WALL-E (Directed by Andrew Stanton)

It is rare that I watch animated features that aren't from the 70's, about New york, or directed by Ralph Bakshi... Tonight I watched WALL-E and I can say it was a smart film that both children and cinema lovers can enjoy.

There is no spoken dialouge between characters for the first 25 minutes of this film. The scenes of an abandoned Earth being managed by a single robot and his pet cockroach carries the film very well. The absence of dialogue exemplifies the main character's loneliness and his search for companionship.

Fan's of Quentin Tarantino would have a Field day with the various allusion's presented in this film. Classic's such as E.T., The Matrix, The Wiz (yes the Wiz) and Space Odysesy 2001 are thrown into a blender and mixed together to form WALL-E. The outcome is a tasty treat for viewers of all ages. It neither goes over the heads of younger audiences nor mundane for veteran movie goers.

One of my favorite aspects of this film is the social commentary that it presents. Director Andrew Stanton paints an interesting Dystopia that i have never seen before in films. He presents citizens of the future as obese Hedonistic individuals living in a space station who depend on computers for their every need. They ignore their surroundings and live their lives in front of a screen. They do not exercise because they can not even walk. I believe the director see's this as the only solution to the progression of a hyper-consumer capitalistic society that tries to meet our every desire. In essence it is the fault of a single corporation named BNL (If my memory serves me right) that mankind is trapped in a Hedonistic Technological Singularity. Also, Mankinds issues of overpopulation and Pollution are explored in this films.

Whether you have kids or you just want to impress a date without trying to seem like you are trying to impress your date, give Wall-E a try.