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9 |
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Wow, Tim Burton meets "Terminator"? Could that be "9"? Using his animated stick figures used in "Nightmare Before Christmas" and Corpse Bride"
Tim Burton - the new master of the macabre - visit an apocalyptic world minus humans. Handing the reins to director Shane Acker, Burton focused on "Alice In Wonderland" (due out in 2010)
but his foot prints are all over "9"... sort of. |
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Elijah Wood plays 9. The last burlap sack type critter created to continue on the human spirit after the
final war between man and machines. He teams up with several other similar critters numbered one through eight who are in one way of other
dealing with the machines. The first one he meets is 2 (Martin Landau) who turns on his voice and retrieves an
amulet shoved inside 9. However, 2 is captured by a mechanical thing they call the beast. 9 escapes to a group run by 1 (Christopher Plummer) who
is by far the most contemptable of the lot. 1 is protected by 6 (Crispin Glover who is the hulking one of the group. Keep in mind
these critters are only inches tall! 9 decides he needs to go out and try to save 2 although 1 is vehemently against the idea.
he is aided by 5 (John C Reilly) who has only one eye. During their quest the encounter 7 (Jennifer Connelly) who is a daring ninja-like
critter who has been fighting the beast all along. |
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That's probably all I should say concerning the story without giving everything away - the
film is only 79 minutes long. But this is not a happy 79 minutes. And I'm not sure who the target audience is. Little children
may be turned off by the amount of death; albeit animated death. Half the cast is killed - that much I will tell. And they are killed by having the life sucked out of them! |
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But that is not nearly as disturbing as the time it takes to figure out what the hell is going on! Even when
the plot is revealed you are left to contemplate way too much. 9 is a thinking mans movie and probably headed to cult status. Are the critters the embodiment of all mankind or only of one person? Do they each represent the
various characteristics of the man who created them? And what is an old Victrola doing in the future, surely those didn't make a comeback after
I-pods turned evil and killed man. "9" is a continuation of Acker's animated short and testament to why shorts should not be lengthened! Nevertheless the animation is interesting and refreshing to watch sans 3D glasses. "9" is fodder for many
arguments and debates about the meaning of life and the predicted man versus machine war Hollywood is pushing! --GEOFFREY BURTON
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