9 Movie Review

I have no idea who "9" was made for, aside from me. It's a dark, post-apocalyptic tale whose main characters are walking burlap sacks. There are killer robots, responsible for obliterating the human race, and they have long spindly arms and glowing red eyes, cousins of the Matrix's sentinels. The story involves one of these sacks (9) meeting up with a group of other sacks, in an attempt to reclaim the world for... more sack people?

That's not to say that 9 is not a good movie. Quite the contrary. It's a sumptuous visual feast, full of imagery that's equally gorgeous and terrifying. It's just I can't figure out  who else in the world could appreciate such a bizarre creation. The production notes are quick to point out that Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov (of the night Watch series, and the recent Wanted) are producers, so you know you're getting into something that's not entirely right in the head. But it seems to be made for sci-fi nerds and hallucinogenic drug users, although they would probably freak out once the robots show up.

9 is the brainchild of Shane Acker, who made a short film version of this a few years ago. (Use the interwebz to hunt it down, it's well worth seeking out). Acker clearly has a distinct vision, and it shows in every glorious detail of the production. The style is somewhere between Steampunk, Sky Captain, and that playstation game Little Big Planet. The tone is one of despair, but not hopelessness. It's clear he relishes every detail of the production design, and that love translates to the screen.

The film begins with a very brief explanation from a scientist, delivering a brief monologue about the dangers of man and progress. Then we are introduced to our main character, 9. 9 awakens in a burned out lab, next to the body of the aforementioned scientist. 9 can't speak, and he wanders out into the bombed out neighborhood, which bears a striking resemblance to bombed out London in WWII. Eventually, 9 encounters 2, another sack person, who gives him a voice box that makes him sound exactly like Frodo,  and begins to tell 9 about what's happening, when he is abducted by a robot dog.

9 is found by a few other sack people, who have created a life for themselves hiding out in a cathedral and avoiding the wasteland of the world. 9 feels responsible for losing 2, and along with 6, who's voiced by Dewey Cox himself John C Reily. Thus begins an adventure that introduces us to gigantic man-made killing machines who are intent on killing sack folk since there are no humans left around.

There is so much to love, or at the very least admire, about 9. From the terrific voice casting (Crispin Glover should voice a character in every movie, just saying) to the exciting action sequences. (One of the sack people is pretty much a ninja, which just rules). The animation is gorgeous and popping with detail. (I like how the sack folk carry their tools inside them). There's even a bit of existential dread to the proceedings, which is kinda heavy for an animated film. Make no mistake, this isn't for the kiddies. This is for those who enjoy dark science fiction tales and don't care if they're told with live action humans or 3D CG images.

(Side note, I need to point out what a terrific year it's been for animated films that don't have the name Pixar attached. Between this and Coraline, Focus Features has carved out a bizarre niche, but one an older viewer such as myself can fully appreciate. Hopefully others will take notice of this when it's time for awards).

Sadly, this is not a perfect movie. I think the ending is a bit rushed, and ultimately unsatisfying when compared to everything that came before it. (I won't spoil it, but it involves the true purpose of the sack folk). However, the visuals and the storytelling more than make up for this odd lapse. I have a feeling that given the time and resources, Acker would have made a three and a half hour epic of 9's journey. What we get, though, is certainly a thrilling ride, more than enough to curb the sci-fi fans  DTs they will suffer between District 9 and the release of Avatar later this year.
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