This is my Curse

I did it. I went to the theater to see a movie on a Friday night. This may not sound so impressive - you crazy movie-goer person - but I can assure you it is. See, I'm lazy and hate crowds, so the thought of facing pro-activity and a crowd of people is simply dreadful.

I must say, however, that making the effort to see Disney / Pixar's newest creation, Wall-e, was well worth it. And to my surprise, there were not any kids in the movie theater. (Hint: if you're going to see an animated film, go to a 9:30 pm showing. No sane parents would have their kids out that late)

Anyhow, on to the movie. It was a really great movie. Of course walking into a Pixar film you can be solidly assured that you're going to get a top-notch visual experience. And in true Pixar fashion, they did not disappoint. The visual aspect of this film was second to none. The attention to detail, shading, color and movement was probably the best I've ever seen in an animated film. And for a movie that's based in a post-apocalyptic world, you can assume that the visuals are thought-provoking, to say the least.

Wait a second! What's this about a kid's movie being set in a post-apocalyptic world? Well, I can't vouch for the fact that the apocalypse has actually taken place prior to the introduction, but the film is chocked full of satire, innuendo, imagery and un-spoken (and some spoken) commentary on the state of society today and the road that we are supposedly leading ourselves down.

The scenes of Wall-e - who is apparently some sort of self-containing trash compactor with emotions - trudging through the uninhabited city looking for any semblance of life through the trash and remains of the giant, corporate, all-providing Buy N Large, are in no ways subtle. They are a clear message to anyone who will watch the film that we are becoming a lazy society, thus making us more prone to government/corporate control (both government and corporation are mutually inclusive in the story).

And as Wall-e sneaks a ride to the space station housing the last remains of human life, we are welcomed to scenes of outlandishly obese people floating around in chairs that are voice commanded, chatting on their computer screens to the people right next to them and sipping their meals from a cup -- a clear message that our society as we know it is being to conditioned to live and communicate in the laziest ways possible.

Ok, so enough of the crazy imagery. Let me get to the heart of the story. In the midst of this crazy story, a message of hope is actually put across. It's the message that there is hope of us realizing that interpersonal communication and physical interaction are key elements to help a race of people or a society thrive. I felt that there was a strong encouragement to get up out of your chair, desk, bed, sofa and go live your life. Look around. Hold someone's hand. It may be unfortunate, though, that it took two robots to display the true capacity to live and love.

All in all, this is a fantastic movie and I highly recommend it.