9 (2009)

When 9 first comes to life, he finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world where all humans are gone, and it is only by chance that he discovers a small community of others like him taking refuge from fearsome machines that roam the earth intent on their extinction. Despite being the neophyte of the group, 9 convinces the others that hiding will do them no good. They must take the offensive if they are to survive, and they must discover why the machines want to destroy them in the first place. As they'll soon come to learn, the very future of civilization may depend on them.


Strangely, this movie was not good or bad, and I am actually wondering how I feel about it. The animation is really great, but I could not get involved with the characters or story line. It is an interesting premise, but there are huge holes in the story, and many times you are left thinking "Um, why did that just happen? I don't get it". I know there are deeper meanings in the story (without giving anything away): where the main characters, who are little dolls, came from; what happened to the world before they were created; the rise and fall of humanity, etc... But even though there are serious and real messages and emotions laced through this movie, I did not feel anything as I watched it. Some characters die, some live, and at the end I moved on to something else with only a bit of confusion. Though the story is original, the characters are not, and there is no development of any of them. The movie is watchable and entertaining, and you will pass a little over an hour of fairly interesting time.


***/*****


3/5 Stars