9 is a burlap man, he wakes to find himself in a laboratory, the humans around him dead and the world we know has suffered an apocalypse. 9 goes out into the world and soon finds friends like him numbered 1 through 8. Together they discover the secret of how the world was destroyed and the reason for their existence while battling "The Machine." As the numbers struggle for survival they come to realize that each of them has a piece of the answer to the riddle of their world and they each other.
The characters are computer generated, and the characters are more like sock puppets but you find yourself very quickly forgetting that and you start to care about the characters, their plight, their safety, their concerns. Each character is developed as fully as it can, even a couple characterizations that could have safely remained clichés like that of 8, who is a bully and enforcer of 1 is later shown to have some quite human attributes and when the machines attack it is 8 who leaves all differences behind and uses his brawn to save the others. The other characterization that could have remained a cliché is that of "The Machine" it could have been a static Darth Vader like symbol of that is bad and evil, but even the "The Machine" is shown to have been at one point an innocent that has it's use and functions corrupted.
9 is one of the most pure film-making experiences I've had in a long time. 9 started life as a 7-8 minute animated short by Shane Acker. The short didn't have speaking parts, characterization was delivered through expression and body language and 9 the feature film carries on that original intent, although not totally wordless a lot of subtle, nuanced points are shown subtly with expression, tone, body language, and doesn't overly rely on the human actors who voice the characters. And the actors who do voice the characters do an excellent job. Christopher Plummer, Crispin Glover, Martin Landau, Jennifer Connelly, Elijah Wood all seem to be the perfect casting for the roles.
I read some of the other reviews that suggested 9 is a kids movie, but it doesn't seem to be. Yes, the characters are cute and would seem to have great merchandising potential, bit the world revealed in the movie has some depth to it and And if you want to let your kids see the movie, I wouldn't hesitate the darker elements aren't that dark probably less than the average Disney movie and aren't horrific or traumatizing for younger viewers.
There are plenty of bonus features and they are all around excellent. There are a lot of behind the scenes looks at the creation of the movie talking with everyone from Shane Acker who created the original short and directed the feature. Production designers of every ilk talk about their participation in the movie but it's never boring or too technical. The bonus features include the original short the movie is based on.
As a reviewer you find that good books or movies generate a lot of ideas, questions, and thought as you watch or read, 9 does that extraordinarily well. After watching 9 I think you'll find yourself satisfied with the experience. The only thing I regret is, I wish I had seen this movie before now.
The characters are computer generated, and the characters are more like sock puppets but you find yourself very quickly forgetting that and you start to care about the characters, their plight, their safety, their concerns. Each character is developed as fully as it can, even a couple characterizations that could have safely remained clichés like that of 8, who is a bully and enforcer of 1 is later shown to have some quite human attributes and when the machines attack it is 8 who leaves all differences behind and uses his brawn to save the others. The other characterization that could have remained a cliché is that of "The Machine" it could have been a static Darth Vader like symbol of that is bad and evil, but even the "The Machine" is shown to have been at one point an innocent that has it's use and functions corrupted.
9 is one of the most pure film-making experiences I've had in a long time. 9 started life as a 7-8 minute animated short by Shane Acker. The short didn't have speaking parts, characterization was delivered through expression and body language and 9 the feature film carries on that original intent, although not totally wordless a lot of subtle, nuanced points are shown subtly with expression, tone, body language, and doesn't overly rely on the human actors who voice the characters. And the actors who do voice the characters do an excellent job. Christopher Plummer, Crispin Glover, Martin Landau, Jennifer Connelly, Elijah Wood all seem to be the perfect casting for the roles.
I read some of the other reviews that suggested 9 is a kids movie, but it doesn't seem to be. Yes, the characters are cute and would seem to have great merchandising potential, bit the world revealed in the movie has some depth to it and And if you want to let your kids see the movie, I wouldn't hesitate the darker elements aren't that dark probably less than the average Disney movie and aren't horrific or traumatizing for younger viewers.
There are plenty of bonus features and they are all around excellent. There are a lot of behind the scenes looks at the creation of the movie talking with everyone from Shane Acker who created the original short and directed the feature. Production designers of every ilk talk about their participation in the movie but it's never boring or too technical. The bonus features include the original short the movie is based on.
As a reviewer you find that good books or movies generate a lot of ideas, questions, and thought as you watch or read, 9 does that extraordinarily well. After watching 9 I think you'll find yourself satisfied with the experience. The only thing I regret is, I wish I had seen this movie before now.