9
Not to be confused with Rob Marshall's forthcoming musical, Nine (nor the Ryan Reynolds movie, The Nines).
This doesn’t feature a singing Daniel Day Lewis or Penelope Cruz in suspenders, more’s the pity. No, this doesn’t feature people at all – except briefly, in flashbacks.
We’ve been wiped out in a Terminator-style war with the machines we created. The earth is a burned out, gaseous battleground inhabited only by a fearsome mechanical beast and nine rag dolls. Or what’s left of them. By the time numero 9 wakes up, several of his predecessors have already gone to meet their maker. The others have holed up in a cathedral, where 1 has taken to wearing a bishop’s garb, and 6 seems to have lost it completely. When 2 is snatched by the beast, only the newbie wants to go out and save him…
Cast details
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Elijah Wood
Born: 28 Jan 1981
Cedar Rapids, IowaTop rated films View all The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy Box Set 
While several animated films this year have had real adult appeal – including Coraline and Up – 9 is targeted primarily at teenagers and sci-fi fans. Younger kids will find it disturbing, and the BBFC has classified it 12A. Like District 9 (another nine!) Shane Acker’s feature is expanded from an award-winning short (also called 9), and where the live action movie had Peter Jackson as mentor-producer, here that role is played by Tim Burton.
Unfortunately what is visually arresting in an 11-minute short can become monotonous over an hour and a half. The movie’s barren, wasted landscapes are impressively noxious, but there isn’t much variety there, and the rag dolls – uh, “stitch-punks” – are only expressive to the degree that they’re each endowed with one defining characteristic and recognisable vocal chords (the voice cast includes Elijah Wood as the valiant but disaster-prone 9, Christopher Plummer as 1, John C Reilly, Jennifer Connelly, Crispin Glover and Martin Landau).
9
Another Burton protégé, Pamela Pettier (The Corpse Bride) wrote the screenplay, and while she has devised enough cliffhanger episodes to keep the thing moving along the dialogue is utterly banal and the story is pretty skimpy, albeit decked out with portentous allegorical heft.
Intriguingly the film seems to be set, not in the 21st or 22nd century, but rather midway through the twentieth, as if Armageddon came as an alternate WWII. The movie’s stand out sequence involves Judy Garland singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow, a haunting requiem for humanity in this mist-shrouded, rubble-strewn planet.
Reviews
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Most helpful members' reviews (3)
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54 out of 58 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
somethings wrong
im pretty sure this is supposed to be a TIM BURTON film
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- dazraanti from Rotherham
- Posted 20 Sep 2009 23:34
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28 out of 28 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Surely this isn't Burton?
I was lead to believe this was a Burton directed piece but it cannot possibly be as it does not feature Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham-Carter or the music of Danny Elfman. And although it looks a little gloomy (not a bad thing) it doesn't appear to be stuck in Burton's kooky one-trick-world.
I used to be a fan of Burton but he really does need to try something new and get over his nepotism issues.
So as for this film looks great, can't wait! -
14 out of 14 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
'9' out of 10
We really enjoyed 9! Action packed and beautifully rendered. Was really looking forward to this and wasn't let down. People keep comparing this to Tim Burtons other films but he only co produced it. The other producer was Timur Bekmambetov who seems to have the main hand in this as it doesn't feel very Burton like. Which as a fan of Tim's I thought I wouldn't enjoy but it WAS good. Felt a little European and has an interesting story line. Not the usual Hollywood (which is nice for a change). Give it a try!
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- BooBooBear from Leicester
- Posted 13 Oct 2009 19:58
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Most recent members' reviews (2)
View all -
28 out of 28 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Surely this isn't Burton?
I was lead to believe this was a Burton directed piece but it cannot possibly be as it does not feature Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham-Carter or the music of Danny Elfman. And although it looks a little gloomy (not a bad thing) it doesn't appear to be stuck in Burton's kooky one-trick-world.
I used to be a fan of Burton but he really does need to try something new and get over his nepotism issues.
So as for this film looks great, can't wait! -
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
Tim Burton is a producer of 9
Yes Tim Burton is involved as a producer and his influence is clear to see in this excellent film. Scary, funny, happy, sad and despite it's 12A rating thoroughly enjoyed ( in a Dr Who peeping though her fingers way) by my 6 year old daughter (who is currently watching Corpse Bride)
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54 out of 58 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
somethings wrong
im pretty sure this is supposed to be a TIM BURTON film
-
- dazraanti from Rotherham
- Posted 20 Sep 2009 23:34
-
28 out of 28 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Surely this isn't Burton?
I was lead to believe this was a Burton directed piece but it cannot possibly be as it does not feature Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham-Carter or the music of Danny Elfman. And although it looks a little gloomy (not a bad thing) it doesn't appear to be stuck in Burton's kooky one-trick-world.
I used to be a fan of Burton but he really does need to try something new and get over his nepotism issues.
So as for this film looks great, can't wait! -
14 out of 14 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
'9' out of 10
We really enjoyed 9! Action packed and beautifully rendered. Was really looking forward to this and wasn't let down. People keep comparing this to Tim Burtons other films but he only co produced it. The other producer was Timur Bekmambetov who seems to have the main hand in this as it doesn't feel very Burton like. Which as a fan of Tim's I thought I wouldn't enjoy but it WAS good. Felt a little European and has an interesting story line. Not the usual Hollywood (which is nice for a change). Give it a try!
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- BooBooBear from Leicester
- Posted 13 Oct 2009 19:58
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4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
Tim Burton is a producer of 9
Yes Tim Burton is involved as a producer and his influence is clear to see in this excellent film. Scary, funny, happy, sad and despite it's 12A rating thoroughly enjoyed ( in a Dr Who peeping though her fingers way) by my 6 year old daughter (who is currently watching Corpse Bride)
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
For 9, I give it 10
You can be certain that anything connected with Tim Burton is going to be good. So it is in the case of 9, which tells the story of some strange little beings that have been constructed by a scientist just prior to the end of humanity. In their fight for survival they are constantly threatened by large robots and to say anymore would spoil an excellent story which is brilliantly animated and conceived.
Go see it on the big screen before getting the DVD.
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- Maynard from Gillingham,
- Posted 30 Oct 2009 11:01
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9
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[Highly rated reviewer]
A beautiful animation - but is it an overlong short or a poorly paced feature?
A beautifully animated and directed film, with a blend of intense action and exploration of the dichotomous nature of humanity. Lurie's score is perfect alongside the film. The design is stunning, and more than a little disturbing! Unfortunately, the plot was more suitable for a short film (ironically!), and felt terribly stretched at points, while exposition was delivered bluntly with little subtlety. So, this plays somewhat like an overlong short, or a poorly paced and delivered feature. Still, excellent!
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[Highly rated reviewer]
9, Nine, Nein !!!
Morphed somewhere between Little Big Planets 'Sackboy' and Disneys Wall-E, these little rougues are neither as entertaining or humerous. If you were expecting the visionary Tim Burton of 'Nightmare Before' etc, then you will be sadly and sorely dissapointed. The animations are reasonable enough but the story, the end of the world caused by intelligent machines theme has been around just about since the first image was caught on celluloid, and has since developed little. The film is all over the place has little to grip or entertain and I'm sure would be destined to be a dust trap in anyones DVD collection. Its just plain poor, trust us, we suffered so you dont have to.
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