9 by Shane Acker (2009)
10 September 2009Produced by Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov, this is an expansion of Acker’s oscar nominated short, that is amazing visually with a great cast, but the story is a bit too simple, and short, and the ending kind of falls flat. Still pretty impressive to watch, and I did enjoy it. The worst part was taking my friend Keith who is in from Guam to see it at the Arclight, and having the Arclights digital projector break down! They did fix it fast, and switch to film, but it would have been great to see it digitally, as this film is all about it’s impressive 3D visuals. Still enjoyable, but it did feel stunted, like you met characters and they just die too fast, which proves it is not for kids at all, but then just wraps up too simply. Enjoyable enough, but could have benefited from some more writing, or possibly some more length to it’s 91 minutes including credits.
The creation of a scientist as small ragdoll like creature named 9 (Elijah Wood) awakens in a laboratory in a post apocalyptic world, finding a strange device, which it zips into it’s own body, and goes out exploring. Shortly 9 runs into another like itself, this one designated number 2 (Martin Landau) who is exploring. He tells 9 of others like himself, but is then captured by a mechanical beast made with the bones of a cat, which also takes the small device that 9 had found, and heads to a factory seen in the distance. 9 ends up finding an enclave of others like himself, first finding the kind 5 (John C. Reilly) who was best friends with 2, as well as the vision having 6 (Cripsin Glover) who constantly draws the device that 9 found, and the brutish 8 (Fred Tatasciore) who protects their leader 1 (Christopher Plummer), who tries to keep them from the outside world, knowing something that he does not tell the others. Against the wishes of 1, 9 convinces 5 to go with him, and heads toward the factory to try and save 2.
REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS….
The two new friends make it to the factory, and with the help of 7 (Jennifer Connelly) who shows up and cuts the cat beasts head off, they manage to save 2.
9 sees a socket that looks like the device he has retrieved from the cat, and puts it into it, missing the yells from his friends, and it activates, the Machine, which quickly steals 2′s soul away, killing him, and forces 9, 5 and 7 to flee for their very lives.
7 take them to see the other 2 exiles, the researching 3 and 4, and try to find out about the machine, but find nothing. They go back to see 6 since he draws the device, and talks about going to the source.
1 berates 9, and says that he will jut cause more trouble. The hideout is attacked by a new flying creature. They all manage to destroy it, but the base is destroyed, and looking for a new place to shelter a new snake like machine attacks, taking 7 and 8.
( goes to the factory and is able to save 7, but 8′s soul is taken by the machine. 9 and 7 run out as 5 sends a burning oil barrel into the building which explodes, destroying the factory.
They celebrate, but then the Machine comes after them, very much still alive, and 5 is taken by the Machine. 6 tells 9 that the device has the souls in the machine, and that he must return to the source, before his soul too is taken.
9 goes back to where he awoke, the source, where he finds out about the scientist that created them with the Talisman, taking parts of his soul. He had worked for a totalitarian regime, and created the Machine for them, but it’s use was perverted and he created the talisman, and the 9 to be the saviors of the planet, being 9 facets of his own humanity, the last humanity on Earth.
9 goes to get the device from the Machine planning to sacrifice himself, but 1 does it instead, so 9 can get the device, which shuts down the machine.
9, 7 , 3 and 4 set up a memorial for their fallen friends, with the Talisman in the center, we see each of their souls come out, and then rise to the sky, and it creates the first rain since mankind fell, seemingly restarting life on Earth.
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Weird ending, and if the souls were meant to restart the Earth, which didn’t it need all 9 of them to work? Just doesn’t make sense. And the ending is too short, but the visuals are fantastic.
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