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Review published by Boydesy on 10th Sep 2009. 0 Comments.

9 (2009)

Director: Shane Acker

Story by: Shane Acker

Screenplay by: Pamela Pettler

Producers: Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov

Cast (Voice):
Christopher Plummer - 1
Martin Landau - 2
John C. Reilly - 5
Crispin Glover - 6
Jennifer Connelly - 7
Fred Tatasciore - 8/Radio Announcer
Elijah Wood - 9
Alan Oppenheimer - The Scientist
Tom Kane - Dictator
Helen Wilson - Newscaster

Running Time: 79 Minutes

Content Rating: PG-13 (MPAA)

Ben Barrett 09/09/09

The world has ended many times in the realm of cinema. The post-apocalyptic is nothing new, nor even the demise of the world as we know it at the hands of our own creations in revolt. Therefore it could be argued that Shane Acker's creation and directorial debut, 9, is nothing new. That argument, however, would be almost completely false. What Acker has created is a much needed breath of fresh air in film; a spark of true originality in an otherwise relatively stale year of movies that seem to be stuck on the 'rinse and repeat' cycle. 9 is based on a short film of the same name that Acker made for his master's thesis, and the feature length version has maintained the unique feel and aesthetic that earned the short an Academy Award nomination. Supporting Acker are film-makers Tim Burton (The Nightmare Before Christmas, Beetlejuice) and Timur Bekmambetov (Day Watch, Wanted), both known for their own visionary brands of fantasy, action and surrealism. The end product is a visually compelling movie that is has a vastly different atmosphere than most other recently released computer animated features.

The back-story of 9 is pretty straight forward: Scientist invents machine, mankind abuses machine, machine gets pissed off, machine decides mankind is expendable, massive war ensues, ect. When the movie begins, the character of 9 is just awakening. I enjoyed this scene immensely, particularly because of the conspicuous lack of dialogue. As 9 begins to explore his surroundings the audience is completely immersed in the world Acker has created. The creaks and groans of dilapidated wood, the clattering and clanking of rusted metal and the sweeping dusty wind blowing across the desolation of a ruined world, all establish the story's setting far better than any spoken words could. In fact, 9 can't speak at all until he runs across 2, the inventor of the group who is able to tinker with him, giving him a voice. The rest of the characters are then eventually introduced; animate cloth and metal dolls that Acker describes as 'stitchpunks'. 9 eventually meets the rest of group, each seemingly designed for a specific purpose. The different appearances of the models are very interesting and visually appealing as it's shown how each model is more advanced than it's predecessors; 9 being the best put together as he was the final creation.

The artwork in 9 is superb, and is easily the greatest attraction of the movie. The characters are amazing in both appearance and motion. The overall sound design is very impressive as well. The backdrop of the story, a dreary industrialized wasteland is well drawn and if great attention is payed to the background environment, some very disturbing things can be seen. I greatly appreciated the fact that this setting didn't miraculously improve as the protagonists achieved their goals. The aftermath of the apocalypse can't be cleaned up overnight, and this film seems to realize that. The mechanical beasts that hunt the stitchpunks manage to be both frightening and visually stunning at the same time, appearing as a clear representation of Acker's unique imagination and Burton's signature taste for the macabre. Another aspect of the animation that I found particularly fascinating was the usage of camera interaction, something I don't think I've ever seen in an animated film. When a large explosion occurs, the cameras shakes, when objects land in a puddle specks of mud appear in the camera's view, when it begins to rain, drops of water stream across the lens, blurring the scene. Considering that there is no physical mud, water or even camera lens, I found this to be a device that greatly enhanced the experience of the film.

The voice acting in 9 is as good as expected, considering the all-star cast assembled for the characters, however the acting is not the major selling point of the movie. Unfortunately, neither is the plot. While not poorly written or sequenced, the story seems to plow ahead at full throttle after the first 10 minutes, rarely letting up for moments of real plot or character development. The movie moves along in a more or less linear direction, and the characters don't seem to change much from their original persona at the beginning. 9 immediately finds himself at odds with 1, the self-proclaimed leader of the bunch, who prefers to keep hidden and safe rather than have the group face what threatens them. Despite this 9 seems to be able to take charge fairly quickly, especially with the help of 5, 2's loyal but fearful apprentice and 7, the resident warrior and only female model. From there on, the movie focuses solely around the stitchpunks' struggle against their mechanized foes with only a few pauses in the action, to the effect that it sometimes feels more like a ride than a film. The end also leaves a bit to be desired. 9 is a relatively short feature, so perhaps the action was meant to be accentuated, but a few more turns in the plot would've brought this movie to the next level.

Despite obvious flaws, this movie definitely still floats and is genuinely thrilling to watch. It is a feat of cinematography that is more than sufficient to launch Shane Acker's career into mainstream Hollywood and I certainly look forward to seeing more of his talent in the future. While some may leave the theater a bit disappointed at the underdeveloped characters and abrupt ending, most audience members will be drawn into the breathtaking and gritty world that makes other computer animated films look sterile by comparison. It may not be a grand slam, but 9 is worth the price of admission, and will certainly shine as a highlight of this year in film.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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