9 follows the action packed adventures of a small rag doll, #9 (Elijah Wood), who finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world ruled by fearsome machines. After stumbling upon a group of rag dolls hiding in fear, #9 rallies the miniature warriors together for an epic battle to salvage the legacy of civilisation.
Special Agent Matti
Shane Acker has done very well to get this story onto film, not to mention onto the big screen. It's not because 9 is a bad film but because it's such an unusual film that it can't be put into one of your standard, marketable genres. Perhaps that's why it's being distributed in Australia by Madman: they're certainly into non-standard films. There's another reason for this being a "difficult" movie: it's as depressing as it is uplifting. Not only have we destroyed the biosphere, our leftover technology is now duking it out for control of the planet. Aren't we a lovely species.
There are a few convenient oddities in the technobabble but the story rolls along with a good moral base (why can't we all just get along?), making it a good film to show your children. You can't raise them solely on Disney movies: it's like feeding them nothing but fast food. A home-cooked meal is always better, even when the taste is kinda strange.
The adventure, animation movie 9 is directed by Shane Acker and stars Christopher Plummer, Jennifer Connelly, Elijah Wood.
M (Menacing scenes)
76 minutes (1:16 hours)
Film: 9 December 2009
