. So trash and a plant are involved? BIG WHOOP! But what really seems to drive people nuts is the whole aspect of the fat humans, as if you didn’t need to simply stand outside and look around you to figure out for yourself that that is exactly the direction we are going towards. I mean, Pixar is owned by Disney - ever been to Disney World and seen either fat people or perfectly healthy individuals, but who are insanely lazy, driving around in those ECVs? Personally, I don’t see what the big deal is, but, then again, I am thin as a twig.
July 10th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Hunter,
Obviously high when you wrote this one. . . . I love it how people are grabbing the subtle criticism of modern society and shooting up on it and telling us we’re going to hell as a planet, and that Wall-e is the awesomeist escapism fairy tale.
July 10th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Your reviews just aren’t that good. Plus you’re not telling us anything we don’t already know other then tossing in your cheap quips.
July 10th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
oh, and BnL’s CEO is taken hostage? he puts on a gas mask-like thing, and says “let’s get out of here!”
but, I gotta say, I enjoy your bombastic reviews.
July 10th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
This movie is simply a ploy by Disney to push Americans to loose weight in order to ensure that they can fit on the amusement rides. As for the review, I would not give this movie a 10. The contrived scene near the end was enough to make me question everything I had seen prior to that point. Sure the “green” messages were blatant, but the love story was so understated and emotionally engaging that the botched scene was jarring and dare I say, Dreamworks-eque. Dont treat me to a gorgeous feast and serve me a regurgitated cookie for desert.
Side note, I dug your review.
July 10th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
@ Hunter
All your reviews should start with ” If that twat…”
July 10th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
The only thing that I strongly disagree with is calling this a “kid’s movie”. It’s an animated film. It doesn’t pander to kids, it doesn’t pander to adults. It just IS.
July 10th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
@ “What Hostage Crisis”
I’ve made a small edit to clarify what I meant by “hostage.” (Yes, that is a ridiculous thing to type.) Thanks. Willard’s character is nothing more than a pawn for BNL throughout the film, and when he first appears in the “sign off” scene specified above, it looks as if he is being pressured to make the speech by BNL reps off camera. However, when he finishes the speech he merely walks away in nice Willard fashion. I still feel this early set-up was purposeful.
July 10th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
The second half of the film is dismissed by some people, but they fail to see that there is some masterful story telling going on in that part of the film. The romantic motivations between Wall-e and Eve continues to drive the action while those themes are being paralleled by the story of the humans. It’s not an easy thing to do, but Stanton manages it seamlessly. It’s a pleasure to see it unfold as it does.
I just want to know how Wall-e escaped death from the pod. That had to be some slick McGyvering.
July 10th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
I thought the movie was good, but not great, as for your review I thought it was a little long but it was ok.
July 10th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
@ Kestrel and “it’s not a message movie”
“Subtle criticism of modern society”
This is what I will never understand about your argument, and you are not alone. How is the film’s Fattie Cruise seen as “subtle” and minor criticism?
These tubby people of the future can barely walk for chrissakes….every SINGLE last one of them. Their skeletons have devolved under their jelly. They have streaming video content piped before their eyes like a content trough, and they can switch fashions at the press of a button, while never getting up from their hover chairs or thinking. This is like calling the therapy in A Clockwork Orange subtle, or Idiocracy subtle, or the Ebola virus.
I’ve heard people discuss the plant like it’s a McGuffin. Just because it’s tossed around by the bots and is at the core of various hijinks doesn’t downplay what the plant represents: our last hope is to go green.
This is not my personal belief, and while Al Gore doesn’t make an appearance in place of Fred Willard (thankfully), it is a “message” and yes, it’s in a kid’s film. For kids, I feel that it was tastefully done, um, much more so than Captain Planet (remember that?). For the adults, it’s a deserved jab from the ex-hippies at Pixar.
The message is by no means the reason why the film is a 10/10. It’s neither a plus nor a minus. It’s simply a smart reflection of the times.
July 10th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
If a message must be read, I thought it was more along the lines not letting complacency dampen ambition. The captain doesn’t want to return to Earth so that he can clean it, or to undo the wrongs of a mega-consumerist society, he wants to return because of the possibilities of what might be and for of the excitement spawned by new challenges.
Wall-e’s existence mirrors this: he is relatively complacent in his daily work but somehow knows there’s more to life, and Eve’s arrival enlightens him in just the same way the plant enlightens the captain. For Wall-e, it’s love, purpose in life beyond function. For the humans, it’s purpose in life at all.
Or, then, the message is simply to live in a decently good fashion. Goin’ green is a byproduct.
July 11th, 2008 at 2:59 am
I just read something about Fat fucks but it seemed like you were pissed off about the movie and then I saw the 10/10 so I got confused. Im guessing you really liked WALL-E?
July 11th, 2008 at 6:08 am
The average joe’s that I have talked to about this movie have all dismissed this movie. They are still stuck on Panda and basically said Wall-E sucked. I think it definitely went over some people’s heads. I also know a lot of people who had no clue of what TWBB was about…hence it sucked to them. This movie rocked. Bottom line.
Oh, and Hunter, I dig your reviews. You always make me laugh. But…my eyes start to glaze over with that typical 21st century A.D.D. around paragraph five. :P
July 11th, 2008 at 7:58 am
Am I the only one who thinks that Wall-E is a robot(ic) version of Spielberg’s E.T.?
July 11th, 2008 at 9:25 am
MGM, no, you’re not the only one. I think that WALL-E looks a lot more like a robotic ET than he looks like Johnny-5. I’m getting really sick of those comparisons. Sure, they look similar, talk similar. But Wall-E’s eyes do look more like they were inspired by binoculars. Also, his body is different. And as for the treads, those are common for robots.
btw, good review. I loved the film. What I got from it was not a slap-in-the-face environmental message, but a love story. Also, I was never bored. The film never seemed to drag or anything. Oh yeah, and kids (depending on their tastes and/or attention spans) will not be bored with Wall-E. Small kids usually get their laughs from visual gags rather than spoken dialogue (think Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry).
July 11th, 2008 at 10:12 am
@MGM
No.
July 11th, 2008 at 10:16 am
this review was crazy entertaining. nice job.
July 12th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
this movie, like everything pixar / disney does, is utter shite.
meh.