 "Photo: Photo Courtesy of MCT Campus")
"9" continues the trend toward animation geared for adults. It's loaded with action, political messages, and a post-apocalyptic milieu that would send Mickey Mouse running for the hills.
All of this under the direction of Shane Acker, a new director brimming with ambition that becomes abundantly clear with each mind-bending frame of "9." It's a risky project in that its not adult-centric feature film cartoons are something that's relatively new to American moviegoers. The story takes place after a war between man and machine leaves only these small numbered mechanical creatures behind who are also hiding in the shadows from the remaining machines that are bent on their extinction.
Then "9" (voiced by "Lord of the Rings" alum Elijah Wood) wakes to find himself alone and (one is sure quite metaphorically) without a voice. He is then repaired and rescued from the dangerous streets by a creature resembling him, only this older creature is labeled 2 (Martin Landau). 2, however, does not fare as well as he is trapped in the jaws of a foreboding machine.
9 then finds the remaining members of their group who are ruled by 1(veteran actor Christopher Plummer), a fearful leader who finds it best to hide rafters of darkened church, away from the "monster" machines that rule the earth.
Not willing to leave behind his kidnapped comrade, 9 decides that they must fight despite the protest made by the leader 1. The rest of the film is then a journey in discovering why the machines attacked in the first place and how they can save what's left of the Earth.
The film, which is surprisingly short considering all of the subject matter it tackles in 79 minutes, is always visually stunning, but as the film progresses, the promising start with sinister mystery and a puzzling amount of questions is ultimately the best part of the film.
Unfortunately for the audience, the plot tended to disintegrate to predictable ends rather than building up to the fantastic finale one would hope for. It was really a film of great ideas that were never truly fleshed out.
Despite any disappointment this reviewer felt as the film lagged on, it was very easy to get distracted from the predictability when the visuals begin overwhelm the senses. Not only is there this strange beauty in this post-apocalyptic world, but there is also a great amount of high-tension action that is perfectly married to the graphics. Number 7 (as voiced by Oscar-winner Jennifer Connelly) is often at the center of the fight as the lone female who is fearless in her resistance against the machines. The way they depict her cat-like reflexes (which sound ironic considering that these characters are made of average home supplies), is when the viewer forgets about the plot and gets lost in the intense action that feels more real than computer-generated.
The characters as well tend to carry the film as this little numbered colony consists of 9 who is loyal and compassionate, 7 who is brave, 5 (voiced by John C. Reilly) as a slightly squeamish sidekick, 1 who is the dictator overcome by fear, 8 who is a burly and comical brute, 6 who is deranged and obsessed with a symbol he draws constantly, and 3 and 4 who are archiving twins who know the history of the world and unlock many of the secrets of the machines. This dynamic bunch who are voiced by some of the best talent in Hollywood are a part of the glue that keeps the thinly written film from falling apart. Their interactions of joy, anger, and everything in between paired with the visuals come to the rescue.
"9" is flawed in its execution and yet it is still one of the most intriguing releases of recent memory. If this is the beginning of Shane Acker's career as a director, then this reviewer can't wait to see some of his more seasoned future work.
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