Some critics railed against '9' when it debuted in theaters, saying that the lack of story and plot was a detriment to the movie. The overly simplistic and supposedly clichéd post-apocalyptic story setting had already been done. I would submit that there are times where "story" and "plot" can be sacrificed for something that is so visually stunning and awe-inspiring to the imagination. The new film directed by Shane Acker, and produced by Tim Burton is just that kind of film. '9' uses a simplistic end of the world story as a backdrop for some of the most creative and bizarre animation ever created.
Sentient machines have taken over the earth. They've gassed all the humans. Where cities once stood, mountains of rubble now rule. Nine burlap sock-puppet-like creatures are living and scavenging off of the dead earth and the stuff that's been left behind. Not a lot is explained about these odd little creatures at the beginning of the film, but not to worry, their existence is explained later on. The beauty of the film is that even if you knew nothing of their existence – like the original short film by Acker – these puppets are still so interesting to look at and study that you'll find yourself not caring much about their origins.
The puppets have been meticulously constructed from all sorts of materials. Their eyes work like camera shutters. Some have fashioned weapons out of old knives and scissors. The amount of design and creativity involved with the creatures is stunning.
If you're looking for much meaning here, you're missing the point. We're supposed to be almost as clueless and helpless as these puppets are. Everything is shown from the puppet's point of view. They are small, which makes everything in the world all that much more terrifying and unknown.
There are monsters here too. A dog-like machine scours the streets to find these puppets. There's a snake-like beast that is so frighteningly vivid, Sid from 'Toy Story' would have nightmares about it.
Each puppet has a number scrawled on its back, one through nine. They all have very distinct personalities. One is domineering and stubborn. Two is kind and helpful. On the personality traits go up through the puppets, courage, intelligence, creativity. Nine is the most curious of the bunch. When the "secret" of the puppets' origins is revealed, figuring out what the different personalities are and how they relate to their origins is part of the fun.
After surviving an attack from a monster machine sporting a dog's skull as its head, Nine sets off towards a factory looming in the distance that can only contain dreadful things. He soon awakens something, and what follows is an action-packed sequence that rivals some big budget action movies, yet the action here isn't quick cutting and nauseating. Camera angels pan and zoom in on the action, letting the bleak but oddly beautiful apocalyptic world wash over us.
'9' is enthralling on many levels. Its animation is unlike most animated films out there. Its story is haunting in its portrayal of humanity, but still gives us hope for a better future. The 75-minute runtime is packed full of action and storytelling that ooze with creativity. It's a wondrously beautiful epic of an animated film.
The 1080p VC-1 encoded transfer for '9' is nearly flawless, and for all intents and purposes can be considered a fine demo-worthy disc. This animation works tremendously well on Blu-ray. The palette here is a dim one, but what do you expect, the world just ended! Lots of dark scenes, but blacks are perfectly blended. Delineation is revealing. While the movie is bathed in browns and blacks, the giant red eye of The Machine leaps off the screen in stunning clarity. Speaking of clarity, fine detail is pumped up to maximum, rivaling any of the recent releases by Pixar. The stitching and the crosshatch of the puppets is always discernible and clear. At one point in the film a very, very slight bit of aliasing can be detected around The Machine. Other than that, this is a top notch video presentation.
When I heard this film in theaters I knew, without a doubt, that if done right, the sound here would be some of the most demo-worthy bass to ever be put on Blu-ray. I'm happy to report that the DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 audio track will most likely shake the foundation of your house. The bass here is deep, resonant, and freakishly strong. The deep, foreboding tones gives The Machine and its monster children more creepiness than can be imagined. There is some slightly soft speaking here and some of the voices are drowned out at times by the hustle and bustle of the break-neck action. Everything else though, is done to perfection. If you want to show someone what high definition bass sounds like, stick this film in.
'9' is a stunning piece of creativity that will shock the eye. Its images are so intricate that they spring to life automatically. I love this film. The spectacular audio and video only help solidify this as a highly recommended title that can, for the most part, be used as demo material from your home theater setup.
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