How much Worth: 3/5
Director: Shane Acker
Starring: Christopher Plummer (voice) , Martin Landau (voice) , John C. Reilly (voice) , Crispin Glover (voice) , Jennifer Connelly (voice)
Not many know that Tim Burton, the producer of the film, started his career as an animation artist. His first animation short film The Island of Doctor Agor is still regarded one of the best short animation films of all time he made when he was hardly 13. This film, 9, is an extremely significant film since it marks his foray in the animation genre almost after a decade.
9 is adapted from 2005 Oscar nominated short animated film of the same name by director Shane Acker about a living rag doll who is trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world.
9 wakes up for first time in a post apocalyptic environment where humans have been exterminated by machines. He quickly discovers that small communities of Rag Dolls like him are taking safe haven to avoid their destruction from the invincible machines. He encourages others to be courageous and valiant in order to survive this Blitzkrieg by the machines.
9 must fight his destiny as the future of human civilization depends on his endurance.
In an animation film one of the most important characteristic is to get the appearances of the characters right. Director Shane Achers manages to score brownie points here. The intricate detailing and the character modeling are visually pleasing to the eye. The Director has managed to give a distinct design to each and every character in the film. For example 9 has a huge zipper in front of him, while the other Rag Dolls have push buttons and buckles to secure their bodies together. Machines look terribly menacing despite their rather make-shift appearance. On the flipside, the director was so busy with the technical aspects of the film that he totally loses sight of the need to tell a story.
On the script level the movie fails miserably. The screenplay is dreary and dull. The writers have nothing to offer after the first half and hour. The dialogues are juvenile and dim-witted. The characters lack any depth, and are not very likable.
Elijah Wood ( voice) as 9 is terrific. His voice was ideal for this character since he has a thick voice which can be used convincingly to play a character that never accepts defeat. Christopher Plummer playing 1 lends a deft touch to his character. Jennifer Connely is sweet as ever.
Source: BigOye
