9 (2009): When Your Number Is Up, You May Be A Hero
Written: Sep 17 '09 (Updated Sep 23 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A dark but fun story about androidal beings working together for mutual survival.
Cons: Many things are left unexplained which it might have been more fully elucidated.
The Bottom Line: If you want to see a different kind o film which will make you think and yet can also be entertaining to kids, go see it.
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| Ed.Williamson's Full Review: 9 |
9 is a pleasantly surprising animated film by Tim Burton. It is the story of a group of small, good, androidal beings in a post-apocalyptic world locked in a struggle with large, evil, androidal beings. The small beings do not have names, only numbers, each seemingly representing a new stage of techno-evolution from the skilled hands and mind of their human creator. The being "9" wakes up in this world, and after he gets his bearings, he is off to save it, or what is left of it. But it soon becomes apparent that the only way the world is going to be saved is through both teamwork and knowledge, and 9 is willing to become expert in both fields.
I saw a lot of religious imagery in the film. For example, the creator of these androidal machines is much like God, in that he creates beings but he cannot really control them; he points them in the right direction but lets them make the decisions. One of the other strong religious images I picked up on is a theme prevalent in Christian theology but found in other world religions today: when necessary, one must lay down his life for his friends- these beings are into such sacrifices. Another observation along this line- the fact that the small androidal beings have as their main base of operations a church adds to this religious idea symbolically.
One of the things I liked about the plot of this movie is that it has a "false summit" built into it. That is to say, with a move like that of Michael Myers from the Halloween movies, just when you think the party is over you discover that it has only just begun. It ain't over till it's over, and this one takes a while to get to its conclusion.
The only thing I found to be a little bit of a liability was that 9 and his numerical counterparts seem to have little purpose in life other than to survive. And yet one would think that their human creator would have built them with a motive beyond that. Were they created in order to correct evil if the big machines turned bad? Were they created to clean up the war's mess? Were they created to be the next generation of insurance salesmen? Maybe we are intentionally to be denied that part to give the film a sense of mystery, but we are left in the dark on that one. Which in a small way took away from the symmetry of the story, at least for me for me.
The animation is very well done, especially in the battle sequences. And another place the animation shines is in the expressions and body language of the small beings.
This is a dark but compelling little film in Reality of course. It is a little offbeat, but the feel is that it is okay. When everything is added up, you may well number "9" among the top films you have seen this year. Do the math.
(Update: September 23, 2009. Correction. The film is actually by Shane Acker, who was the director and main creative force behind it. Tim Burton produced it and perhaps was influential over it, but Acker deserves the main credit for this work. Thank you, those who gave me the heads-up on this.)
Four Stars/ ****
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Feel-good Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Plot
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Ed.Williamson
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Member: Ed Williamson
Location: Way Out West, USA
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Fight 'em till Hell freezes over, then fight 'em on the ice!
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