Omg.
Yeah, soooo... WALL•E is pretty much the best thing ever. It excelled at absolutely everything it was and did. It's a creepy and hopeful post-apocalyptic movie, it's a unique take on an adventure movie, it's hilariously funny, and it's quite possibly my favorite romantic movie of all time. The backstory is delivered flawlessly. It's visually stunning. The music is wonderful. I adored it.
The post-apocalyptic aspect of it kind of floored me. In the beginning when Put On Your Sunday Clothes comes on and you see the skyscrapers, and then it fades to the creepy-ass 2815 A.D., zooms in on the skyscrapers and you can see that they are built of trash, I got goosebumps. Everyone knows that Pixar walks the line between adult and child entertainment almost perfectly, but this was really something. Skeeved out the adults without disturbing or confusing the kids.
Very little time is spent with Wall•E before Eve's arrival, but in just a moment or two, you get such a sense of his daily routine, and of the astounding length of time he's been carrying it out, as well as the development of his personality over this long time. The backstory is given here as well, via advertisements, which are a huge part of the movie's point. I keep hearing people coming out of it talking about recycling and eating better, and that's all well and good, but I think there was a deeper point. Kind of like how Fahrenheit 451 isn't about censorship, it's about what happens when human let themselves and all their astounding potential fall stagnate. Same theme here, I think.
Speaking of, I think it was zoe_trope who pointed out that while it has slapstick for everybody, there is a lot that is based in satire and cultural references as well. The autopilot being Macintalk, the Axiom's name, the cockroach and the twinkie, pong (omfg, PONG!), the repair ward looking like an asylum, the presidential setting surrounding the Buy n' Large CEO. It was hysterical in both lol and non-lol ways.
As a romance... I have no words. I usually can't stand romantic themes in any story I consume, but especially not movies and tv. There are a few movies I like in spite of the romance, but not because of it. WALL•E broke my heart. There is such a lack of dialogue that it feels like an old silent movie. Most of what Wall•E and Eve say are each others' names, but with such expression. One of my favorite moments is when Eve is in her hibernating state and traveling on the cart on the Axiom, and Wall•E has to ask Mary to move so that he can get to her. He introduces himself and then points and says "Eeevah," sounding like he's introducing her as well. Like he's saying 'Look how amazing she is. I want to be with her.' I also loved the way he tries to take care of her when she's hibernating on earth, and you can see his hope of reviving her dying a little every second. I got a little choked up when they're in the garbage chute and Eve ignores her directive. And the little shock thing at the end that brings him back! I remember reading an essay on The Matrix way back when that talked about "You can't be dead because I love you" being the kind of statement that a six-year-old makes to a dead kitten, and because of that, the dead beloved's rising and walking is impossible to resist no matter how silly it is. I'm inclined to agree.
Also, my bellydance teacher is having a student showcase August 8th, and I'm doing a double silk veil routine to 'Define Dancing'. I'll try to get some video so you can all see what a nerd I am. XD
The post-apocalyptic aspect of it kind of floored me. In the beginning when Put On Your Sunday Clothes comes on and you see the skyscrapers, and then it fades to the creepy-ass 2815 A.D., zooms in on the skyscrapers and you can see that they are built of trash, I got goosebumps. Everyone knows that Pixar walks the line between adult and child entertainment almost perfectly, but this was really something. Skeeved out the adults without disturbing or confusing the kids.
Very little time is spent with Wall•E before Eve's arrival, but in just a moment or two, you get such a sense of his daily routine, and of the astounding length of time he's been carrying it out, as well as the development of his personality over this long time. The backstory is given here as well, via advertisements, which are a huge part of the movie's point. I keep hearing people coming out of it talking about recycling and eating better, and that's all well and good, but I think there was a deeper point. Kind of like how Fahrenheit 451 isn't about censorship, it's about what happens when human let themselves and all their astounding potential fall stagnate. Same theme here, I think.
Speaking of, I think it was zoe_trope who pointed out that while it has slapstick for everybody, there is a lot that is based in satire and cultural references as well. The autopilot being Macintalk, the Axiom's name, the cockroach and the twinkie, pong (omfg, PONG!), the repair ward looking like an asylum, the presidential setting surrounding the Buy n' Large CEO. It was hysterical in both lol and non-lol ways.
As a romance... I have no words. I usually can't stand romantic themes in any story I consume, but especially not movies and tv. There are a few movies I like in spite of the romance, but not because of it. WALL•E broke my heart. There is such a lack of dialogue that it feels like an old silent movie. Most of what Wall•E and Eve say are each others' names, but with such expression. One of my favorite moments is when Eve is in her hibernating state and traveling on the cart on the Axiom, and Wall•E has to ask Mary to move so that he can get to her. He introduces himself and then points and says "Eeevah," sounding like he's introducing her as well. Like he's saying 'Look how amazing she is. I want to be with her.' I also loved the way he tries to take care of her when she's hibernating on earth, and you can see his hope of reviving her dying a little every second. I got a little choked up when they're in the garbage chute and Eve ignores her directive. And the little shock thing at the end that brings him back! I remember reading an essay on The Matrix way back when that talked about "You can't be dead because I love you" being the kind of statement that a six-year-old makes to a dead kitten, and because of that, the dead beloved's rising and walking is impossible to resist no matter how silly it is. I'm inclined to agree.
Also, my bellydance teacher is having a student showcase August 8th, and I'm doing a double silk veil routine to 'Define Dancing'. I'll try to get some video so you can all see what a nerd I am. XD