Wonder Bean
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Writer: Sammy-Jo Ellis
Cast: Jeremy Allen White, Florence Pugh (VOICE), Willem Dafoe, Ed Harris, Zoe Saldana (VOICE), Rahul Kohli, Bob Odenkirk, Vivien Lyra Blair
Plot: Bob Bruce (Bob Odenkirk): "Hey, I'm Bob Bruce, owner of The Tomorrow Foundation. As you know, our mission is to build the foundation, for tomorrow. Now as you know, I'm a bit of a film nut, and recently watched a fun picture called Wall-E. And lets just say, I quite like the idea and would like to introduce; The Wonder Bean!"
Fifty years later. Nuclear war has ruined Earth, not obesity. The survivors wish that too much food was the issue, but sadly, it was the other way around. The only thing thriving in this new landscape bumped along its tracks, paint chipped, her name almost worn out; Charlie (Voiced by Florence Pugh). Charlie was built with a few simple objectives, namely to preserve, learn and wonder. So, even despite these being the worst of times, Charlie followed her objectives, preserving what she can, learning what she could but wondering, what was the point of it all?
Through muck of trash, a survivor, Dominic (Jeremy Allen White), scraps together some food and fluids from a pharmacy when he is alerted to a clicking noise. Darting behind the till, his heart racing, before looking over to see Charlie chugging along. This grants Dom relief for a moment, when an Unwell bursts out, flesh hanging off, muscle and bone underneath a rotted pink and dull grey. Dom kicks back to escape, alerting Charlie to investigate, Charlie speeds over to the Unwell and knocks it over, crushing its skull beneath her tracks! Dom looks up as Charlie looms over, eyes wide as she let's out a curious giggle, producing a bottle of water to the tired Dom who looks amazed, asking how she did that. Charlie shrugs with another little giggle; "Preserve."
Dom walks along, stoic, as he follows a map, Charlie bumps alongside him, questions a plenty. Dom comes to a halt, asking what Charlie was doing. With a glee, Charlie responds; "Preserve, learn and wonder!" Dom hushes Charlie, crouching to her height before scanning over the water in his hand, turning back with curiosity washed across his face; "I like you Charlie. A little noisy, a little annoying but...special, yeah special. You remind me of my daughter, Millie. I can't wait for you to meet her."
Cutting through overgrown plant life, Dom and Charlie arrive at a well hidden, modestly armed and previously abandoned military outpost. At the entrance, they are met by an elderly former marine, Walter (Ed Harris), his presence immediately warm, though his embrace is intercepted as Millie (Vivien Lyra Blair) burst through to hug her father before looking down at Charlie; "Who's that?" Dom smiles as Charlie's eyes scan the surroundings, seemingly a little nervous until Dom pats her head with reassurance; "This is Charlie, and she's the future."
The quartet enter the haven, glances a plenty at Charlie, her anxiety building until she feels someone take her hand, looking up anticipating Dom, only to find a grinning Millie.
All seems well, festivities unfolding, Charlie's arrival seemingly signalling some kind of beacon of hope. And then, heavy footsteps slam across with calmness, a dishevelled leader, Robert (Willem Dafoe), looking over his troop, something about him feeling out of focus as he asks to be introduced to their guest of honor. Charlie rolls over, something familiar, yet horrifying at the stranger leaning over; "Hiya Bean, I'm Robert."
He felt like a giant skeletal creature, a crooked smile and eyes that watched your every heartbeat. One could easily assume how the haggard Robert came to rule this safe place.
Days had passed since Charlie's arrival, a peace washing over as Dom reunited with Millie who now had a bestie, and the warm but stoic Walter felt relaxation for the first time in a while; And then Kingsley (Rahul Kohli) returned.
Rolling in with a banged up Wonder Bean, Chance (voiced by Zoe Saldana), Kingsley was in bad shape, warning that a hoard of Unwell had caught their scent. Robert descends with a gnarly grin, damning Kingsley as he demands him to his office. A tense silence lulls, Dom pulls in Millie with Walter building a sweat, the innocence of Charlie breaking through; "Is everything okay?"
No, it was not. Millie sits by the fire with Charlie who had begun to watch Chance who moved with more of a hobble, paintwork unkempt and a ding on one of her eyes. But as Charlie watched her, how she interacted, seemingly without the programming she held dear, she felt not just curious, but something...else.
Meanwhile, Dom talks to Walter, fear budding about the growing threat of Robert's fading mind, the two plotting a takeover.
After tucking Millie in, Dom finds Charlie talking to Chance and invites the two with him, asking the pair to keep an eye out. Chance agrees on their behalf and the trio meet with Walter who offers a nod as he and Dom enter Robert's room.
Two scenarios play out side by side, for Dom and Walter a tension fuelled coup, and for Charlie, something else becoming clear. In a flash, as Chance takes the hand of Charlie, an involuntary alarm rings out, awakening Robert who draws a knife from under his pillow, plunging it into the throat of the looming Walter! Dom narrowly escapes but Robert sees him, Kingsley sees him...
Dom sits in a beatdown silence. He looked out and locked eyes with Robert. Dom takes the hand of a sleeping Millie; They had to run.
Charlie drives in circles, her systems frazzled. Dom shouted at her when they returned home last night, and she didn't know why, she couldn't learn why; She could only wonder. Now, Charlie had wondered before, but this felt different...it felt heavy.
Robert holds council with the haven, reminding everyone of how fortunate they were to be there, and how grateful they should be, sporting a gaze towards Millie. Dom holds her tight as Robert continues, revealing Kingsley would be doing checks, and advised all to be prepared.
As night draws near, Chance finds Charlie, checking in, seeing her flustered by her ongoing crisis. Chance pulls in by her side and starts to muse over the deep sunset. Charlie turns her head, eyes soft as Chance's little squeaks and clicks occur, another kind of wonder washing over as the purple and orange hues paint Chance into something somehow even more beautiful. "I like this. I like the different wonder. I like that you make me wonder this way." The two droids turn to each other and gently collide, their moment broken by a nearby crash!
Millie stumbles and kicks with tears down her face as a bloody Kingsley looms over her with menace in his eyes! Before he can drive his shank into her, Charlie bursts through, obliterating his ankle! Kingsley wails in pain, reaching out to Chance who ignores her former owner to console Millie, Kingsley turnx over to Charlie coming to finish the job...
The mess of clothes on the floor is navigated by the trio as a fading sputtering is heard, Dom holding onto his chest, the colour disappearing from his eyes as a sobbing Millie hugs her dad, one last time. Dom turns to Charlie and Chance, a final smile as they are shown escaping alongside Millie; "Save her."
Two droids made for recycling and education have unwittingly become the parents of a thirteen year old following the loss of her father. The trio of Charlie, Chance and Millie were doing their best in the wasteland, but whilst they were able to keep Millie hydrated, starvation had begun to kick in, unwanted followers closing in
At the haven, Robert had lost his mind after an attempted revolt saw him kill six members before being thrown to the lions. But Robert had survived before, and vowed to survive again...
Finding refuge in a run down
supermarket, Charlie and Chance do their best to help a pale and exhausted Millie when they notice guests; Three unwell stalking the aisles. Charlie quietly navigates Millie to safety, asking Chance to look after her. From here, Charlie quickly flattens one, using a fire extinguisher for leverage, before trapping another in a freezer. However, the final Unwell had found Millie and Chance!
Robert lurks the wilderness as he hears the commotion struggling with his own mental state before collapsing to his knees to shake the cobwebs looking up to see a sign featuring Bob Bruce, a familiarity in his saddened gaze.
Meanwhile, the Unwell had begun tearing through the door, Chance doing all she can to keep it out as it claws at her, looking to keep her vow to Charlie. Eventually, Charlie does arrive, coming through at such speed, she tears the Unwell in half, arm ripped off in the door!
Millie comes out in a wreck, Charlie realises the young girl was having a panic attack as her headphones and coping mechanism fell out. Charlie calms Millie, asking who she was listening to, taking the mobile from her and plugging it in her dock, quietly playing the music as she looks to investigate if Chance was okay...she is not...
But there is no time to stand still as Millie peers back, fear in her eyes; "ITS ROBERT!"
Robert stalks the market that Charlie, Chance and Millie used as refuge when the Unwell trapped in the freezer bursts out and attacks! Robert survives the encounter, but at a cost, seeing him look out and spot our trio of heroes, Chance worse for wear...
Chance is shown to have had her primary system torn apart by the Unwell attack, her voice a vacant buzz as the sound of more Unwell grows closer. Charlie is overwhelmed, seeing the light dim in her companions eyes, hoping if she took her hand it would reinvigorate life in her. But alas, instead they watch a final sunset before Millie pulls Charlie away, Chance uttering a last word; "Love."
As night falls, Charlie worries she may lose this final piece of her and will do anything to save her when the pair fall in an ominous glow, revealed to be peaceful survivors! With safety guaranteed for Millie, Charlie detaches her water purifier, handing it over, Millie confused. Charlie takes the hand of the sobbing Millie uttering her final farewell; "Love, bestie. You're so golden."
Charlie heads back to bury Chance, sitting in the moonlight where she is confronted by a violently ill Robert, shaking his head; "Where is she?!" he slobbers, Charlie gently lying; "Dead, dead." Robert leans against a tree, a swarm of Unwell now just feet away, a smile on his face; "My dad made you, before the bombs, he made you. I was named after him, you know? I miss him, I miss life...Give me mercy? Please?"
A crunch echoes in the night as a tired Charlie drives to the edge of a cliff, feeling her battery die as she looks out at the sea, relaying a message left behind by Bob Bruce:
"Wonder Bean Charlie, did you really do it all? Well, I'll be damned! Well, I'm sure there's still some wondering to do, but how about until then, you rest up!"
In the pale moonlight, a fading Charlie softly and sweetly sighs; "Love."
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