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9
Directed by: Shane Acker Starring: Elijah Wood (Voice) Genre: Animated Run Time: 79 min. Release Date: September 2009 On The Web: Official Site Teaser: Movie Trailer Reviewed by Byron Merritt |
There are so few times in life when a piece of entertainment can literally enrapture you but when one does come around, you wonder how you lived so long without seeing something like it. And this was my experience with 9, a single digit movie based on a single digit 11 minute short film of the same name, both directed by young genius Shane Acker. The 11 minute film 9 was nominated for an Oscar in 2006 for Best Short, but didn’t win. But it did get the notice of Tim Burton, who had fallen in love with Acker’s idea and world. He wanted to see more of 9's bizarre existence and so, in true entrepreneurial fashion, they went out and did just that. I have to admit here that I’d never heard nor seen the original 2005 short upon which this film was an extension (you can now view the 11 minute version on YouTube so that’s not a problem anymore). But after watching this, I immediately searched out the short film. Amazing. What’s more amazing is that Acker took years and years to develop his work – and the technology – in order to give the burlap sack-like characters a sense of computer reality unrivaled before or since. And, if it is possible, even more amazing, I found it’s visuals to be of a higher standard than the new AVATAR film everyone is raving about. Yes, they are that good. Every frame of this 79 minute film is brilliantly colored, muted and darkened. Looking at it, one gets a sense of near hypnosis, unable to pull their eyes away from what is, in every sense, wondrously appealing ...in a dark and dreary sort of way. What else draws you in is the world that surrounds these nine characters. The simplicity (if you think about their names, 1 - 9) is perfectly formed from the beginning. The dangers aren’t unique to human history, but to non-humans, this is a weird existence. The surrounding world is a mesh of alternate reality and, yet, familiarity. Songs such as "Over The Rainbow" play on ancient phongraphs while WWII weaponry bombard our heroes alongside advanced robots. Tell me that’s something you’ve seen before?! The voices actors were perfect choices, from Elijah Wood (LORD OF THE RINGS) as the title character 9, to Christopher Plummer (INSIDE MAN) as 1. Plummer’s distinctive voice added a darker quality considering his past acting efforts ...which pulled the story up even further in my eyes (and ears). What else should surprise viewers is that the film cost a measly $33 million to make and is only 79 minutes in length. Whereas things like Avatar cost significantly more and run three times as long. If you really want to be transported to another world, and see what it might be like to view it from the eyes of strangers, don’t look to Avatar, look toward 9. You won’t be disappointed. I promise.
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Image from 9
DVD cost: $32.84 Purchase: Tower.com (Blu-Ray) Film Review Stew Favorite? Yes. Stew Poo-Poo? No. Newsworthy: 1 tells 9 that he led the others to their current hideout, which he refers to as "sanctuary". The building happens to be Notre Dame church, famously referred to "sanctuary" in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." Movie Quote: "When we awoke in this world, it was chaos. Man and machine attacked each other with fire and metal. I lead us here to sanctuary and here we waited out the war. Slowly, the world grew still until all that remained, was The Beast. Now we wait for it too to sleep."
Other Actors/Actresses from 9
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Images from 9
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