“A WOEFULLY GOODÂ FILM FOR 09/09/09”
Starring:Â Elijah Wood (#9), John C. Reilly (#5), Jennifer Connelly (#7), Christopher Plummer (#1), Crispin Glover (#6), Martin Landau (#2) and Fred Tatasciore (#8)
Directed by: Shane Acker
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence and scary images.
Genre: Action Adventure/Animation/Sci-Fi/Fantasy
By John Delia
Darkly written, keenly animated, stuffed with cool characters, the action adventure 9 is an excellent film that entertains from beginning to its thrilling ending. I enjoyed Shane Acker’s moving and futuristic message of machines overtaking the earth.
Set in the future this science fiction fantasy tells the story of a rag tag team of robotic burlap covered dolls that find themselves in a vast wasteland created by a human population that let the machines they built wipe themselves out. The team is lead by #1 who has lost all hope and fears the loss of some the missing members. The group suddenly gets a reprieve when doll number #9 finds his way into the band of partisans. Urging the group to stand up against the machines, #9 starts to get some of them to take his side. With a mega monstrous dynamo leading the machines and threatening to turn the group into extinction, #9 along with the bravest of the team sets out to turn the tide in their favor. But is it too late?
The slick dark imaging here makes the doleful band of crusaders seem real.
Each of the characters is stitched together a bit differently to provide distinct personalities. This combined with the voices of a stellar cast make the roles exciting, empathic, spirited and sometimes comical. I enjoyed the story, the characters and the thrill of the battles. It reminded me of the darkness of The Dark Crystal.
I really didn’t need 3D here, as the animation is so brilliant that after a short
time the characters looked real. I am very pleased with the direction, cinematography, special animated effects and voice deliveries that make 9 a masterful feature film.
9 does have some violence and scary images, especially the robotic cat that attacks the band of warriors so the very young may get disturbed. But not to worry, their older siblings will probably tell them all about it when they come home from the movie.
FINAL ANALYSIS: 9 is a dark and deliciously cunning adventure. (4.5 of 5 Palm Trees)