Based on a short film that he made for college, director Shane
Acker’s 9 has got to be one of the most original ideas for an animated film in
recent years. Set in a post apocalyptic landscape, amid the blasted ruins of
what was once a fascist regime whose population was wiped out by a robot uprising,
the title of the film refers to the nine
burlap-covered rag dolls who are the only survivors--if one could call them that.
9 (voiced by Elijah Wood), the final doll to awaken in the private home of the
scientist who died after giving him life, soon meets 2 (Martin Landau), an older
doll who’s scavenging the wasteland for useful tools. After 2 fixes 9’s voice,
so that he can speak, they come under attack by a strange, robotic/skeletal
hybrid creature that captures 2.
When 9 finds other rag dolls, led by the patriarchal and extremely fearful 1
(Christopher Plummer), who writes off 2 as being dead, 9 decides to mount a
rescue mission with 5 (John C. Reilly), the one-eyed medic who fixes everybody’s
injuries (which, for this bunch, consists of getting a tear in their burlap skin).
Yet while storming the old factory in his zeal to rescue 2, 9 winds up awakening
the very same evil that destroyed humanity, and it quickly sets its sights on
the last beings who live within the devastated wasteland. Darkly charming, 9 is
an exceedingly well-made film that pays attention to the details in such a
way--particularly in the background settings--that it begs for more than one
viewing just to catch everything. The story is so compelling that it draws you in from the very first frame.
These rag dolls, with their owl-like eyes made from camera lenses, are
immediately sympathetic and very easy to cheer for--and in stark contrast, the
villains of this piece are all morbidly unnerving, which matches the overall
dark mood that 9 conveys. It may be a big no-no for very little children, but
it’s a must-see for hard-core animation fans, as well as fans of the dark
sensibilities of Tim Burton (who’s a co-producer on the film with Timur
Bekmambetov, director of Nightwatch and Wanted). Jennifer Connelly and Crispin
Glover round out the talented voice cast of this imaginative and extraordinary
tale, which is brought to vivid life using CGI. And despite its overall dark
tone, 9 still manages to be vastly entertaining and even hopeful.
--SF
Main Review Page | Animated Film Reviews |9 on DVD
