9 Review

I saw 9 about a week ago, and for some reason I forgot to review it. 9 is the newest Tim Burton animated film (his last two were the Corpse Bride and Nightmare Before Christmas, both of which are up there with UP for best animated movies of all time in my opinion). Tim Burton is an amazing director, and he always has a great art style and twisted story to his movies. 9 is no exception.

Like I said, Tim Burton is big on making the movie look dark and evil, even when its animated. And the first thing that comes to 9 is its incredible visuals. 9 is actually based on a short film (about 10 minutes long, you can watch it on youtube if you want) that one some awards. The visuals in this one are similar to the original short film version, but of course with Tim Burton helping out, it only gets better.

In 9, Elijah Wood plays 9, the ninth of the little sock-puppet type guys that are there to save the world from destruction. Each of the 9 characters have their own personality, which are a part of the creator (too hard to explain here, just watch the movie). Elijah Wood really just plays pretty much the same character as Frodo. The new guy who's supposed to save the world (or middle earth in the lord of the rings). He does his job well, as do the other actors.

Many critics commented that the story was a little to familiar. I do suppose that it is similar to Lord of the Rings in the ways I said before, but 9 is about as creative as it gets. Anyone who said that 9 copied any movie is crazy, because I'm pretty sure there hasn't been a movie about sock-puppet things saving the world before. I actually love the post-apocalyptic story, in a way that there is no hope for humanity, just for these little creatures. It almost gives you the feeling of despair and hope at the same time, which is quite original.

If you've looked at the length of 9, you will have noticed that it is a short movie. It almost seems like a TV special, running at 78 minutes long (not even an hour and a half). And it really does feel short. But 9 doesn't need to be long to get it's story and message across. Some may actually find it relieving that it isn't too long. I don't think I could watch a whole 3 hours of 9 (or 3 1/2 in the Lord of the Rings).

As you've probably noticed, I've referenced Lord of the Rings a lot. Basically, 9 is LotR except sock puppets instead of hobbits and the its the world at stake instead of middle earth. So with 9 you're getting incredible visuals, great voice talent, and a great story. If length is an issue, than wait for it to come out on dVD. But don't wait too long, because 9 is one of those movies where you definitely don't want to miss it.

A-