Movie review: WALL-E

Like so many of the tales that have withstood the tests of time, WALL-E is a multilayered masterpiece.

On the surface, it is a cleverly choreographed and richly rendered visual delight. The movie's G rating makes it clear that its makers wanted to reach out to all ages, and its minimalistic use of dialogue perhaps suggests another desire - to reach out to other cultures. The aesthetic pleasure derived from simply watching the characters swoop and twirl appeals to any moviegoer on Earth.

Beneath this is a thinly veiled, albeit timely and heroic message - that of overconsumption, overdependence and the fragile nature of our environment. Set in the future, WALL-E is an obvious warning to today's children. Unlike other environmentalist-themed movies, though, such as Happy Feet (whose message, as far as I could tell, was "if everyone just sang, danced, was nice to penguins and stopped offshore drilling, the world would be a perfect place"), WALL-E makes its point with just the right mix of subtlety and gravity.

But even this is yet another veil. Beneath this statement about the environment, business and government is a poignant lesson about what it means to be human. As many critics have noted, the robots in the film display the most personality - curiosity, innocence, courage, compassion, duty, concern and - most notably - love. Indeed, the most triumphant part of the plot is when the humans finally begin to embrace these characteristics, dragging themselves out of their own robotic states.

It isn't just a cute role reversal, though. Like the prophets of the Tanach taught us, the best way to deliver a message and teach a lesson is through an external parable. People learn, not by being rebuked personally, but by watching their values and vices play themselves out through external devices. Come to think of it, WALL-E is positively bursting with Biblical symbols, from the name of the female robot (Eve) to the unquestionably ark-like nature of humanity's great spaceship.

By the way, I couldn't help but notice the irony of WALL-E - a movie about the perils of consumerist culture - being preceded by a preview for "WALL-E the video game". I'll have to assume that the folks behind the noble-minded elements did not make that call.

In short, go see this movie, and show it to your kids.