9

Last night Scartoe got me into a preview of 9, which opens today. Above is the short which inspired the film, and here you can see the official trailer, but beyond those, I don't know that it's worth more of your time. SPOILER ALERT? Sure...

The film itself is a scant 79 minutes, but it seems longer due to the repetition of the we've-got-to-rescue-so-and-so / we've-got-to-run-away-from-such-and-such-monster storyline. I didn't dislike the movie, but I don't know that I cared for it much. Why? Because I don't think the movie knows what it wants to be.

The animation is well done, but is this for kids or for adults? The characters are kinda cartoon-y and cute, except for the antagonists that are fairly gritty and grim. The story is simple enough for kids but it is a pretty dark film, visually and in the tone. How many children's movies are set in the apocalypse? It tries to stand amidst all of those to find a happy medium, and that was the wrong way to go. Either lighten up a little and make it for families or make it dark and innovative (a la Chet Zar, Cam De Leon, The Brothers Quay) so it is purely adult - but not committing either way makes it feel incomplete.

The threadpunk style was cool, but it seems like it would have made a better video game, given the storyline and the quest-like nature of the plot. That would have made it more of a standout from it's peers than it will in the theater. And with properties being converted and mixed across media platforms, I wouldn't be surprised if the design and art direction came from non-film origins.

If The Nightmare Before Christmas and Hot Topic is your level of gothic darkness, you may like this film, but those of you looking for more should hope to find a friend with a free pass to a showing...

And in deference to the date and the re-release of their catalog, here's a different "9" for you.

Revolution #9 backmasking, reversed