9 (2009)

O Masterpiece

O Excellent

X Good

O OK

O Mediocre

O Avoid

Review by Jason Pyles / September 11, 2009

Writer-director Shane Acker’s animated feature, “9,” is a bleak blend of a Tim Burton-looking take on “Toy Story” and this summer’s “Terminator Salvation.” It portrays a grim scenario of dolls versus machines.

Master of macabre, Tim Burton, is one of the producers of “9,” and indeed, his influence is visually apparent. Mere mention of Burton’s name readily calls to mind his familiar style — that morbid brand whose dark threads have woven films like “Beetle Juice,” “Sleepy Hollow,” Corpse Bride” and “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” This film follows suit.

Accordingly, parents should know that “9” is not suitable for younger children. Its PG-13 rating is about right, as it is a little unsettling, much like this year’s “Coraline,” another animated feature that’s not really a kids’ movie, either.

For starters, “9” has a post-apocalyptic setting where the human race has crossed the self-imposed finish line of extinction, and dead bodies can be seen amid the rubble.

Before his death, an innovative scientist summons life within nine numbered dolls, which become the only living beings left to contend with artificial intelligence run amok. As in “Terminator Salvation,” the characters in “9” inhabit a world where malicious machines scour the ruins for life — only to promptly extinguish it.

The sharp, jagged, mechanical monsters come in various designs, all of them deadly. In contrast, the 8-inch dolls are comparatively soft, fashioned from burlap sacks, looking like a hybrid of gingerbread men (or women) and sock-monkeys.

Resistance seems futile; yet “the resistance” perseveres. Each of the nine dolls has a prominent personality trait that either aids or hinders his or her survival. Because the characters have actual characteristics, these animate dolls display more humanity than the human rebels in “Terminator Salvation.”

These burlap beings are identified according to the ordinal designation found on their backs. No. 9 (voiced by Elijah Wood) is the plucky protagonist whose curiosity and compassion make him a worthy hero.

After 9 is endowed with sentience, we follow his quest to unite a divided 1 through 8 against their common enemies. (Don’t worry: The math is minimal.)

As far as animated films go, “9” spans a wide range of emotions while also providing entertaining and imaginative action sequences. But what makes “9” most intriguing is its conglomeration of many different genres and its heavy-handed commentary on the potential perils of technological advancement among war-prone societies.

Directed by Shane Acker

Elijah Wood / Jennifer Connelly / Christopher Plummer

Animation 79 min.

MPAA: PG-13 (for violence and scary images)