‘Wall-E’ movie Review

Editor’s note: Spoilers lie ahead, but this review is well worth the read and has already resulted in the editor wanting to finally see the film. 

Winner of the 2009 Oscar for best animated picture, “Wall-E” (2008) was a hugely successful  collaboration between Disney and Pixar Animation Studios. Set in the distant future, the Earth has become a wasteland covered in an ocean of trash. Human beings have long ago abandoned the planet and foisted the responsibility of cleaning up after themselves on robots. Spoiler alert: This is way more than a fleet of Roombas could handle. 

A cute cuboid robot named Wall-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter — Earth-class) spends his days compacting trash into cubes, which he then painstakingly stacks into giant misshapen skyscrapers. His evenings are spent back in his metallic burrow, hanging out with his only friend, a lively cockroach-like insect. He relieves his loneliness by playing with the handful of curiosities he has managed to sift from the sea of trash, including a dinged up Rubik’s cube. Wall-E longs for more meaningful companionship, torturing himself by rewatching romantic excerpts from “Hello, Dolly!” played on a dusty old VCR.

The endearing and curious Wall-E scoots around the rubbish strewn landscape on caterpillar tracks, tirelessly performing his monotonous duties. Then, one day, a more advanced robot named Eve (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator) unexpectedly arrives from space looking for signs of sustainable life. Wall-E becomes infatuated with the new visitor and, in an attempt to impress her, shows off his hoard of vintage trinkets. Eve slowly warms to him, but when he presents her with the pièce de resistance of his collection, a small plant, she grabs it and rushes off back to her mothership, the Axiom. 

Heartbroken that he may never see Eve again, Wall-E clings to her in a robotic embrace and the couple are teleported onto the massive spaceship, home to what remains of the human species. Man is not depicted in a favorable light in this movie. Human beings have become complacent, clueless, immobile and gargantuan. Unable to move around under their own steam, they glide around recumbent on gravity-defying loungers, reliant on robots to satisfy their every need. Readers who have experienced life on a large cruise ship may well relate.

The disruptive presence of the curious Wall-E coupled with the flimsiest of evidence that life has returned to the trashed planet ignites a curiosity within the listless passengers of the Axiom. When he sees the plant that Eva has brought on board, the human captain of the enormous floating starship determines to return to Earth. His plans, however, are initially thwarted by a domineering AI named AUTO, who is highly resistant to the idea of repopulating the Earth. 

Reminiscent of Hal from “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968), AUTO refuses to cede control of the vessel to the captain and battle between man and machine ensues. Eve and Wall-E team up to help the captain achieve his aim, AUTO is defeated, and the AXIOM returns to Earth. The seedling is replanted and vegetative life proliferates once again.

Beyond the charming romance between the two robots and unquestionably impressive animation, Wall-E makes for a touching commentary on environmental neglect, man’s overreliance on technology and the overarching power of hope and curiosity. The only disappointing aspect of it, in my opinion, was the mediocre song “Down to Earth” performed by Peter Gabriel, which accompanies the end credits, 

The movie’s release in 2008 coincided with the election of Barack Obama, when climate  became a mainstream policy priority in the US. For me, it is a reminder of how far we have come, of how far we have regressed and ultimately of how far we still need to go. “Wall-E”  is visually impressive and remains popular with children and adults alike.

The Crystal Theatre will be screening “Wall-E” at 1pm on April 5 and again at 2:30pm on April 8.