by Brett Parker
You keep expecting 9 to break out into a masterful parable regarding humanity yet it seems perfectly content with just being technically-dazzling eye candy. This strange and solemn tale of mutant rag dolls who combat evil robots in a post-apocalyptic landscape feels ripe with fitting metaphors, yet writer-director Shane Acker makes very little effort to flesh out this creative tale into something meaningful. Of course this film is rich with darkly intriguing animation, but we seriously wonder why there isn’t much more of a point to it all.
As the film opens, the Earth is in shambles. Every building is destroyed. There isn’t a single human being in sight. A small rag doll labeled #9 (Elijah Wood) begins to walk, talk, and breathe like an actual living person. He is stitched together with a zipper for a mid-section and tiny goggle eyes. How did this fabricated man come into existence? And how did he come to inhabit such a grim environment? #9 sets out among the ruins to investigate and discovers 8 other stitch people made before him who’ve been fighting for survival. #5 (John C. Reilly) is a nervous survivalist, #7 (Jennifer Connelly) is a highly-skilled warrior, #3-4 are twin researchers, #8 (Fred Tatasciore) is an ill-tempered brute, #6 (Crispin Glover) is a kooky artist of crucial information, #2 (Martin Landau) is a thoughtful optimist, while #1 (Christopher Plummer) is the negative leader brimming with fear.
#9 learns from the others that humanity has been wiped out by evil robots that were constructed by a mysterious scientist (Alan Oppenheimer). The robots were constructed for good yet they developed their own evil agenda and attacked the world with full force. Most of the stitch men spend their days hiding in protection, but #9 begins to wonder if there’s a purpose in their being and if the robots can be defeated. This sets the team on a journey in which they discover the secrets to their origins and what it takes to reclaim the world from sinister machines.Most stories of post-apocalyptic despair usually take place in a future setting, yet many of the visuals throughout the film suggest something of a 1940s setting. Scenes of flashbacks and newsreel footage strongly give off a World War II vibe and we suspect this grim tale of being a play on anxieties from that era. Perhaps the film means to reflect the plights of wartime refugees in the face of overwhelming enemies, suggesting the human courage inherent in even the smallest of oppressed groups. Of course anytime you’re dealing with giant machines crushing humanity, you’re inviting the age-old metaphor of society vs. evolving technology. In this age of iPhones and Twitter obsessions, perhaps these little men are expressing our dwarfism in the face of suffocating technological innovations.
But the film’s central conflict can represent anything, really. The problem is that Acker never penetrates any serious depths to flesh out more sophisticated themes. The film is based on his Oscar-nominated short of the same name from 2005, but it seems like only the action has been expanded instead of the ideas. Most apocalyptic tales are filled with attentive details that help flesh out a vivid bleakness within the atmosphere (remember the horrifyingly organic world Children of Men painted?). It seems like most of these end-of-the-world films have carefully constructed morality lessons to convey. With this in mind, we’re surprised by how lightweight 9 feels. Acker appears to be saying that the human spirit is worth preserving, although it’s hardly explained how that can happen simply with rag dolls mucking about endless ruins.
The film’s skilled animation is the best reason to see the film and is ultimately its saving grace. The Animation and Art Design departments have really brought a sinister detail and brooding aura to the film’s look that makes it more lived-in and enthralling than most animated ventures. While this crumbling wasteland isn’t as absorbing or creative as WALL-E’s end-of-the-world universe, it’s still a visual feast worth relishing. The little stitch men are truly an astonishing work of whimsical creativity while the evil robots are ominously grand in appearance. Even though the film denies us an intellectual satisfaction, the action junkies within will most likely be fulfilled, for the rag doll’s adventures have a dangerous bounce that keeps things moving at an exciting-enough rhythm.
When it comes to terrifyingly vivid post-apocalyptic atmospheres, I’ve seen more interesting. When it comes to big and grotesque evil robots, I’ve seen scarier. Concerning both of these threads at the same time, 9 is way better than Terminator Salvation, and that’s quite a boost. If you like compelling animated landscapes with a higher economy of thought than Monsters vs. Aliens, 9 just might be for you. If you want a stunningly bleak end-of-the-world tale with deep revelations about the human condition, skip this and rent Children of Men immediately.
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