The apocalyptic 9 offers innovative images of a broken Earth inhabited by woven warriors battling machines. But it’s more style than substance — this mechanical tale needs a human touch.
Comment
10/30/09
9 (2009)
50
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:12
Fresh:6
Rotten:6
Average Rating:5/10
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
Reviews for 9
1 - 11 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Top CriticThis 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.
10/30/09
Top CriticIt looks great, but sadly the screenplay — in particular the stultifying dialogue — simply can’t match the visual inventiveness.
10/30/09
Top CriticIt 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.
10/30/09
Top CriticWhere it needs emotive magic, it lays on a vague and maudlin religiosity -- we’re never quite sure what Acker thinks he’s preaching. 9? I’d give it a 6.
10/30/09
Top CriticPamela 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
10/26/09
Top CriticIn movies, our technology is so often the ruin of us. We got that message from Stanley Kubrick way back when, and we get it now. But couldn't filmmakers let something else ruin us for a change? Even the apocalypse needs variety.
09/11/09
Top CriticIt might have been an opportunity for the sort of challenging speculation sci-fi is best at, however, and the best reason to see it is simply because of the creativity of its visuals.
09/09/09
Top CriticEvery effort to expand the range of feature-length animation beyond the confines of cautious family fare is to be welcomed, and budding techno and fantasy geeks are likely to be intrigued and enthralled.
09/08/09
Top CriticIt certainly is a valuable introduction to an exciting new talent, but by expanding the film's length, characters and otherworldly environment things are strangely diminished.
08/18/09
Top CriticIn the end, the picture's impact derives mostly from its design and assured execution.
08/18/09
Top Critic1 - 11 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Latest News for 9
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...
January 11, 2009:
Trailer & Poster review
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