Customer Reviews

9

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(32)
2 star:		(23)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

You need to know before going into this movie that this is NOT a movie for kids. It was strange watching it at first (how often do you see a dead body in an animated film in the first scene?), but once you get past the fact that this is an animated film for ADULTS, it's a very good movie.

~SPOILER ALERT~
For those of you who don't understand the movie, you weren't paying much attention. There were visual cues throughout as to where the machines come from (the BRAIN creates them) and also for where the characters 1-9 get their soul/s (they each get a *piece* of the scientist's soul). 9 gets the last piece of the scientist's soul, which is why the scientist died. Each character epitomizes various aspects of humanity: fear, survival, strength, courage, endurance, memory, self-sacrifice, etc.

The movie is rich with allusions and symbols that are drawn from human tendencies and survival instincts. I think it's one of those movies that you can watch over and over and find different meanings each time (if you're open to it). You could even go so far as to argue that the movie is religious in a way. The scientist gave his life to save humanity/life on earth. You could also say that the souls who are taken by the BRAIN are in a state similar to Limbo.

Also, one of the rag dolls is a female; what could be said about the fact that her soul came from a male scientist? Etc.

Very thought provoking and conversation starting movie. I loved every minute of it, and will watch it again.

Tim Burton has once again proven his subtle twisted genius as a storyteller. Like many, I saw previews for 9 in the movie theatre but missed seeing it on the big screen. I read the other reviews before renting this film & 2 out of the 3 rightfully praised the animation but sadly all 3 misunderstood the story. I hate spoilers but I feel it necessary to share a bit regarding the plot in hopes to inspire others to discover this wonderful film.
The 9 refer to 9 elements of the human soul which the Inventor never placed in his original creation and which were the only hope for a second chance for life on the planet. One reviewer mentioned that they were left with questions such as why are the 9 beings the only hope for humans when no humans were left on the planet. The answer is in the rain, which that reviewer must have missed. Rain/Water is a symbol of life universally.
Too often modern writers and directors spoon feed audiences everything so that it seems more and more modern audiences are hard pressed to add their own imagination/understanding to the story. Tim Burton has done a magnificent job of weaving ancient folk lore into a magical tale. I highly recommend this film to individuals & families alike. It is completely worth it!

"9" is an animated film based on the 2005 Academy Award nominated short film of the same name (which is included on the DVD). The film is the work of animator Shane Acker and was co-produced by Tim Burton, who got involved with the project after seeing Acker's short film. Although Burton did not write or direct "9," the film is very consistent with his past animated work such as "Corpse Bride." Set in a post-apocalyptic world, the movie focuses on a rag doll robot (!) named 9 who suddenly becomes sentient. As he explores his world, he discovers that the only other inhabitants are other, similarly numbered rag doll robots as well as a strange cat-like machine who hunts them. He befriends the other robots and changes their world drastically.

The world created in this film is fascinating and unlike any other animated film I've seen. I particularly loved the use of contrasts, including having the robots made of burlap and other unexpected materials (Acker has referred to the bots as "stitchpunks"). The "look" of "9" is by far its main draw, though, because unfortunately the plot is a rather drab and predictable affair with the robots fighting the cat-like machine (and then other machines). I found myself getting irritated by the repetitious battles and wanted to see more of this intriguing world. Likewise, I wanted to see more of the adorable "stitchpunks," especially the "cataloguing" scholars 3 and 4. Unfortunately, as soon as the robots are introduced they almost immediately start chasing the machines.

As with other Tim Burton produced animated films, "9" is not targeted toward children (it's rated PG-13); however, the plot was too juvenile to keep me interested. I actually strongly preferred the short film, which I watched after the feature-length movie. Indeed, the short film packs a real emotional wallop that is sadly missing in the full-length version. "9" is a noble failure (well semi-failure), and I applaud what Acker and Burton have tried to accomplish with this terrific looking film. I just wish that the plot had been worthy of the animation.

I didn't know what to expect from this movie. I don't even remember it coming out in theaters. It was recommended for me on Netflix and I saw that Tim Burton was a producer so I thought I would give it a try. I wasn't expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised. I really liked this movie. Not even taking the story line into account (it is kind of convoluted), the movie is worth watching solely for the creativity and attention to detail. I watched this in Blu-ray, but I'm sure it would be impressive on DVD as well. I love movies like this because they suck you in to another world. You forget you are watching something created by a computer. The characters movements and expressions are so realistic, even though they look like Little Big Planet characters on acid, you will be amazed. I'm not going to get into the plot, that isn't why I gave this movie 4 stars, although I might have given it 5 if it wasn't so desultory. I gave the movie 4 stars purely for the enjoyment of the aesthetics of this movie. It is visually brilliant. And it is rated PG-13 for a reason. It is scary as hell. I am surprised I didn't have nightmares, and I am a horror movie fanatic. Definitely not for young children, unless you want to scare the crap out of them!

Just a heads up for those who prefer a lot of extras with their blu-ray purchase, this one does not come with the second bonus disc that comes with most blu-rays nowadays. No DVD copy and no portable copy.

When I saw the cool previews for 9 early last year (with Coheed & Cambria's Welcome Home found on the soundtrack 9,) I waited in anticipation for 9-9-09 to come so that I could watch what I was certain would be an amazing Sci-Fi movie. And the movie starts great! The world is dead as machines that mankind made to make far for them made war with them. The only living creatures left are nine small golems and at least one skeletal animal made of machine parts and a lot of sharpened metal intent on the killing or capturing the golems. As 9 meets up with the other golems the story progresses well, but unresolved questions hinder what started out with so much promise.

Focus Films says that the "the very future of civilization may depend on" the golems in the official synopsis. The question is: what civilization can there be with only a few "living" golems on an entire post-apocalyptic world? What can the golems do to save humanity or repopulate the world with life? What is the point of creating the golems? Why were the 8 golems hiding from the single skeletal cat-like creature and why didn't they simply team up and kill it? These and other unresolved questions combined with an incredibly dissatisfying (and cheesy) ending left me completely disappointed.

As a fan of Sci-Fi, fantasy and animation I hate to say this, but I have to be honest, this movie was complete flop.

Excellent. I like the actors doing the voice overs. The characters all have an endearing quality which draws you into the film. The animation and the cinematography are excellent especially for a first time director (Shane Acker). Even though this is a post apocolyptic genre, it never leaves you feeling hopeless. I loved the phonograph scene with "Somewhere over the rainbow." Excellent set-up for the next scene. This is well worth seeing. The run time is rather short at 79 minutes, but it is long enough to get the story told and leave you feeling that you've gotten you money's worth. My sons and friends have all enjoyed this. It is a great film.

My whole family loves this film. We think it is Tim Burton's best, including
CORALINE. What a wonderful film about a burlap bag!

The first time I heard about 9 and found out that Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov were co-producing it, I was absolutely on board to see it. Anything that the guy who directed such quirky masterpieces as Beetlejuice, Batman, Mars Attacks!, Ed Wood, and Sleepy Hollow got behind had to be worthy of my time. And then you add the genius of Russian director Timur Bekmambetov to the mix and to me it was a no brainer. I was going to see this movie. Burton AND the guy that has brought us such visually complex and action-packed fare as Wanted, Night Watch, and Day Watch supporting a movie? It had to be good.

And it was. Director Shane Acker borrows maybe a little more than he should have visually from other such apocalyptic films like Terminator and even Wall-E, but it doesn't end up hurting the film by any means. The scenery and landscapes of the film are beautifully crafted and set everything up for a certain feeling of loneliness and hopelessness. It's more graphic and suspenseful than any children's or youth feature you would take your kids to, so definitely don't let the fact that this is animated fool you. This is not for the little ones.

The voice actors all put their best foot forward and deliver. You've got Elijah Wood as 9, once again convincingly leading a group of survivors in what seems to be an unwinnable war against a much larger foe than they could be expected to defeat. You've got Christopher Plummer playing 1 as an interesting paranoid "keeper of the secrets" which reminded me of the Dr. Zaius character in the original Planet of the Apes films, if you've seen any of those. Legendary actor Martin Landau plays 2, who is a scientist and fixes 9. Then there's Jennifer Connelly, who plays the strong-willed and rebellious 7 who has left the core group of "stitchpunks" to get away from under all of 1's rules. Last but not least, you've got Crispin Glover playing the slightly obsessed and seemingly crazy 6 who has been drawing strange symbols since the big war between the humans and machines.

The film had an interesting plot that got a bit more complex in the end. Part of the complexity had a spiritual vibe to it that I didn't necessarily care for. It just seemed almost out of place and like the director was stretching for something that would make the film more "sophisticated." I was not disappointed in the movie by any means. It was a visually striking piece of film. It was action-packed and fun without dumbing down the story or sacrificing it. If you're into sci-fi, apocalyptic thrillers, and animation I would highly recommend this.

by EricShirey (United States)

Interesting movie i thought. set in post-apocalyptic planet Earth these dolls are hiding from the beast. this movie was pretty good and a little short. I like a longer movie but this one was good. I don't think I would want to own it or anything even though I almost bought it from Target the other day on sale I'm glad I watched what I recorded on TV first. I doubt I'll ever watch it again because I remember almost every minute of this one since it was so short. it's only about an hour and a half long so if you don't like looooooong drawn out movies then this is for you! the characters were very well designed and voice talents were awesome. some of the "bad guy" characters are a little freaky for children hence the PG-13 rating, especially the beast, it's a skull with red eyes and a medal stick body. the last evil character looked like something out of Anime. Long worm-like thing that sucks up the cloth dudes with a cracked baby doll face and red eyes. not for children. maybe 12 or 13 but no younger I'd recommend. Other than that this movie is more interesting than good. four stars for the Cd, voices, effects, and what little plot there is.