Wall-E is an illuminating, funny, tragic, and heartfelt gaze into a future Earth consumed by human greed. Focusing on the titular trash compacting robot himself, WALL–E (voiced by sound designed Ben Burtt), the film follows him exploring an abandoned world filled with skyscrapers of trash. 700 years or so after the human race was shipped into space by the massive conglomerate Buy n Large, viewers are exposed to the isolation WALL-E experiences and the destructive results of overconsumerism and corporate greed. Then EVE (Elissa Knight), an automated probe droid sent by humanity’s remnants, lands on Earth to determine its livability. WALL-E quickly falls in love, following EVE and his heart onto her ship. While there, he discovers an accidental plot that could lead the human race to extinction at hand and is faced with a difficult choice: should he save humanity, the same race who destroyed Earth, or save EVE?

Wall-E is one of the most thought-provoking Pixar films made to date. It perfectly balances heart and scope by demonstrating humanity’s environmental recklessness driven by over-consumption through a simple, mostly dialogue-free, visually boastful love story. It starts small, narrowing in on components like WALL-E’s daily routine and reactions to his environment in order to ease into these larger themes without being overwhelming. Through WALL-E, a lovably kind but awkward robot, viewers are hooked into the depravity that this harsh, damaged world brings with it without growing pessimistic. The film provides an honest look at humanity’s imperfections, sparing no criticism particularly for massive corporations and capitalistic overdrive that plagues the world even today, 16 years later. But instead of negatively presuming humanity is doomed, Wall-E‘s strongest element is the film’s reliance on compassion. In the end, human love and goodness prevails. People can achieve the unthinkable when they band together under a positive common goal. WALL-E just had to show up and make people remember love and connection, which became powerfully evident through his dedication to EVE. Plus, with beautiful visual palettes, Wall-E‘s real eye candy!

Screens Sunday, 4/21, 12:00pm & Monday, 4/22, 6:00pm @ Brattle
Double feature w/ Elysium
Part of the Massachusetts Space Film Festival