9 (2009)
“We had such potential, such promise.”
Directed by: Shane Acker
Written by: Shane Acker/Pamela Pettler
Based on short film by: Shane Acker
Number 9…Number 9…Number 9…
TOY STORY 1 AND 2 IN 3D–Um, do I even need to say anything about this? I’m going. Even if I don’t see it at Fantastic Fest, I’m going.
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE–And again…I’m going. Every time I see a preview for it I get more excited. It better blow me away.
ASTRO BOY–Just a teaser, but worth a mention. I don’t know much about the original show except that it was one of the first really important animes. Not too sure that I’m all that interested, but I might give it a go.
CIRQUE DU FREAK: THE VAMPIRE’S ASSISTANT–John C Reilly as a vampire? Sign me up! Salma Hayek? Sign me up six times! A kid’s movie about vampires and circuses? Um…maybe. It sounds like it would be great, but the preview looks a bit “meh.” I’m not too excited. Especially after finding out that the movie’s been in the can for a while.
FANTASTIC MR. FOX–Wes Anderson directs a stop-motion animated adaptation of a Roald Dahl story with all of his usual suspects and George Clooney. Really? I’m all over this one. It looks like it’ll be just as (and I hate this word, but here it is) quirky as his other films…I hope.
Ok, on to the number in question.
9 (Elijah Wood) is a new being. He was just built by a scientist who, unfortunately, is now lying dead on the floor. When he ventures out on his own he meets up with 2 (Martin Landau), an eccentric older ragdoll creature who seems to be somewhat of an inventor himself. When 2 is dragged off by a huge mechanical dog, 9′s adventure truly begins.
I had heard a lot of bitching about this movie, but I think a lot of it is unwarranted. No, it’s not as amazing as we all wanted it to be. I remember seeing the preview and thinking, “Holy shit! This is going to be one of the best movies of the year!” The preview had that much of an emotional effect on me.
Well, it ain’t all that. But it is something: it’s a damned interesting story with a lot of very endearing characters. The voice acting is pretty damn good and the animation is even better. The main problem is that it started to get really kind of confusing towards the end. There’s a lot of talk about souls and saving the ragdoll creatures who had been killed by the giant machine that is chasing them in the last half of the movie.
And, while the movie is probably better taken as just a really dark adventure (and I mean REALLY dark…there are dead bodies all over the place, including a child), there was an underlying theme of what it means to truly exist. It reminded me of animated films of the late 70s. Movies like The Mouse And His Child. If that movie fucked me up as a kid, I can only imagine what THIS movie will do to kids who see it at an impressionable age.
If you like existential animation, this might be the movie for you. I didn’t love it, but I did enjoy it. I would probably buy it and put it on my shelf right next to The Mouse And His Child (if it ever gets released on DVD!) and .hack//SIGN.
