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Reviews Counted:155
Fresh:88
Rotten:67
Average Rating:5.9/10
Consensus: Although its story is perhaps too familiar and less complex than some might wish, 9 is visually spectacular, and director Shane Acker's attention to detail succeeds in drawing viewers into the film's universe.
Theatrical Release:28-10-2009
Synopsis: A new era in animated storytelling begins on 9.9.09. Visionary filmmakers Tim Burton (The Corpse Bride, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory) and Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Nightwatch) join forces to... [More]
Starring: Elijah Wood, Jennifer Connelly, John C. Reilly, Crispin Glover
Director: Shane Acker
The intricate computer-generated images are breathtaking. In terms of visuals this is a nine out of ten. But it is impossible to care about dolls or the standard post-apocalyptic plot, so a lot of hard work has gone to waste.
Beautifully designed but boringly told.
Pamela Pettler's screenplay sucks out the very soul of Acker's original creations, leaving little behind but a ghost-like shell, pretty to look at, but free from any substance
Top CriticA cumbersome and trite "dangerous rise of technology" story that fails to engage.
The story drifts towards the mawkish without answering any of the big questions it tentatively raises.
It allegedly lasts 79 minutes. I think it lasted 79 hours, or 79 years, or perhaps 79 times the space of time between the extinction of allosaurus and the rise of Cro-Magnon.
Top CriticA combination of the cute and the cataclysmic, the film has its moments but becomes increasingly frantic and morally self-important.
A Disneyfied cliché, disfigured by incoherent mysticism and trite warnings about the dangers of technology.
This film will surely be remembered as an intriguing failure: a triumph of ambition over ability, of ideas over emotional resonance – just another grim fairy tale for these troubled times.
Top CriticIt looks great, but sadly the screenplay — in particular the stultifying dialogue — simply can’t match the visual inventiveness.
Top CriticAn imaginative fantasy set in a future world that appears to have come straight from a Terminator film.
An interesting experiment that doesn’t quite survive the conversion from short to long format.
While you long to root for 9 and his pals, it's hard to emotionally connect with such under-developed characters.
Too violent for small children, but might be enjoyed by fans of Tim Burton, one of the film’s producers.
Despite using a limited palette of earth tones and cold metals, there’s a satisfying richness and depth to his CG world. Against unforgiving and ominous backdrops, the characters emerge with genuine soul.
9 is undeniably flawed and fails to engage on an emotional level but it remains worth seeing for its striking animation.
Pretty exciting in its Sturm-und-Drang. And, aww, really, the little sack puppets really were the cutest poppets.
9 is a post-apocalyptic fable notable for its visual beauty.
Inventively animated with a striking attention to detail, this offbeat thriller might have trouble finding an audience, as the sweet and scary elements sit rather awkwardly alongside each other. But it's still ambitious and engaging.
Great material, credible producers, top voice talent and gorgeous visuals, stitched together to make a patchwork that’s less than the sum of its parts. Striking and ambitious, but worn at the seams.
November 29, 2009:
Win Tickets To The Tim Burton-produced 9
Win one of 20 double passes to '9' the debut feature animation for director Shane Acker -- produced by Tim Burton. More...
September 10, 2009:
Critics Consensus: 9 Looks Great, But The Plot's Weak
This week at the movies, we've got post-apocalyptic conflict (9, with voice work by Elijah Wood and Jennifer Connelly); Antarctic intrigue (Whiteout, starring Kate Beckinsale... More...
September 08, 2009:
Shane Acker and Elijah Wood Interviews at Comic-Con 
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September 04, 2009:
9 has an impressive pedigree behind it in the guise of producers Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Nightwatch) and the trailer looks intriguing enough despite the cutesy sackcloth characters.
More...
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