Wall-E - Review

“I don't want to survive! I want to live!” – A review of Wall-E. 

Given the world we live in, films about climate change are perhaps more important than ever. With sustainability becoming an ever-increasing concern, reaching audiences of all ages with key messages and warnings about what will become of our home planet is more vital now than it ever has been before. Released in 2008 by Pixar, Wall-E is a family friendly film including a love story, but also stark warnings about environmental issues, consumerism and the effect than humanity has on the planet.

Wall-E takes place in a dystopian future Earth which has been abandoned by the human inhabitants due to the horrendous pollution and waste. Wall-E is a Waste Allocation Load Lifter – Earth-Class robot, who has spent centuries cleaning up the mess that humanity has left behind. He’s all alone on the planet aside from his little cockroach friend, (I quite like the nod to the fact that cockroaches can essentially survive everything whilst humanity can’t), and he is entertained by the left behind belongings of people, such as old trinkets and VHS tapes, which he finds in the rubble and rubbish humanity has abandoned.

Everything changes for Wall-E when EVE arrives. EVE is sleek, sophisticated and advanced, a probe which has been sent from a starship to look for life. The spaceship is full of people who have given in to consumerism and overreliance of technology, which again feels apt for today, but EVEs and Wall-Es relationship blossoms despite this.

For a family film about a little robot, Wall-E is deeply moving. The film does a fantastic job at exploring themes of hope, love and loneliness on an abandoned planet. Oh, how empathetic and sorry I felt for Wall-E! Who would struggle to understand his longing for connection? How could you not feel moved as he searched through the trinkets of a world that had once been filled with love and life that he didn’t believe he could ever have?

That’s something Wall-E does incredibly well. It’s not always fast paced, and that’s to its advantage. The film lingers in quiet moments and puts a real focus on small gestures, which allows you to really feel the solitary nature of Wall-E’s existence. After watching Wall-E all alone, it’s so heartwarming to see him interact with EVE, to watch the two care for one another and even dance together. This brings in a message of hope, the idea that even in the worst possible situation, love and compassion are always worthwhile.

This is a story which is told mainly without dialogue. Wall-E and EVE don’t speak, rather they communicate with small sounds and gestures, yet due to the excellent visual storytelling you never feel lost. I especially love Wall-E’s animation, his binocular-like eyes and square, somewhat clunky frame making him adorable and yet still incredibly expressive. You can tell what Wall-E is feeling just from his small movements and sounds, such as his little beeps and chirps, which give him so much character and personality that you don’t miss human language at all.

You can probably tell that I adore Wall-E as a character. Something I enjoy about him is the way he makes us question what it means to be human. Just like us, he enjoys collecting things, watching films and even enjoys looking after a small plant. Doesn’t this feel remarkably human? Yet Wall-E isn’t human, and he’s only on Earth because of the absolute mess humanity has made of the planet.

EVE is similar is this respect. Whilst she is incredibly focussed on her mission, her bluntness soon gives way to compassion and warmth, as well as a fierce determination. Watching her and Wall-E’s relationship develop is beautiful, as it’s based on both of them being vulnerable yet curious, and is again deeply human. Humanity could learn a thing or two from Wall-E and EVE.

So, is all lost for humanity? This is certainly a cautionary tale. This film is a real call to action, a message about what will happen if humanity refuses to act on climate and environmental issues, as after all those awful mountains of waste didn’t appear on their own. The humans we do see often seem oblivious, victims of their own designs as they’re completely disconnected not just from their home planet, but from each other. Humanity is obsessively consumerist and lack agency completely. All this being said though the film does show hope for humanity, and whilst I won’t spoil it here, this is a warning mainly because it’s a future we can still avoid.

Wall-E is a funny, moving and incredibly engaging family film which explores the best and worst of humanity. Full of emotional meaning, Wall-E isn’t simply a children’s film, it’s a brilliant meditation on love, connection and responsibility, and one that I would implore you – and your children – to watch and learn from.

Written by Tam Page

Posted by Mr. Tomney

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