9

Shane Acker

This is no by-the-numbers animation. The graphics are so beautifully detailed that you can practically feel the burlap’s texture that is used to make 9.
And who or what is 9? He is a small doll made by a scientist, given the gift of life and wakes up to find himself in a world devastated by the war between man and machines. But he is not alone and both friends and foes are out there in the ruined landscape of gloomy greys and rusty reds.
The film is both an adventure yarn and a cautionary tale. To director Shane Acker’s credit, he has created characters that pique one’s curiosity.
However, there are several areas where the movie falls short. The man versus machine plot seems to be lifted from the Terminator series and the actors voicing the creatures, including Elijah Wood (the Lord Of The Rings trilogy) as 9, can be strangely emotionless and distancing. The bigger problem is that the logic for creating 9 and his brethren in the first place does not make sense.
Still, if 9 is flawed, it is at least ambitious and Acker remains a talent to watch out for.

(ST)