I want to say up front that I am aware of how ridiculous this entry may come off...
I hope you have all seen Wall-E but if not, don't worry, non-believers, I will not spoil any crucial plot points for you.
So on Saturday, my mom and I went to see Disney's Wall-E, a movie I was not prepared for. I was not prepared for how adorable it was or how much I would laugh, nor was I prepared for how utterly profound and socially relevant it turned out to be or how much I would cry. Even my mom, whom I love of course but is not always the quickest runner in the race, was astoundingly impressed by this little movie and we could not stop gushing about it after it ended.
Wall-E is alone on the planet Earth. 800 years from now, Earth has been abandoned by its people. It has filled up with too much commerce and garbage and STUFF and has become unihabitable for human beings, whom are now off living on a luxury spaceship. Left behind to clean up the mess are these sort of trash organizing bots. But years and years later, only one little guy is still functioning; our curious little friend Wall-E. And poor Wall-E -- his only friend is a cockroach (because when the apocolypse comes, you know those guys will still be here). His home is a converted dumpster where he keeps all his earthly fascinations (think Ariel's cave in The Little Mermaid) and he watches clips from the only movie he found lying around, Hello Dolly.
This poor little guy -- all he wants is a hand to hold.
And along comes Eve. This futuristic little thing sent to explore the planet. She's shiny and fancy and the most wonderful thing Wall-E has seen. All he needs is a little human contact; someone to love, someone to have an adventure with.
And on board the spaceship, human beings are, well, lazy morons. Bred in a world of convenience, their bones have softened and they travel in hover-chairs. They don't interact - they just talk on screens in front of their faces, which is also where they get their news and entertainment. Hell, they don't even know there's a pool on the ship or sights to see because they are glued to their computers... If someone falls over, a machine rushes to pick them up. If they need something to eat or drink, it is delivered... And then two people happen to touch by accident... it's magical...
If you don't see how THAT is socially relevant, then... well.... um...
The movie is genius. It's something cute and clever for kids but if you're adult, the film is just LOADED with subtext and ingenuity and if it doesn't move you in some way or another, I might fear you're sans a soul. By the time the credits were pouring down the screen, I was glazed over, transfixed on the screen, filled with emotion, and wishing the movie had been longer. I'm no even kidding.
Oh, maybe it's just that I'm an emotional wreck these days, that I'm starved for attention and affection and wouldn't mind having a hand to hold. Maybe I am afraid that I'm on my way to becoming a lazy, fat slob and those sharp reminders in the movie hit a nerve...
I'm quite impressed with Wall-E. You should really go see it.
