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The first thing that most people will notice about this film is that it has Tim Burton’s name attached to it… as producer. That means that maybe he had a little creative input, but had very little to actually do with the making of the film… which is probably one of the reasons why it’s actually a watchable flick instead of some emo bullshit. 9 is a dark, depressing ride filled with wonderful animation and some fascinating story elements, and while it doesn’t do anything especially great, there is also very little to complain about.

The film follows the tale of 9 ragdolls who are alive in a destroyed world. They live in fear of “The Beast,” a machine that seems intent on collecting and killing all life. 9, one of the ragdolls who has just woken up, is discovering himself in the new world. His fresh approach collides with the leader of the ragdolls, 1, which leads to some ragdeath and the awakening of an even more dangerous machine. 9 must get his fellow ragdolls to eschew tradition and fear and fight back to recover the world that has been destroyed. It’s actually a fairly simple tell, and there is little in the way of complexity in the film, which is kind of disappointing because the premise never reaches its full potential.

9 is entertaining and the animation is fascinating. It never feels overly busy or not detailed enough. Even when some boring spots pop up, of which there are very few, the world of 9 is more than capable of maintaining the viewer’s interest.

The character’s are solid, but have very little in the way of motivation. They are different, but we have no idea why. In short, they don’t feel like real living beings. The main character, 9, doesn’t do all that much besides make mistakes and try to fix them, and the ragdolls’ quest feels rather unimportant in the end. Who gives a fuck if a talking glove wins the day? Children and mindless adults, who will love the shit out of this movie. For those looking for a little meaning, a little entertainment, or even a little greatness, 9 doesn’t have it. What it does have is a solid tale, some cool animation, and little else.

There’s nothing special about 9; it’s watchable and entertaining, but you’re not going to be placing this on your DVD shelf any time soon. The characters are supposed to be the last living things on earth, but they feel just as artificial as the machines they are fighting, which keeps the movie from being great. Give it a watch, but don’t get your expectations too high.

Final Synopsis: 9 is an ok movie. You could see it at the theater… or not, it won’t matter either way.

Points Lost: -1 for flat characters, -1 for a rather generic story, -1 for an ending that isn’t all that great, -1 for a lack of vitality to the film

Lesson Learned: A soul has nine parts.

Burning Question: Why do machines always want to kill humans?

9
6/10

Tags: 2009, Christopher Plummer, crispin glover, elijah wood, family, family movie, Jennifer Connelly, John C. Reilly, latest movie reviews, martin landau, recent3, sci-fi, science fiction, shane acker, tim burton, timur bekmambetov