Wall-E was perhaps the most important film of the summer that will probably not be seen as much as it derves to. The one and a half hour long computer-animated "kids" movie said more about people in that small time frame than most films put together. Now films are obviously up to interpretation and everyone has their own opinion. However, I have decided to compile a list of the themes that I thought Wall-E decided to bring to light.
1. We Are Relying Too Much on Technology To Make Our Lives Not Only Easier, But Better
The whole idea behind the advancement of technology is to help make humankind smarter. By this I mean in doing things such as helping us to cure diseases, to make art more accessible to a broader audience, to, in theory, improve life on Earth. The problem is that e have become spoiled by technology. The days of kids playing stickball or setting up soccer goals in their backyards have been replaced by kids playing Guitar Hero or just vegging out on the couch Tivo'ing reruns of Hannah Montanna. Now I'm not saying there is anything wrong with Guitar Hero or Tivo. They are great fun. The problem here is that people have become to dependent on these things and have lost sight of the simple joys of going for a run outside, or playing catch with your father. We must find a way for these things to co-exist or as Wall-E warned...we are destined to grow into blobs that can hardly even stand up, let alone walk. Which brings me to my next point.
2. Everything We Need To Be Happy Is Already Inside Us
Yes. I'm going to get sappy here. Love. Friendship. That whole thing. But it's true. Not only has our technology seperated us from the outdoors, but it has seperated us from each other as well. What's the entire idea behind the telephone? It's a device that let's us talk to people with out even having to see them. And caller-id allows us to choose who we dont want to talk to. Have we become a society who is scared of each other? Have we become so self involved that we are beginning to not even need each other at all? Wall-E was lonely for hundreds and hundreds of years. Then one day he found his purpose. Eve.
3. We Only Have One Planet.
Sure this theme has been explored before (An Inconvienient Truth) but never in such a unique way as in Wall-E. In a not too distant future Wall-E is the one robot left in a world that has been so covered in waste that the inhabitants have just left instead of trying to clean it up. They left the place they had called home for as long as time existed. The past two themes are directly tied to this one. The whole film is about what can happen when human emotion is replaced with one thing: apathy. Are we doomed to destroy not only our way of living, but the place we live as well?
Wall-E is a fantastic film. It is coming out on dvd on Tuesday. I would buy it but I have no money.
Peace
-David
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