Shenanigans & Tomfoolery

“9″ was probably, along with Pixar’s “Up,” my most anticipated movie this year. Its trailer came out of nowhere and, bad music choices in it aside, I simply loved it. It was clear in its setting and design sensibilities that it wasn’t your average animated movie and that it was striving to be something different. I soon learned that the movie was based on one of director Shane Acker’s own animated shorts (also titled “9″ and embedded at the end of this post) but I refused to watch it in fear of ruining any plot elements.

I went to see it the day it was released and here’s what I thought.

The film starts as we are introduced to the titular 9 as he wakes up for the first time and we are later, over the course of the movie, introduced to his other companions, numbers 1 through 8. Although most of them are likeable, only two or three of them are truly fleshed out and, unfortunately, 9 isn’t one of them. He remains the hero of the story but one that doesn’t seem to have any other reason for doing what he’s doing other than him being the hero of the story. A main character devoid of a logical and reasonable drive or motivation is a big dent in any movie but it’s not nearly the only problem in “9″s writing.

We have a main antagonist that is, for all intents and purposes, created by chance and also lacking any real motivation. We have a post-apocalyptic, machine overlord setting which, as heartwarming to me as it is, is simply cliché when all is said and done. And then we have these 9 creatures whose origin and purpose are unknown. This is arguably the biggest mystery in the film and even though by the end of the movie we do discover their origin, I was disappointed by the fact that we never discover their purpose. Or rather, we discover that they don’t have a purpose. They were seemingly created and exist for no reason other than doing so.

So yeah, the story could use some work and after all that negativity you’d think that I hated the movie but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. I was enthralled by it. The setting may be cliché but the uniqueness and inventiveness of its inhabitants are worth the price of admission alone. The robots in particular are a joy to look at and the movie thrives on this aspect so much that even a couple of animation blemishes fail to detract from that. The movie doesn’t boast a high concept but some of the revelations are rather unique (though perhaps not fully realized) and coupled with some truly memorable action sequences and the bittersweet ending that puts a nice knot on the whole thing, and it’s clear that this movie succeeds effortlessly where it doesn’t fail.

It’s also a movie that shies away from the conventions of contemporary animated films. It doesn’t have talking animals for one (and if I see a trailer for another one of those movies I’m going to shoot myself). The subject matter is rather mature compared to what’s found in your average animated film with its “end of the world” setting and with death being a prominent element in the movie all the way to the subtle (or not so subtle) references to substance abuse. It’s doesn’t have a true comic relief character either and, in general, it favors story over comedy. It’s refreshing to see an animated movie that takes itself seriously and succeeds in not overdoing it.

In many ways, “9″ reminds me of “Nightmare Before Christmas,” not so in any superficial way, but rather in the kind of movie it ultimately is. It’s a movie of style over substance and it’s in this dichotomy, as is usually the case, that people will decide whether to love it or hate it. I personally sit in the former of the two. The story needs work but being a part of “9″s world is such a thrill that it outweighs most of what I feel doesn’t work in the movie.

“Nightmare Before Christmas” is, in spite of its flaws, one of my favorite movies of all time.

In time, I think “9″ could find a comfortable spot alongside it.