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9 had such potential, such promise. Something of a classic "robot uprising" story with a few twists, 9 wakes up in a post-apocalyptic world where humans are extinct. The machines have taken over and only a handful of rag dolls, gifted with the "spark of life" by their creator, are left to save humanity.
After Frodo, er, I mean 9, hooks up with the other rag dolls, he convinces them that hiding isn't going to work forever and they need to attack the machines if they want to live on.
Will I like it?
Maybe. If you enjoy the technical aspects of the animation and the insanely detailed designs you'll like it. If you get hung up on contrived plot points then not so much. I enjoyed the movie, but felt as if they could have picked up the pace or filled in the edges with some side stories. The dialogue can only be described as minimalistic. I hope the voice actors weren't paid by the word.
Will my kids like it? How PG-13 is it?
I'm going to say no, the kids won't like this one. The action scenes are very intense and could cause some nightmares. The lulls between the action will cause most kids to lose interest. Both of mine thought the trailers looked cool, but didn't care to see it in the theater. They thought it would be too scary on the big screen and are opting to wait for it on DVD. I'm certain that they'd have been both bored and frightened had I taken them.
Are there any big name actors in the movie?
I suppose Elijah Wood is big name, or close enough. Some of the other voice actors were Christopher Plummer, John C. Reilly, Crispin Glover and Jennifer Connelly. I have to admit that I totally suck at remembering names, even actors, and likely missed your favorite actor.
How about the animation?
The trailers and behind-the-scene footage are not the best rendered scenes, but they are some of the more intense action sequences. There were a number of layers in the rendering that helped guide your attention to the most detailed parts. I enjoyed how the foreground was extremely detailed and the background was often muted and flat.
Similar to how Coraline played the focus to keep your attention on the sharp images, 9 also pushes you through the scene, though not quite so elegantly, by moving from one detailed part to the next. While I am certain this saved them a small fortune on the render farm, it also works well as an artistic element.
What about the sound effects and soundtrack?
The sound effects were great. Every little scrape, metal on metal, dirt, wood – it all sounded right for the scene. I had high hopes for the musical score after hearing Coheed & Cambria's "Welcome Home" in the trailers. However, I'm sitting here, trying to recall any of the music and I just can't. It was totally unremarkable through most of the movie and while it didn't get in the way, it didn't do anything to heighten the emotion.
Do I need to sit through the credits for some sort of bonus at the end?
Nope, nada, zilch. You can bolt for the door at the first sign of credits.
Are there any good trailers?
There's a new one that I hadn't heard about yet for Fantastic Mr. Fox. It looks interesting, but I don't know if I'll like the stop-motion style they use. A longer Astro Boy trailer looks great. If the previews aren't all that's good about this movie it will be awesome. There's also a better Toy Story 3-D trailer and a longer Where the Wild Things Are teaser. Then to mix it up they threw in a trailer for The Vampire's Assistant, starring John C. Reilly, the voice of number 5. I didn't get the connection until a few moments ago when I IMDB'd the film and noticed the list of actors.
What’s the best time for a bathroom break?
At just 79 minutes you should be able to hold it. If not, pick any noisy action scene and make your break right afterward. RunPee.com recommends the 33 and 55 minute marks.
Will I want to see it again?
I know I don't need to see it again. We might get it on Netflix for the kids to watch.
There are some great artistic aspects to this movie and they hold up well enough to deserve a viewing. I have a few, not so trivial beefs about the story, but cannot discuss them here without some major spoilers. I'd recommend seeing it if you can, but don't get too worked up if you can't.
