I am suffering from major burn out right now. I'm crazy tired of school, and work, and waking up in the morning. I'm also not interested in activities like folding my laundry and leaving my apartment. It's not really a good predicament I find myself in considering how much I need to be doing my homework and haven't been......
So naturally my solution to this problem is to catch up on my blog.
I love the movie Wall-e. It is easily my most favorite Pixar movie to date. And I have a tendency to consider people who don't like this movie (and I say this with all the loving kindness I can muster) as idiots who can't understand a compelling and thought provoking plot when they see one. That is a very high brow comment to make, I know, but I'm kind of high brow when it comes to animation so....
Seriously though, this movie is bold. It has an intelligent message that is portrayed well with an uplifting moral to the story found at the end. It is cinematically stunning. Its frugal amount of dialog emphasizes its visual splendor. In fact, I love how little talking actually takes place in this movie. I am understandably moved by the idea of using an image to explain a story and the spartan amount of talking that happens in this movie elevates it almost to the status of a silent film.
And the message in this movie! Wow! Talk about unexpected for a main stream animation studio to pull something that dystopian out and display it as family entertainment!
Of course, I'm a sucker for a good dystopian story. It is my favorite genre. I like it because it's a spectacular way to have an intelligent discourse on social commentary without flagrantly throwing it in people's faces. I will admit that Wall-e's message is a little bit more in your face than I usually care for and that aspect of this movie did take some time for me to get over; I still enjoy what the story of this little robot has to say about the human condition: The flagrant waste of first world nations, the monolithic rise of corporations taking over so many aspects of our daily lives, from the food we eat to the clothes we wear to the people we elect to public offices. Not to mention the laziness of the human populous, the lack of connection and physical interaction with our friends and neighbors, the disinterest in our surroundings due to the constant plug in to our virtual realities. All of this in a medium constantly referred to as "for kids"?! And people wonder why I get annoyed when this sort of label is put on the animation industry.
What sets this movie apart from the usual dystopian story line is its ultimately happy ending and positive message concerning the human condition. (Most dystopias I've read usually end with a "life sucks, there's nothing you can do about it" moral to the story.) This movie really has a very encouraging idea for humanity and the direction it could possibly take in the future. I mean, once the humans realize that they've messed up and that there's a problem that needs fixing they all band together to set things right. They overcome a psycho robot, wide spread obesity, and probably toxic air conditions and mass starvation in order to take care of the planet that they essentially abandoned hundreds of years before. Isn't that such an uplifting commentary on the human condition? That if we see something is wrong we take the action to ensure that it is put to rights.
This is, of course, an over generalization. Some people don't care to do anything to alleviate the suffering of a messed up world but there are countless individuals and organizations that do. And that is an inspiring idea.
Let's not forget the absolutely adorable love story. What's better than robot love?
And, lest I shame myself for not mentioning this, it is crucial that no one overlook the huge homage to Stanley Kubrick's sci-fi masterpiece: 2001: A Space Odyssey. In fact, I suggest to all people that they watch Wall-e with 2001 as a double feature. It will greatly enhance the experience for you, I guarantee it. Although do be warned that if you aren't familiar with 2001 please do some research before watching it! Or else only confusion and frustration will ensue.
Until next time!
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