johnlink ranks 9 (2009)
The genre of animation geared towards a more mature audience is a drop in the bucket compared to the children’s animation field. 9 is somewhere in between these two places. It is a story about little rag-dolls. But, at PG-13, these rag-dolls exist in a post-apocalyptic world and contain the last evidence of humanity. Some nice light fare for a late Saturday morning!
I watched 9 (2009) on 9.25.10. It was my first viewing of the film. TRAILER HERE
This film creates a devastating view of a decimated world. Somehow, it is still amazingly beautiful to look at. The wonder of this film is in its images. The script isn’t as strong as the conceptualized world. The rag-dolls are a creative device, but their plot doesn’t deliver on their potential.
Attempting not to spoil anything here, I will be vague. The story is of a tiny little piece of something which first creates pain, but then has the potential for good. That the piece is where it is in the first place is questionable writing, but I do give the script credit for allowing its hero to make a MAJOR mistake with it. Most films, animated or live-action, aren’t willing to let their heroes fail so miserably in the first act.
This movie has big ideas about the concepts of humanity versus machine, and of action versus inert passivity. I like that it goes there, but the characters are fairly predictable, and I didn’t see the depth of some other post-apocalyptic films (i.e. BLADE RUNNER or DARK CITY).
Worth seeing? Certainly. Disappointing? Slightly. I feel like a greater movie could be created with these characters in this universe. But 9 2 is a tough sell for a movie title.
SCORES
FILM: 7; MOVIE: 5; ACTING: 6; WRITING: 4; BONUS: 2 (What is this?)
The bonus points here are for the manifestation of the world’s look, and for the sound mixing, respectively. Both help drive this movie’s look and sound.
7+5+6+4+2=24
FINAL SCORE: 6
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