Review: 9

In 2005, Shane Acker made a short called 9. It went on to be nominated for an Oscar. If you haven't seen it, I would highly recommend seeing the short. But would I recommend the movie? Absolutely. The movie is grim, but the imagery is great and the action scenes are riveting.

9 is the story of a stitchpunk, a small doll that is made of fabric and a zipper, named 9 (voiced by Elijah Wood) wakes up in an post-apocalyptic world. He walks around and confronts a big machine called The Beast, but is rescued by another stichpunk called 2. The Beast takes 2 and runs off with him. 9 eventually meets a few other stitchpunks who eventually realize that the must save humanity.

Though you maybe thinking 9 may not be a good feature film, you are incredibly wrong. Yes, the short film may have a sort of intrigue that the movie doesn't, but the movie's plot reveals itself slowly, at a very measured pace. It also helps that the movie is short, sweet, and to the point with a run time of 79 miuntes. Action scenes are dotted around the movie and they are quite nice. Timur Bekmambetov, the director of Wanted, was one of the four executive producers of this and it's very evident in the way the action scenes are done.

The visuals are very nice in this film are nice as well. Tim Burton was another one of the executive producers and it seems obvious through the mood of the film as well as the way it was shot. Though Shane Acker probably had most of the input on the beautiful color spectrums of green and black, Tim Burton definitely had a lot of influence on this film. The visuals are unexpectedly easy on the eyes, however, they're meant only for adults. Parents need to know that this film is intense and definitely not for their children. Kids over the age of ten will be able to handle it, but don't be fooled by the fact that Tim Burton executively produced it.

Basically, 9 is a visually fantastic, unsettling action movie. While it isn't for the young ones, it's a thrill for the adults who will understand its message moreso than the children. The ending leaves a bit to be desired, but the rest of the movie is great and fun. It's a very short movie so you should definitely be able to find time to see it. 9 is now, in my opinion, in contention for the Best Animation Oscar.

79 min., PG-13, Directed by Shane Acker, Starring the voices of Elijah Wood, Cripsin Glover, Jennifer Conelly, John C. Reilly