After a long, disappointing summer, filled with nothing but box-office driven, mindlessly name-brand, soullessly big budget spectacles, "9" stands out as painstakingly, hand crafted thing of beauty. The intricate detail, carefully placed in each frame, provides a consistently flawless and gratifying visual experience. It deftly manages mature themes, without resorting to vulgarity, while maintaining an unrelenting barrage of heart-pounding action sequences. The overall flow of the narrative does suffer from rushed storytelling, but it more than makes up for it with an endearing array of unique and believable characters. This film is the perfect example of why I, as an adult, still find value in animated feature films. This film is a perfect example of why it is unnecessary to dumb-down a narrative in order to facilitate a younger demographic, just because it is animated.… Expand

A piece of brilliance, both in originality and visuals. Although short, it felt right at 80 minutes. Do we really need the 2-3 hour epics? straight to the point. Harrowing, haunting, yet my 5-year old totally got this movie. I feel the story treats the audience respect, both young and old. A favourite for years to come.

Dull story and soulless characters. Decent animation. This is a film that doesn't know if it wants to be a children's movie or a dark, adult mystery, so it chooses to be neither, and that is its biggest failing.

Seemingly a story created simply to facilitate an elaborate set of action scenes and pleasure the 3D modeler's and special effects guru's working on the film. But what about the spectator? After the film I was left with, "What was the entire point of the whole movie?" There really was none...they tried to make a sappy feelgood ending with the final monologue, but I just wasn9;t feeling it because it didn't make any sense nor were we ever given a reason to care. How did the robots die in the first place? We don't know. How do we know there aren't more? We don't know. From what we saw these potato sacks created their own drama when there was none and then had to destroy it for nothing more than saving the other potato sacks they were responsible for killing in the first place.… Expand

A very inventive movie with stunning visuals.

Amazing animation and effects, no story whatsoever.

Nice tidy little experience,didn't take any chances,or stray from the main plot,but very good what they stayed with.The ending has to be controversial.

This movie, while visually stunning, had a thread-bare plot that has been done so many times that it's hard to find something new to be excited about. If only more time was spent on the script, character development and plot this would have been a rare film. As it stands its a beautiful but retarded child of Terminator and the Matrix. A sad waste of money and talent.

Boring on every level. Horribly written and bland.

9 is packed with amazing visuals; the character designs and art direction were perfect. The story, however, feels compromised. What's most disappointing is that it's almost there-- it could have been just a little darker, the tone more serious, the ending more somber. But these things were sacrificed to make a more kid-friendly movie with a "nice" Hollywood ending, and we are left with only a glimpse of what could have been.… Expand

Though the story may be a rehash of a familiar theme, it is visually stunning.

I think this is a bad movie becouse Ive seen the picture and I dont like it. It just dosent fit the name. Im going to e-mail the director and teel him that I would like to see more picture of movies that I like, not that I dislike: Period.

9 is by far one of the weakest films of this year. The plot of this film involves a scientist who designs a robotic machine which creates multiple robot war machines which kills off humanity. The same scientist puts his soul into nine robots who all come together. With its plot this film has an intresting plot and has the characters. The film's most shocking moment is rather subtle in which the eighth robot sits on a dismembered human hand which is rather scary in its design. However this only briefly helps the film. The film's most difficult problem is it starts at a fast pace and only slows down by the thirty-five minute mark. By around one hour into the film the main enemy robot is killed in a false moment and when it appears the films over the machine awakens in a sequence in which the song "Somewhere over the Rainbow" is playing over one of the robots running from the machine. This scene is both effective and ridiculous in it's design. The characters are divided into several types, heroic, greedy, and cowardly, which makes the film somewhat evolve. I… Expand

Disappointing for a movie billed with Tim Burton's name. It's apparent that's all they paid him for. I'd like to say the plot was interesting, but it wasn't. I guess the lesson is: if all humans are dead, who is left to care about a bunch of dolls? Also, this was not a movie for little kids. It's not just the fairly horrific scenes of dead bodies, but also the post apocalyptic theme that is fairly hard to grasp the ramifications of, even for an adult.… Expand

That movie is totally for me. All Sci-fiyy.

The movie is visually stunning and has a great score but the plot and character development are lacking. This could have been a truly great movie had they taken the time to flesh out the characters, add a little back story, and be more elaborate with the themes of the story. Also, the ending was too ambiguous. Still, it was entertaining so I do recommend it. It was just disappointing because I've been looking forward to it for so long and it didn't quite meet my expectations.… Expand

Greatest movie ever! Great story line, spectacular action sequences, Tim Burton does it again. One of my favorite movies.

This movie scrapes out a 2 for its impressive visuals. Otherwise, Tim Burton should be ashamed. The plot twists and dialogue were so utterly predictable and hokey that I couldn't help but blurt snide comments at every possible opportunity (of which there were many). My friends and I laughed all the way home after being subjected to this utter disappointment.

I thought it was pretty good not as good as other animated movies, but certainly one a kind i would see it to find out for your self!!!

A brilliant animated masterpiece. Excellent animation, excellent plot, excellent action sequences.

"9" is a great movie. The animation is excellent, the plot is entertaining, The action sequences are great. The only problems are that it is a little short for the story it tells, and it has a few clichés.

I found this movie very dark...could have been a better movie with a bit more hope. I found a few images offensive/bit harsh for by 7 year old. There is a scene where you see dead(cartoon animation) mother holding child.

The only reason that i watched this is because it was produced by Tim Burton, and thought it would be at least OK, it to be honest feels like a Disney channel mediocre movie. it at the beginning it was pretty good, because of the dark elements but after that it was pretty much like moldy pie don't buy this unless your a Tim Burton Diehard fan.

Good, but the short film in which it is based is better.

Give them pants; give them genitalia, these nine dog chew toys who were specially created to save the world. Via an electronic transmission from the pre-recorded dead, 9(voiced by Elijah Wood) learns from the agnate that he and his predecessors are "the future", but a future hinges on their ability to multiply. Similar to the Smurfs, a lone female walks among the dog chew toys; she's the instrument by which the scientist can carry out his plan for posterity. Without giving these otherworldly creations the means to reproduce, however, throws a monkey wrench into the moviegoer's conjecture, and makes the visionary scientist seems less visionary.(Or rather, the rationale of the screenplay is seriously flawed.) Peyo gave the Smurfs pants; they were packin', which made Smurfette's gender, of consequence. Clocking in under eighty minutes, the filmmaker didn't have enough time to properly address the division of sexes, only doing so briefly in a scene where 9 brushes 7's hand off her cloth "skin". If the dog chew toys were given pants, the scientist's plan for future generations could be hinted at, without mucking up its PG-13 rating. His soliloquy about the future seems nonsensical if the numbers are finite. Because they're depicted as asexual beings, the moviegoer may overlook 7's decision to fight "the beast" as being a reckless one. It's of paramount importance that she stays alive. The absence of man, or anything organic within the torched landscapes, suggest she's the planet's last hope for renewal. Comparisons to "The Terminator" movies are obvious, but less obvious is the film's similarity to the dead world of "Cars", where artificial intelligence runs rampant without human interference.… Expand

I have to agree with Moriah G. This movie was awesome! The action was intense, the characters were great, and the animation was stunning. I recommend this film to all ages. I can't wait to see what Shane Acker does next.

Maybe this movie has a short run time, But the action would go great for 4th graders 9 years old and up. Even though this movie is rated PG13 its good. I give this movie 10 stars out of 10, cause this movie is really stunning, has great animation, and feels more better for Tweens in 4th grade and up.

My vote is not for the movie itself, but for the review I read on msn.com. Note to critics: when reviewing a movie directed at teens (as noted in your own review) don't use words that they have never seen. This is a MOVIE REVIEW not a literary exercise to display your vast knowledge of the english language. In fact, stop it altogether! I'm sure you lose 90% of your audience after the 1 paragraph. If you actually reivewed the movie instead of trying to show how much better you are than the people reading your review, it might be worht something. Why do you think that people FLOCK to movies that are beat up by so-called critics? It's because 90% of all movie reviews are worthless piles of pigeon feces flung from the heavens by the literary avians... Come on man, stop writing crap, and write an actual review, stop trying to interpret what you are seeing! Just review what was there, how was the plot? How were the special effects? How long was it? Stop trying to write an essay on how movie X compares to the cinematic greats, and stop pretending like you know where the movie gets it's inspiration from, WE DON'T CARE! Please review the movie instead of trying to convince me that I'm an idiot an idiot because I might want to actually go see it. In fact, just stop altogether.… Expand

A dark trance. Visually captivating and stunning. The action was intense and the movie was more emotional than I was expecting. I found it to be very reminiscent of the short. Heavily action and if something wasn't fighting something else, it had a suspenseful feel to it. Both were visually dark and had a bittersweet end and overall tone. Happy one moment, but the next just strikes in a powerful way. The story, I would say, wasn't powerful, but I do like it overall. I feel the direction it was going was great, but like the movies consensus says, it was a little familiar, it still intrigued me, not the reason I gave it a 10 though. I don't find it to be as weak as many claim, I saw some definite definition, but I have always wondered on to what I actually find to be a truly great plot and what is not, it seems in quality, a story is a story, and I can't really judge one better than the other, as there are different perspectives, different likes, and such. I don't know what a strong plot would be, what a good story is compared to others. This movie doesn't tell much of a story, but overall I got something that I feel is bigger than what is easily shown. I definitely believe the story is deep, just not much is shown, and the action overpowers it. The story was good in my opinion, it could have been deeper, more thoughtful, but I thought it was good. My only complaint is the voice acting, basically only that of 5(John C. Reilly), which I found a little emotionless and with a monotone voice. Everyone else did fine though. The real pride and joy is the captivating visuals. The dark scenery. Spot-on sounds. Like the marketing portrays, this movie is not one for young children. It has several creepy moments, and the whole movie is one dark set. Few moments in the movie are really uplifting. I feel I have been hypnotized, I will end it there.… Expand

This movie is too scary for kids and too uninteresting for adults. It has great visuals and animation but suffers from what most recent hollywood movies suffer from- bad writing. All the good writers have gone to TV, maybe hollywood should go look there.

The beginning of this movie had me interested. The characters and the world are top-notch and very well designed. The machines in the film are a huge let down though. They are ideas that have been done a thousand times before(with the exception of one near the end of the film). The characters start out strong, but are never developed more than they start out to be. The action is well done and the best aspect of the film surprisingly. The ending(imo) was just stupid. I'd say wait for DVD and Blu-ray and then rent it. I expected a bit more than what I got.… Expand

Great animation, but the plot is an incomprehensible mess. I really wanted to like this movie, but there are too many things about the story that were just . . . well, just dumb and ill thought out.

Very interesting visuals and music, and 1 or 2 touching moments can't save 9, which unfortunately features a storyline that feels like it was penned in about 5 minutes. The movie becomes a string of action scenes with every line sounding like it was written for the movie poster. The problem is that we can't have *suspense* if we don't care about the characters, and the characters here are so one-note and under-developed that it's impossible to really care much about their journey. At only 79 minutes long, the movie certainly had time to build a more substantial plot or add some layers to its characters, but it all just feels rushed. Not good, not bad, just mediocre.… Expand

Great movie with outstanding special effects, interesting characters, and plenty of action. But I agree with some of the other reviewers that this movie is not for kids.

Shane Acker's first experiment is very good in outcome, but it has so many obvious flaws. 9 is visually impressive, probably one of the most visually impressive movies this year. The story of the movie is extremely familiar, and in a bad way. But as I said, the animation is amazing, and it certainly makes up for a lot that the film failed at. 9 is about a scientist who creates 9 small rag-doll creatures called Stitch Punks. And they have to save the world from evil mechanical beasts and ladeedadeeeda.......OK. Where do I start? This plot was pretty bad. It is original, but the theme is incredibly bland, and doesn't quite strike you as good, like District 9 or UP's respective themes. I give the story a 30%. Although it has a bad plot, 9 has some beautiful action scenes. These scenes were intense, hauntingly beautiful, and all around incredible. The only complaint about the action is, why so short? Yes, that is right. These action scenes are like most action scenes in movies. Short. But ever so good. I give the action a 70%. Possibly the brightest spot in 9 is the beautiful animation. And it is gorgeous, the detail is incredible. The characters.....look amazing! Every robot villain, every stitch-punk, and every landscape is just amazing! I think the design earns a rather generous 80%. 9 is produced by Tim Burton, which sure jerked a few heads. I mean, why wouldn't it? Its Tim Burton! But being that, he doesn't really get creative with this movie. The creatures are all Acker's, thank god. And so is the messed up story and characters. Characters. I haven't talked about them yet. Well, to tell you the truth, the story is so short, the characters never develop, and you never really get to know these characters that could be so complex and great. They all die pretty fast, which is another defect. The characters get a 50%. I have followed 9 from the moment the trailer premiered in theaters attached to Coraline. And I thought maybe, I would love it. And I was mostly disappointing of 9, but the animation wowed me. I say, rent 9. Its really not worth seeing in theaters, but a simple rent should do it.… Expand

I enjoyed this quirky movie. Kinda typical in a non-typical way. If you like dark Tim Burton types of movies then you would probably like this movie.

I would say that this movie is not bad but at the same time it was not great. I had a lot of expectations for this film. I actually like that fact that it is geared for adults. The look is cool and it has a very scary feel to it. The robots are coll looking as well. I thinkn that my biggest issue is the whole thing feels rushed. It doesn't give you enough time to connect with any of the characters. It would say this is a rental.… Expand

I'd planned to see this movie for the past month and a half, seeing as it came out precisely a week before my birthday. Shane Acker is an amazing story-teller and 9 proves it. I thought the animation, voice acting and plot were all incredible. The only thing that disappointed me was that 1, 2, 5, 6, and 8 all died; I thought they were coming back. But overall, best movie I've seen all year.… Expand

Only 9? I could have counted 100 cliches in this movie. I would have given this a zero if it weren't for the spectacular fight scenes. Plot, story, dialogue were a mere obstacle, almost a nuisance.

It was visually spectacular of course and it didn't have much of a plot or character develpment. But I was not expecting much of that so overall I think this film met my standards.

Entertaining film but fallidisimo script. An animated film where you have endless adventures carried just fine, with a post-apocalyptic aesthetic that gets you into position quickly but which is sunk to the depths as the plot comes into play. A dash of absurdity aqui te pillo aqui te mato, with a horrible end, where there is no catch it. As I said, entertaining action scenes with a dash painful.

If you've seen the trailer (which you probably have) then you've already seen literally every good moment in the movie. It is a very good movie but the trailer ruined it. Pretty awesome trailer though.

Visually, this movie is a masterpiece. As for good storytelling, this movie falls flat on it's face. If the creators had taken the time to build stronger, more interesting characters, this movie would have been stellar. Sadly, it is not.

This movie rocked!

Although the plot seemed old, the thematic part seemed brand new. 9 Had a good combination of sweet and bitter, sometimes meshing into each other. Tim Burton never fails to find a good story to entertain people with.

I have not personally seen the movie but I would rate any animated movie or movie targeting children as a 0 if it is pg-13 in the first place. This era of animated adult movies is confusing to my children and I do not forsee us seeing this movie because it looks too dark for a child to see. Sorry if this offends but this is after all just my opinion of the movie.

The film was definitely rushed. The story seems very capable of having better potential. potential that wasn't reached. very nice and peaceful ending. Instead of 6. I give it a 6 1/2.

Perhaps if 9 didn't try it's best to get to the ending as soon as possible, leaving out major to minor details, it would have been one of the best movies this year. The graphics are nice, and the action is thrilling, but that's really all this movie has to offer.

9 is so far the best animated movie of the year 2nd is Up. Yes, second is Up most people beg to differ but I felt like 9 delivered more adventure (of course it's in action film) and more consistent. When I mean consistent I mean interest throughout the entire film. Third would go to coraline I saw it in 3-D and nothing was in 3-D what a waste of money. Alright, now going back to 9. Once I saw the trailer the first thing that caught my mind was check out that outfit. C'mon it's so clever they are in a potato sack type thing. Then after that I saw the trailer again but now in HD. Then the first thing that caught my mind was the animation it was so cool. It was beautiful the animation was ridiculous. A big reason why you should see this film on the big screen is because of how the animation looks. Also Shane Acker is such a clever man the main plot of this film is astonishing. So after a while its opening week for 9 so im looking at the times. So while im looking I see how long the film is and I see 79 minutes. So I do some research and I realize that it was first a short film by Shane Acker, and Tim Burton loved it so much he wanted to make a blockbuster film about what the short film was about. So this is Shane Acker's directional debut. He did 9 the short film and that was it. So they grabbed some pretty big actors and for their writer they got Pamela Pettler. She was the writer of Tim Burton's Corpse Bride and not Tim Burton's Monster House.(I sat that because it would of sounded like Tim Burton had something to do with Monster House.) Before I let this review be posted there is something I want say. My last sentence before I post is, Tim Burton is so underrated that man is a genie.… Expand

This movie blew my expectations away. I was expecting an excellent movie to start with. And it blew me away. Everything about this film was well done. Worth every penny to see in theater.

Very good. the story wasnt as bad as some people say and the characters were fleshed out to the point were it was enough. The action was just phenomenal, and the same goes to the animation and VA.

Minor spoiler. The main reason I decided to write a review is to respond to the review by Chris S. The sack people were never meant to reproduce. There was no flaw in their creation. If you recall at the end of the movie when 9 releases the others' souls and they float up into the sky, it begins to rain. In the rain are little green blobs. This is life starting anew. So you see, they actually did succeed in their mission to save the future. The only real problem I had with the movie is that it was too short. If the plot had been developed just a little more and the action scenes extended, then this would be getting a full 10 out of 10. It is visually stunning and full of action. This is a must see!… Expand

I thought it was creative for something animated that had a little different story line and unique feel to the characters. I liked it but not enough to see it twice or three times like I did Coraline. It is worth the money.

The animation was impressive, but it was a hard sell to make me care about any of the characters in such a done-to-death plot. Ultimately there was no character development, aside from one of the dolls deciding to follow the young, individualist 9 instead of the old, dogmatic 1. (I can't recall if 1 ever really changed his outlook at all, so I'll admit that if he did, I simply didn't catch onto it enough to remember.) After about an hour of grinding through the dark, gloomy story, my group in the theater gave up and resorted to a popcorn fight, so... Take that for what you will about us or about the movie.… Expand

Boring. Repetitive animation, much of which makes little sense. We are to believe that a rag doll with a small razor can de-capitate a machine?? Pretty much a bore.

This is the best movie I have ever seen in my life. I have been counting the days for the sheer perfection of this indescribably brilliant film to swoop down from heaven to DVD and Blue-Ray. Any one age 11 and a third or over can should and hopefully will see this film. I have found that ever since I saw this beautiful piece of art 4 months ago I have not gone a single day without watching the trailer at least once. Life just wont be complete without seeing this film at least once.… Expand

A stellar voice cast, and a truly amazing piece of work to look at. 9 portrays and incredibly bleak and desolate world through almost 'little big planet' PS3 game style sack people and their unfolding story. Some truly horrific looking elements appear through the movie, adding the Tim Burton goth like stamp over it (he co-produced it). Sadly the story weakens half way through, but remains a great looking film until the end. The screen we saw this on was not the best and fairly small, and I'd imagine this would be pretty amazing in high definition.… Expand

The only reason I watched this movie in the first place was because of Tim Burton, and I'm being nice by saying it was horrible. One of the worst movies ever.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Set in a post apocalyptic world where all life on Earth has been wiped out by machines, or rather one machine in particular. This film focuses on the efforts of a group of inventions, numbered 1 to 9, who try to redeem the scientist who made both them and the machine that destroyed the world. The machine has been dormant for many years, but one of its progeny, a mechanical cat-like creature protects its lair and takes anything that moves into it’s area. 9 was the last of the scientist’s inventions, but he didn’t have time to animate him before he died. All of the previous inventions, 1 to 8 had already been released into the world. So we begin with 9 falling to the floor and becoming sentient. He explores his surroundings, the remains of the scientist’s lab, and finds a small device that he seems to think is important. He looks outside to see another like himself, but he is unable to call out, so he goes outside, taking the device with him, where he eventually finds 2 who gives him a voice. 2 tells him of the war, and how the machines had wiped out all life, apart from the 9. At this point they are attacked by ‘the cat’ who takes both 2 and the device back to its lair. 9 is now alone again, but is found by 5, who takes him back to the sanctuary where 1, 6 and 8 also live. 9 persuades 5 to help him go after 2. They battle with ‘the cat’, which is finally destroyed by 7, who luckily turns up at the last minute. 9 finds a socket that the device fits into, unfortunately, that socket is on ‘the machine’! This is where things get pretty intense for our heroes. A beautifully made film with, I thought, a wonderful visual style. Decent performances from the voice talents of Christopher Plummer as 1, Martin Landau as 2, John C. Reilly as 5 Crispin Glover as 6, Jennifer Connelly as 7, Fred Tatasciore as 8 and the radio announcer and Elijah Wood as 9. The film did have some quite scary moments and some of the themes were quite grown up, so I wouldn’t recommend it for small children. The producers include Tim Burton, whose work I shouldn’t have to mention and Timur Bekmambetov, who has previously worked on Wanted (2008), Night Watch (2004) and Day Watch (2006). Having already seen this at the cinema it was interesting to re-watch it on TV. For me I felt it was better the second time around. I had a better understanding of the plot and could focus more on the quality of the animation and the score, both of which are excellent. I have given it the same score I gave it first time around because, although not perfect and yes, there are som plot holes in it, but I still quite like this one. Over all, recommended. My score: 6.8/10… Expand

The film may look good, but it plays out like cut scenes to a video game. The voice acting is decent, but it isn't really key to our plot, which is pretty thread bare. See this for the visuals, not for the content.

A huge disappointment the trailers made it look better than it actually was, it turned out to be a boring mess with lame characters, the good things are that it was unique and could have been a good horror movie, but I still can't recommend it.

The movie shows a post-apocalyptic/post-human place after the last of the humans has died in a war against their own machines. The film criticizes the abuse of science for the development of warfare - in this case especially artificial intelligence and biological warfare. Eventually, after our self-destruction, the forces of nature will wash away all the dirt we left behind. However, now that we are still here it is on us to keep our planet livable and beautiful. "9" has an intelligent story, an okay screenplay, and some beautiful moments. It is worth watching but loses some of its magic after the first viewing.… Expand

I dont know whats wrong with this movie. At first watch I thought it was cool but the voices just ruin it for me. I love how they make the movies like this but the characters just didnt do it for me, thought the movie was just boring and I love animation type movies but maybe this one just feel off the radar for me.

Although 9 doesn't run for very long, and the plot may not seem there at times, it's still worth the time, with its visuals that are on par with Blue Sky and an amazing voice cast that includes Elijah Wood and John C. Reilly.

9 is not a casual film. This isn't the kind of movie where you invite a bunch of friends over, expecting an "awesome" movie. That's not to say it's a bad movie, it's quite good in fact. It's just not a typical film. It's bleak, it's eerie, and even the action, though strong, has a lot of symbolic meaning. I don't often watch films like 9, nor do I want to. 9 offers only a few smiles, and no laughs. Rule #1 for me, it has to have humor. I don't mind serious films, but a little humor can go a long way in helping me remember the film, and enjoy it. 9 manages to entertain without laughs. But 9 has a lot of emotion anyway. Fear certainly comes to mind, as does sadness. The PG-13 rating was not earned from language or sexual content. Part of it comes from the bloodless, yet intense violence. The more protruding part comes from the darkness. Despite it's limited inappropriate content, this is not a film for kids. It's dark themes may even challenge older ones. The story isn't all that sophisticated, to be honest. And there's more than a few cliches. There are plot points we've seen before, and characters that may evoke a sense of deja vu. But that's okay, because the movie is strong. The animation is incredible. The musical score, though a little run of the mill, is appropriately creepy, and it knows when to keep quiet. The voice cast is filled with stars that shine, but don't distract. Of course, you didn't come to see any of that. Depending on who you are, you came for one of two things; an intellectual film, and thought provoking themes, or epic machine vs. rag doll fights. If action is what you came for, you shouldn't be disappointed. There are plenty of, I shouldn't say duels, but fights between the stitch dolls, and the mechanical beasts. This film is not made up of action throughout, so teens coming ONLY for the action will surely be disappointed, but there's enough action to thrill and excite. If you came for intellectual stimulation, you will have to wait for after the film to enjoy that bit. During the movie, you will have to do little thinking. This is the kind of flick that inspires conversation after viewing. As the film runs, you simply have to sit back and enjoy. 9 is a wonderful movie. It's by no means, one for the ages, but it's a thought-provoking, heart pounding little flick, that can surely be enjoyed by any one who wants to try something, a little new.… Expand