Watching 9 is like watching the love child of MC Escher and The Triplets of Belleville. This post-apocalyptic film will rankle some, bore others, and inspire many. While I am tired of our infatuation with the post-apocalyptic theme (which will occur on 12-12-12 according to the trailers of 2012 the movie), this film doesn’t add anything new to the genre of these types of films—but it does add to the genre of animation.
I am very glad to see non-Disneyesque types of saturated colors. The palette of this movie is shades of doom and gloom. When bright colors are used, they are used for a purpose. The drawing is amazing. The animation is special (in one of the opening scenes 9 passes behind a glass and the transparency of the glass is shown. For animation, it is an amazing technique).
The plot is admirable but gets a little treacly with the love story between 9 and 3. What intrigued me the most are the themes and characterizations of the movie. I anticipate many bohemian styled college students sitting around drinking and getting high discussing the symbolism and merits of the movie. Is 1, with his cape and mitre, representative of the Pope? Is the ending and the regeneration of the human population a clarion call for the theory of abiogenesis?
At 80 minutes, this is a concise, no-holds-barred journey to do what is right in the land of the sock-monkey type creations called stitchpunks. I think kids will get bored, the 13-17 year olds (for whom this was designed) will get irked and animation lovers will revel in this movie.
I rate this movie zero watches.
Viewed on 09-09-09 at AMC Empire 25 (NYC)
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