Review: The X-Files: I Want To Believe

Mulder and Scully return in a blood-soaked mystery of faith.

Maybe the greatest thing about the annual summer onslaught of sequels and franchise films is the chance to see old fictitious friends again. Hollywood clearly relies on our yen for the familiar and exploits it accordingly, dredging up any concept with a reasonably certain chance of success (no matter how undeserving). This summer has obviously seen its share of glorious hits (Iron Man, The Dark Knight) and conspicuous misses (Hellboy II, Prince Caspian), and as the season winds down it’s both refreshing and reassuring to have Fox Mulder and Dana Scully back in form with The X-Files: I Want to Believe.

This second film version of the cult television series finds our heroes (David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson) called out of exile to locate a missing F.B.I. agent, albeit with the help of a disgraced ex-priest (Billy Connolly) who may or may not have psychic powers. Writer/director/series creator Chris Carter wisely eschews the density of the show’s “mythology” episodes, essentially creating a big-budget “monster of the week” episode accessible to even the most uninitiated viewer. Yet unlike some of the show’s most famous and popular episodes, which sometimes bordered on straight comedy, I Want to Believe is an intensely dark and unsettling film that’s not for the squeamish. It’s no surprise then that the film plays very much like a television episode, with its frequent use and reuse of the same three or four locations. The plot is also hopelessly stuck in primetime narrative structure, as one can easily pinpoint where the commercial breaks should occur.

Most thought-provoking is Carter’s retooling of the show’s conspiracy theory premise. Underneath the basic horror movie topes, the film is essentially a search for meaning and divine benevolence in a brutal and seemingly arbitrary existence. This time institutionalized religion replaces monolithic government as the bogeyman that suppresses truth in order to control the masses. (Luckily though, this time around God does not take the form of Burt Reynolds, as in the aptly titled “Improbable”, which has to be the series’ Worst. Episode. Ever.)

Yet in focusing on the most important question of all, Carter ironically manages to lose relevance. In its day, the series was famous for harnessing the power of paranoia to challenge the smugness of corrupt authority, and the verfremdungseffekt of the supernatural setting provided an audience-friendly platform for criticism. So if ever there was a franchise tailor-made to assault the politics of BushCo, it must be The X-Files. But aside from one admittedly hilarious gag, the film completely avoids any commentary on post-9/11 abuses of power. It’s certainly good taste to not exploit a national tragedy (Mr. Bush should be so considerate himself), but it may also be irresponsible to avoid the opportunity to legitimately champion the need for reform via such a popular vehicle.

All fringe theories about shadow governments and the paranormal aside, the franchise owes it longevity to the undeniable chemistry and muted love affair between Mulder and Scully. Carter obviously realizes this fact – why else would precious few details be given out before the film’s release if the characters weren’t the main attraction? A considerable amount of I Want to Believe is therefore devoted to the still evolving dynamic between the former agents, and this emphasis on characterization more than makes up for any structural defects. And rather than simply go through the motions of a tired reunion, the stars bring their A-game: Anderson, woefully underrated as an actor (and getting better looking with age), delivers another restrained portrait of conflicted integrity; and even Duchovny is noticeably less wooden and more vibrant than, well, probably ever. And there are also plenty of subtle Easter eggs for the show’s devotees, and the appearance of a familiar face in the final act is also most welcome.

With its dismal $10 million opening weekend box office take however, I Want to Believe may be the series’ last hurrah. That makes it all the more important to stay through the closing credits to see our heroes get the happy ending they deserve. Still, despite this latest film’s flaws it’s enough to simply see our friends again, and I personally want to believe that we haven’t seen the last of them.

- Steve Kabel

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Mad Men Trivia Answers

We’re still catching our breath after trying to keep up with all the story developments from Mad Men’s season opener - Don Draper domesticated? Possible layoffs at Sterling Cooper? Joan Holloway getting engaged? – but in the meantime here’s the answers to the trivia challenge we posted Friday, along with the questions themselves. All answers are taken from watching the DVD’s in a marathon last weekend.

1. In the series’ pilot, what slogan does Don Draper invent for Lucky Strike cigarettes? “It’s toasted!”

2. Account executive Ken Cosgrove gets a short story published in what elite New York magazine? The Atlantic Monthly

3. Secretary/junior copywriter Peggy Olsen is compared to a marine animal late in the season. Which animal, and for what reason? A lobster. “All the meat’s in the tail.”

4. What film does office manager Joan Halloway inadvertantly find herself emulating at the end of the episode titled “Red In The Face”? The Apartment

5. Betty Draper gets the chance to model for which soft drink company’s ad campaign? Coca-Cola

6. Sterling Cooper honcho Bert Cooper promises to introduce Don Draper to which famous author-philosopher? Ayn Rand

7. According to Don Draper’s campaign for Right Guard, what do women really want? “Any excuse to get closer.”

 8. Sterling Cooper media buyer Harry Crane had a brief romantic tryst with an office secretary the night of the 1960 presidential election. Where does he wind up sleeping after confessing to his wife? In his office

9. Before Mad Men, Vincent Kartheiser was best known for his role on the Buffy The Vampire Slayer spinoff Angel. What other Mad Men cast regular also appeared on a Joss Whedon-created show? Christina Hendricks played Saffron on two episodes of Firefly.

10. Roger Sterling often boasts about his time in which branch of the U.S. military? The Navy.

11. Don and Betty Draper have two children. What are their names? Sally and Bobby.

12. How was Don Draper’s father killed? He was kicked in the face by a horse.

13. What must all visitors to Bert Cooper’s office do before entering? Remove their shoes

14. Copywriter Paul Kinsey has written a one-act play he keeps in his desk. Name the play. Death Is My Client.

15. What was Pete Campbell’s nickname in prep school and/or college? Humps The Camel Campbell

16. Which of the following brand names is NOT represented by Sterling Cooper: Bell Jolie Cosmetics, Secor Laxatives, Xerox Business Machines, Bethlehem Steel. Answer: Xerox

17. Following Roger Sterling’s heart attack, Sterling Cooper gets a new Head of Account Services named Duck Phillips. In what city had Phillips been working before? London

18. Don Draper’s estranged brother Adam worked at what profession? As a janitor

19. What kitschy wedding gift must Pete Campbell return to the department store? A “Chip N’ Dip.”

20. Betty Draper briefly fantasizes about seducing a travelling salesman who’d visited the Draper household. What was the salesman trying to sell? Air conditioners.

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Test Your Mad Men Acumen With Our Trivia Quiz

Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em!

The summer of our discontent is almost over. Mad Men, maybe the best television show since The Sopranos, returns for its second season Sunday night at 10 EST. As for what will happen, who knows? Show creator and runner Matthew Weiner has kept plot details to a top-secret minimum. Still, we know the season opener takes place on Valentine’s Day 1962, a full 14 months after the Season One finale.

AMC – which we think now stands for “Airs Mad Men Channel,” is giving the show a big push in both marketing and show budget, and that combined with its shitload of Emmy nominations means we expect the show will find the audience it deserves this season. Before it starts, however, we’re celebrating the first season with the trivia quiz below. Play at home or post your responses as a comment, and then we’ll post the answer key Monday. You can cheat if you must by using Wikipedia or IMDB, but remember cheaters only cheat themselves.

1. In the series’ pilot, what slogan does Don Draper invent for Lucky Strike cigarettes?

2. Account executive Ken Cosgrove gets a short story published in what elite New York magazine?

3. Secretary/junior copywriter Peggy Olsen is compared to a marine animal late in the season. Which animal, and for what reason?

4. What film does office manager Joan Halloway inadvertantly find herself emulating at the end of the episode titled “Red In The Face”?

5. Betty Draper gets the chance to model for which soft drink company’s ad campaign?

6. Sterling Cooper honcho Bert Cooper promises to introduce Don Draper to which famous author-philosopher?

7. According to Don Draper’s campaign for Right Guard, what do women really want?

 8. Sterling Cooper media buyer Harry Crane has a brief romantic tryst with an office secretary the night of the 1960 presidential election. Where does he wind up sleeping after confessing to his wife?

9. Before Mad Men, Vincent Kartheiser was best known for his role on the Buffy The Vampire Slayer spinoff Angel. What other Mad Men cast regular also appeared on a Joss Whedon-created show?

10. Roger Sterling often boasts about his time in which branch of the U.S. military?

11. Don and Betty Draper have two children. What are their names?

12. How was Don Draper’s father killed?

13. What must all visitors to Bert Cooper’s office do before entering?

14. Copywriter Paul Kinsey has written a one-act play he keeps in his desk. Name the play.

15. What was Pete Campbell’s nickname in prep school and/or college?

16. Which of the following brand names is NOT represented by Sterling Cooper: Bell Jolie Cosmetics, Secor Laxatives, Xerox Business Machines, Bethlehem Steel.

17. Following Roger Sterling’s heart attack, Sterling Cooper gets a new Head of Account Services named Duck Phillips. In what city had Phillips been working before?

18. Don Draper’s estranged brother Adam worked at what profession?

19. What kitschy wedding gift must Pete Campbell return to the department store?

20. Betty Draper briefly fantasizes about seducing a travelling salesman who’d visited the Draper household. What was the salesman trying to sell?

And as an added bonus, here’s the beautiful “Carousel” sequence from the season finale, in which Draper pitches the campaign for Kodak’s new slide projector.

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Preview: The X-Files: I Want to Believe

We’re hearing that whistle sound from the theme right now.

Sweet Jeebus, do we miss the living crap out of the 1990s, a weird, gilded golden age for pop culture. And probably no other television show captured the era’s tangible pre-millennium tension quite like The X-Files. Smart and intricate, relentlessly artful in giving up its secrets (Lost should pay more attention than it does), the show grew from a humble mid-season replacement on Fox (TV Guide gave it six weeks) to become one of the most popular television series ever. Even the first film spinoff was good, if just an expanded episode of the television series.

And that makes the possibility of a return to the characters and the mood – and mood was always a giant part of the show – seem all the more like a late-summer visit from old friends. There’s a trend in film right now for 1990s nostalgia, from the elegy for the Clinton administration in the recent romcom Definitely, Maybe to the unabashed pimping found in the hipster indie The Wackness. But we hope this new X-Files film is more than that. We’re hoping it redefines the characters and updates the spooky sense of fun the show once had for the current time.

If The X-Files series was about uncovering the ugly truth below the surface of the mundane, how nice to revisit a sense that the ugliness was at least partially concealed. Not to say ignorance is bliss, but as the Bush era with all its terror and fear of terror winds down to its just infamy it’d be nice to visit the simpler time before. And going back is part of the great tradition – and some of the real magic – of cinema itself.

Well, the film opens Friday, so here’s hoping. The trailer appears below, and we’ll have our review over the weekend.

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Review: The Dark Knight

More proof we can find fault with anything.

The Dark Knight has now surpassed Spiderman 3 with the highest grossing opening weekend release. This is good for two reasons: first, we would applaud any movie, even one starring Will Ferrell, for trouncing the ridiculous and self-indulgent piece of crap that was Spiderman 3; and second, its critical success, along with the successes of Iron Man and Hulk, helps solidify the superhero movie in the face of less successful recent attempts that could have tanked the genre (like Spiderman 3 or Ghost Rider).

Much has already been written about The Dark Knight, and we’ll do our best not to repeat it all. True to our purpose, however, we’ll offer some dissenting opinions about what is, without a doubt, one of the best superhero movies ever and certainly one of the best movies this year.

First, The Dark Knight earns and deserves an R-rating. Had Maggie Gyllenhaal shown her breasts in the film, or were there any other attempt at overt sexuality, it would have gotten one. But since the majority of the film contains only intense violence and sadistic torture, the MPAA has decided that children in their teens, and parents who push the envelope by taking their five-year-olds to the show (as they did at the screening we attended), are just fine seeing this stuff. This isn’t really a jab at the movie, per se, but it’s a warning to those who see the film’s PG-13 rating and expect something lighter and less threatening. For the few who, like me, enjoy going into a film without researching every last detail, be forewarned that this is a dark film. It is a violent film. It is a disturbing film. That’s part of what makes it a great film. But when it’s not what you’re expecting, the ride can be unnerving.

Second, while The Dark Knight must be praised for its relative faithfulness to the Batman comic storylines, a bit of editing was in order. At 152 minutes, it’s a very long film. Part of that is necessary. As we follow the characters through traumatic event after traumatic event, it’s as if we, too, are going through a gauntlet, and it is as exhausting for us as for the characters. But some parts could have been cut dramatically, without losing their effect: Batman’s French Connection-esque ride through a Gotham City shopping mall, for example; or some of the lengthy scenes with Gotham’s underworld bosses. For comics fans, it may be a great thing to see such dedication to the books. To the average viewer these scenes drag.

As for performances, the accolades are deserved. Heath Ledger is indeed perfect as the Joker. Thankfully ignoring the camp and pomp of predecessors Cesar Romero and Jack Nicholson, Ledger portrays the Joker as a psychopathic agent of destruction flying in the face of any attempts at order. He is as frightening a villain as Manhunter‘s Francis Dollarhyde or Cape Fear‘s Max Cady. Likewise, Aaron Eckhart brings gravitas to his portrayal of Harvey Dent, and the rawness of his emotion at the film’s end is heartbreaking at the same time that it is disturbing. In light of these tours-de-force, Christian Bale and Maggie Gyllenhaal seem merely adequate. Both give fine performances but neither is a standout compared to Ledger and Eckhart. The dark hearts of their performances give the film its weight and movement.

Ultimately, The Dark Knight deserves the praise it’s receiving. As with its predecessor, it’s wonderful to see the oft-maligned franchise re-imagined as a serious and even tragic vehicle. And it’s if anything more than enough to tide us over until the next one.

-Jennifer Vasil

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Who Watches The Watchmen Trailer?

The first look at Zak Snyder’s long-awaited adaptation of Alan Mooore’s classic comic

The trailer for The Watchmen debuts today before The Dark Knight, ending two years of speculation about Zak  Snyder’s (300) version of Alan Moore’s classic graphic novel and about twenty three years of hope for fans wanting to see it brought to the big screen in all its byzantine glory.

If you’re not already familiar, the story is really much too complicated to explain in a few short words, except to say it’s a VERY realistic approach to the presence of superheroes in the modern world and covers about forty years of American history while doing so. It’s not for kids, and it’s not particuarly optimistic about human nature, either. And fortunately the movie looks to be painsakingly truthful to Moore’s original vision.

So enjoy the trailer and then read our who’s who guide about The Watchmen universe’s original super-hero team.

 

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Review: Hellboy 2 The Golden Army

A flawed sequel from Guillermo Del Toro, Lord of the Things

Though bearing the same distinct visual style and flair for production design that made 2006′s Pan’s Labyrinth a critical darling and already something of a cult favorite, director Guillermo Del Toro’s sequel to his own Hellboy wears the deep and severe problems with its story and script like a crown of horns. Though at times the talented cast rises above the flat dialogue and plodding, tangent-ridden screenplay, their efforts can’t raise the film above routine or inject life into what is at its weird heart simply an exercise in costuming. Blame Del Toro, whose screenplay shows his limitations as a storyteller even while borrowing liberally and obviously from a constellation of influences.  

Beginning with a prologue sequence that’s nakedly derivative of the opening to the first Lord of The Rings, the film’s tale of a broken truce between humans and the mythical creatures of antiquity quickly becomes a game of spot-the-influences, ranging from H.P. Lovecraft to the aforementioned Tolkien to a succession of sci-fi fantasy flicks of recent years, including Cloverfield, Underworld and of course the Matrix trilogy. That’s not in itself a bad thing – science fiction and horror alike are both genres that to a degree thrive on homage and derivation. Except in this case the influence feels disingenuous, even cynical. In creating a world of his own imagination, Del Toro seems to have forgotten how to create vivid characters, and a tin ear for dialogue (along with jokes that would seem flaccid in a Ben Stiller comedy) only makes things worse.

This is partly exacerbated by, ironically, the surprise success of the first Hellboy film, based as it was on a semi-obscure Dark Horse comic by former Batman artist Mike Mignola and starring a cluster of respected (if not exactly popular) character actors. A straightforward, pulpish yarn about demons discovered during World War II and a shadowy government agency that patrols the darker corners of the world, the film banked on audience novelty and delivered. Flash forward four years and a critical – if overrated – success in Pan’s Labyrinth, and the novelty is gone even as the expectations are raised for the modest Hellboy franchise. That the film resembles a Del Toro vehicle more than Mignola’s comic perhaps suggests the writer-director’s priorities in crafting the film.

This creative control even extends so far as to shuffle the cast. The admittedly bland agent John Myers is gone, replaced by Dr. Johann Krauss, a German scientist turned sentient cloud of gas that walks through scenes clad in a kind of Victorian diving suit. Voiced by The Family Guy’s Seth McFarlane in a peppy Colonel Klink impression, the professor has some interesting skills in his retinue (like reanimating the dead) but the praise incessantly lavished upon him by other characters makes his presence grating for much of his first half hour. Rather than characterize by action, Del Toro takes the far clumsier approach of audience-approval-by-telegraph, which practically never works. David Hyde Pierce is also gone as the voice of Hellboy’s chum Abe Sapien. Fortunately Selma Blair and Jeffrey Tambor return, as does (most importantly) Ron Perlman as Hellboy.

The story is nothing if not void of surprises. The goth-esque, sword-wielding villain Prince Nuada is ruthless and treacherous, prone to decapitating adversaries in flying head and Matrix-style wirework splendor. He’s even got a henchman that’s suspiciously similar to the cave troll of Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. His plan for control of the Golden Army, a legion of steampunk robots themselves evokative of The Fifth Element’s Mondoshawan aliens, centers around possession of a golden crown (one crown to rule them all!) that’s split into three fragments. As you can imagine, the search for the third piece takes up much of the middle act. Eventually, order is restored and the quartet of heroes are free to resume their lives – albeit with big changes in store, in a denouement that’s almost sitcomish.

Ultimately, the film suffers from a fractured set of ambitions that does neither of its sides justice. Too much a conventional action flick to rival Pan’s Labrynth in ambition or scope and too much a trendy art piece to succeed as genre entertainment, Hellboy 2 will likely be remembered as a minor film in Del Toro’s celebrated career. At least his next project, adapting Tolkien’s The Hobbit, will allow him to bring much of his inspiration back to its rightful source.

- Michael Kabel

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Four More Days Until The Dark Knight!

So here’re ten other Batman villains we might – and hope to – see in the third film.

Just about now the anticipation surrounding The Dark Knight ought to hit its fever pitch, which means barring a Matrix Reloaded-level disappointment the film should foster a third installment (which was probably the game plan all along, but it’s still always nice to see these things verified.)

One of the treats of Batman Begins was seeing the clever use of mid- and lower-tier villains like the Scarecrow and Mr. Zsaz in roles that surrounded the Big Bad of Ra’s Al Ghul. Though IMDB’s cast list would indicate that the focus this time is all on The Joker, a third Batman film offers lots of potential to pack the streets of Gotham with a gauntlet of also-ran villains. Not that any one asked us, but we recommend in no particular order:

1. Firefly: Every superhero needs a villain that sets stuff on fire, and pyromaniac arsonist-for-hire Garfield Lynns has the low-tech suit and requisite crazy factor to neatly blaze onto the big screen. The wings could make for interesting visuals, as would seeing Batman tear through a burning building a la The Towering Inferno.

2. The KGBeast: Anatoli Knyazev was a cybernitcally-enhanced Soviet assassin sent to America to kill high ranking defense personnel, thereby prolonging the Cold War. He’s believed to have killed over 200 people in his career, including real-life Egyptian president Anwar El Sadat. While the Cold War is over and done, it’s still easy to imagine the Beast coming to Gotham as a hitman-for-hire.

3. The Mad Hatter: Another of Batman’s gimmick-themed adversaries, Jervis Tetch was so obsessed with Lewis Carroll’s Alice In Wonderland that he based elaborate and vicious crimes around its elements. As a foe, he’s basically the Joker but smaller and smarter – and with mind control devices.

4. Electrocutioner: Lester Buchinsky first used his electricity-generating harness to execute dangerous criminals; later, he became a crook himself. The epitome of second-tier muscle, he’d be a great stalking horse for a bigger, badder nemesis.

5. Black Mask: Actually rumored at one point to apear in The Dark Knight, cosmetics heir Roman Sionis wore a coal-black mask as the head of Gotham’s underworld. Interestingly, Sionis’ hatred centers not on Batman but instead on his childhood friend – Bruce Wayne. If Batman and Harvey Dent break up Gotham’s current underworld, led in the new movie by boss Salvatore Maroni (Eric Roberts), Black Mask could step into the power vacuum.

6. Clayface: Though there’s been several vilains with this name and powers over the years, probably the classic first version works best on screen: faded movie star Basil Karlo used his powers of theatrical disguise to stalk and murder the cast and crew remaking his classic horror picture The Terror. Basically, Karlo is Lon Chaney meets the Phantom of the Opera – come to Gotham City.

7. Deadshot: Another enforcer type, Floyd Lawton was a society scion who became the world’s greatest marksman – harboring a profound death wish all the while. Later, he sort-of reformed after helping clean up the urban neighborhood where his daughter and her mother lived. An anti-hero closer to Batman’s own psyche than perhaps Batman would like to admit, he’s also got a classic costume, complete with nifty full-automatic wrist guns.

8. Talia Head: Ra’s Al-Ghul’s daughter and Batman’s sometime love interest in the books, Talia succeeded her old man as head of The League of Assassins (or League of Shadows in Batman Begins.) Dark and mysterious, if well-cast she’d make a great third side to a romantic triangle alongside Batman and Rachel Dawes.  

9. Deathstroke: Whether or not he appears in The Dark Knight (as some speculators believe he might), mercenary and hero-killer Slade Wilson has enough smarts and brawn to equal Batman’s own considerable prowess. A rooftop confrontation over Gotham could make for an urban Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, only with Batman’s and Deathstroke’s endless array of weapons and gadgets.

10. The Wrath: Intended as the Professor Moriarty to Batman’s Sherlock Holmes, the Wrath made just one memorable appearance in the comics before meeting a violent death. A ruthless hitman who hijacked Batman’s own mystique and tactics, he’s the perfect dark mirror image of what Batman works towards – and represents.

- Michael Kabel

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Noir Fridays: Out of the Past

A clip from probably the greatest film noir ever made.

Out of the Past is considered by many to be the greatest film noir ever made, routinely topping fan polls or coming in just behind more famous noirs like The Big Sleep and Double Indemnity. The bleak story of a former private investigator manipulated back into a world of deceit, double-crosses, and sexual manipulation, the calm sophistication with which the characters lie, cheat, and kill one another makes the film a masterpiece of tone and characterization. It’s arguably some of star Robert Mitchum’s best work, as he brings a weariness to the part that hides layers of determination and intelligence. And good God, Jane Greer.

Rather than try and describe the visual look of the film, we’ll just let it speak for itself: after the travelogue montage almost every frame is a picture.

By the way, children of the 1980s have a distinct, if indirect, connection to the film. A 1984 remake, titled Against All Odds, starred Jeff Bridges and Rachel Ward. Even if you’ve never seen the film, you’ve probably heard the title song, Phil Collins’ Oscar-nominated “Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now.)”

Out of the Past is available on DVD, by itself and as part of Warner Brothers’ Film Noir Classic Collection, Volume I.

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Review: WALL*E

Robot hope and love in a bleak future.

As one would by now expect from Pixar Animation Studios, WALL•E is yet another extraordinary achievement both in terms of animation and of “kiddie fare.”  But WALL•E also stands apart from the studio’s other efforts as an incredibly dark and cynical film with an overtly political message. Fortunately the studio’s expert craftsmanship keeps that darkness in check – though sometimes only just barely.

The story revolves around an adorable but lonely little robot assigned to clean up the trash of a deserted and toxic Earth that’s been abandoned by mankind. Except for his pet cockroach, WALL•E appears to be the planet’s only resident, until he discovers the first plant to grow in seven hundred years. Soon afterwards, another robot named EVE descends from space, who (unbeknownst to our hero) has been tasked with scouring the earth’s surface for any surviving vegetation. When WALL•E inadvertently presents his new crush with the object of her quest, EVE is retrieved into space by the starship Axiom, home to the last surviving human beings. But WALL•E relentlessly follows EVE into space, setting off a chain of events that culminate in the humans’ overthrow of their less-than-benevolent robot caretakers.

Besides the obvious environmental themes, the film primarily attacks 21^st Century globalization and consumerism.  The humans, morbidly obese and incapable of standing up or even looking at each other, lounge about the Axiom in floating recliner chairs as they incessantly purchase new products.  Unfortunately, writer/director Andrew Stanton provides no overt explanation for how the inert residents of this consumer-based culture earn a living and perpetuate the ship’s economy. One central onboard location is a shopping mall named “The Economy.”

It’s also difficult to swallow that not one individual has stepped forward to condemn their slothful lifestyle. Even supposing that no radical thinkers would have initially bought into the ship’s quick fix, surely someone would have eventually challenged the establishment that was created over seven centuries. Even the most conservative cultures produce rebels, but apparently that’s not the case here.  Only the Axiom‘s Captain (voiced by Jeff Garlin) shows any interest in opposing the machines for reasons not directly related to his own survival; but at the same time, his intent to return to Earth seems more like fascination with a new toy rather than a genuine assertion of free will. 

Addressing such issues may exceed the scope of a movie that is, at heart, family entertainment.  On the other hand, Stanton populates the background with cute malfunctioning robots that serve as WALL•E’s de facto sidekicks, but fails to give them distinct identities (let alone personalities). We know we’re supposed to root for them in the moments racing up to the climax because they’re broken, but not because we’ve come to appreciate them as characters.  It’s an obvious ploy for empathy that falls somewhere between disingenuous and lazy.

If that seems harsh, it’s because the consistently ambitious nature of Pixar’s catalogue demands a higher standard than, say, DreamWorks’ annual summertime toy commercials. All the same, WALL•E possesses moments of cinematic majesty and romance that have become nonexistent in the prepackaged commercial entertainment of recent years. One centerpiece scene – in which WALL•E and EVE float in space outside the Axiom – is particularly beautiful in its execution; likewise, the moment that EVE finally realizes the depth of WALL•E’s affection for her feels startlingly (and ironically) natural.

It’s no surprise then that the film ends on an upbeat, hopeful note. Pixar may be willing to push the boundaries of films ostensibly for children, but luckily they recognize that most of us still want a happy ending. And that Stanton delivers – simply, effectively and without condescension.  But even the end doesn’t stop the class: stay for the closing credits/denouement, set to the tune of Peter Gabriel’s awe-inspiring “Down to Earth. The song is a shoo-in for Best Original Song at next year’s Academy Awards.

Finally, it’s also worth noting that the film’s sound designer, Ben Burtt, is credited as the voice of WALL•E. Burtt, a bona fide filmmaking legend, served as the sound designer for each of the six Star Wars films, creating the “voice” of R2-D2 (arguably the most famous robot in history), as well as the truly iconic sound of Darth Vader’s mechanical breathing. His presence is almost paradoxical: it’s ironic that one of the major creative forces behind a parable about the triumph of flawed humanity over technology would take part in such a scathing indictment of mechanical dependence.

- Stephen Kabel
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