timeimmortal

greg writes in with a few comments concerning my review of Pixar’s latest hit, Wall-E.

Thanks for your hard work on this, Kenneth. We’re using Wall*E as one of our “God on Film” movies at Jacob’s Well in Minneapolis. Your thoughts are helpful.

One thing that our creative team picked out was how similar the people in their hover chairs watching their holographic screens beside each other was to us sitting in our reclining, overstuffed movie seats in the theatre. Is Pixar saying, This is you! Be careful, even this great movie can be part of the problem if you don’t reach over and touch the hand of the person next to you, or talk about this afterward.

I also think the concept of responsibility is even bigger than you touch on in your commentary. The problem arose not only because of greed and laziness, but because of a lack of responsibility represented in their leaving the planet and having someone (thing) else take care of the problem for them. The problem was resolved not by having earth cleaned up, but by humanity returning to face the mess they’d made.

Thanks again!

I’ve heard the criticism/comment made in a few different quarters regarding the portrayal of humans in Wall-E, and have heard more than a few people attempt to classify it as a kind of cheap-shot, on Pixar’s part, against the audience. Barb Nicolosi felt that way about the movie. Personally, I don’t buy it for a moment, and I find that I can’t top Rod Dreher’s response to those who raise this issue: “It will be a good day when it becomes possible to criticize the excesses of American consumerism without being pilloried from the Right for being some kind of America-hating lib symp. Why on earth is it considered “liberal” to point out that gluttony is sinful, and that evil lurks in the hearts of men? Is the Bible liberal? Come on!”

No, Wall-E isn’t an attempt to insult or criticize the audience…but neither does it shy away from an important discussion: that of consequences. The generation is speeding itself toward just such an end. A recent article I read mentioned that upwards of 65% of Americans can now classified as being “overweight” or “obese” — a consequence of laziness (whether the laziness of a sedentary lifestyle or the laziness of never bothering to cook something fresh for oneself and one’s family). Wall-E is about taking responsibility, and about consequences of actions. As surely as Wall-E’s (here talking about the robot “him”self) experiments with a fire extinguisher in zero-gee are a handy illustration of action and reaction, the movie as a whole deals with actions and the outcomes thereof.

It’s not a cheap shot at the audience, in other words, although it is a caution sign. I do agree, however, that Wall-E is the sort of movie which could, and perhaps should, be followed up with some discussion; as can be seen, its messages are often subtle, and easily misunderstood.

Grace and I took her sister to see Pixar’s latest last night, and I have to say, O Reader: if you haven’t gone and seen it, go and see it. For my money, it’s probably the best Pixar film yet, and I wonder if it would be all that hyperbolic to say that it will hold that top spot in my mind for a goodly while. It’s rare enough to find a movie that is genuinely uplifting at a spiritual level, especially in the sci-fi/action genre of film (BSG often fits the bill, although it is a TV series rather than a motion picture), but Wall-E delivers that and more.

Don’t be fooled into thinking this is a kid’s movie, either; WALL-E is age-independent. Because the characters are primarily robots (humans appear as well, but only in a supporting role), there is little in the way of dialogue — most of the comedy is physical/scenario-driven in nature, and will appeal equally to the young and the old (in fact, I suspect adults may enjoy it more than kids, in the same way that Looney Tunes are way more funny to me now than they ever were when I was ten).

It would also make for one heck of a date movie; I don’t think I let go of Grace’s hand for more than five minutes in total during the entire length of the movie. Not only is WALL-E a well-executed sci-fi story with equal parts comedy and well-paced action sequences, it is also a very romantic movie, and the budding relationship that emerges between EVE and WALL-E is amazing for its depth, the sweetness that characterizes it, its innocence, and how very real it feels, right down to how WALL-E makes a point of proudly showing EVE just some of the many trinkets “he” has collected in his 700 years of garbage compaction. Gents, I think (hope!) we can all recognize that little ritual?

(I remember showing Grace some of the many things — model planes, Lego constructs, books — I had collected when first we met.)

Finally, don’t but into the manufactured controversy that this is basically just with a cute face. Yes, it does depict a spoiled and desolate Earth, and yes, there is an environmental message at its core. But it ultimately is, I think, a message about stewardship of the Earth (c.f. Genesis 1:28-31), about the need for humanity to use (not abuse) Nature and the many resources of the world, and to make effective and responsible use of the technology at hand…in such a way that both humanity and Nature benefit. The message in WALL-E’s narrative is very much in favour of human development and the individual spirit, and praises the virtues of “get your hands dirty”-style hard work.

Now, after the jump, we’ll get into greater detail. If you don’t want spoilers, O Reader, do skip this next part.
Read the rest of this entry »