On a Scale of 1 to 10, With 10 Being the Best
9 (No pun intended)
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Plot: The movie is brilliantly directed. One of the first scene is our hero of the story, a burlap robot rag-doll who falls from a shelf and clinks with a circular device. This scene sets the mood for the entire film. To all who think this is a cute animated movie...please reconsider. The movie did not do well in theaters because it was thought to be more of a children's movie, this movie does have several corpses and war-like elements. The rag-doll, called 9, awakens to a destroyed world where the only "living" creatures left, are rag-doll robots like himself or scary monster robots. They are intelligent creatures that are capable of inventing and problem solving. The problem to solve is why there are monsters after them and how to survive. (NOTE-If you like dream psychology you will love this movie!)
Characters/Actors of Note:
Elijah Wood playing 9: The number nine, according to Jungian dream psychology represents closure. In this movie, there is a lot of open wounds and frayed ends that 9 resolves. When I was watching the movie, I kept thinking that I knew the voice and how great the casting was. It was soft but still strong enough to be a taken seriously as a leader. Figures it was Frodo from Lord of the Rings voicing this! I just loved this character. There was no, "Who am I?" question that we get a lot from movies where the character wakes up from a coma. He went out to learn about his world and then peacefully solved the issues. Mr. Wood portrayed his character in a refined and caring manner that was lovely to watch.
Jennifer Connelly playing 7: Jungian dream psychology states that the number seven represents healing and uniqueness. 7 was the only female character in the story, making her unique, and she also kicked some hard core butt! Out of the other robot rag-dolls, 7 knew how to fight and also how to stand her ground. I feared that they would try to make her overly feminine but they didn't. She was a fighter and also very caring. The first time we see 7, she is helping those who can't help themselves. Ms. Connelly was caring and proud and was enjoyable to see!
John C. Reilly playing 5: What does Jungian dreams say about the number five? It says that five is both daring and sensitive. Can't be done you say? You would be wrong. 5 is a shy and scared character that is easily persuaded. Later on though, 5 is the hero who does a very daring act. If you are familiar with Wreck it Ralph, you know that Mr. Reilly (who plays Ralph) can pull out our heartstrings and is easy to love.
Music: Deborah Lurie did a fine job with the music. A lot of creepy undertones without using the typical piano bits. Grant, I love a piano but it was nice to get away from that sound for once. This movie was just so unique so it deserved unique sounds. Claps for you!
Camera Work/Cinematography: Wow! What great animation. The hands that appear first in the movie even have thumb prints. You can also see all the threading in the rag-dolls and the gears in the machines. The animators must have studied these items up close to understand how they look. Since the creatures are generally small (six to seven inches tall or 18 to 20 centimeters tall) the detail had to be spot on because from our perspective, we would have to be quite close to see their stitch and gear work. Colors used in this movie included a lot of browns, which I thought I would hate but I loved it. I though it was very appropriate for this film as it gave a nature vs metal feel, almost a steam-punk look.
RECAP:
This movie is done incredibly well. The attention to detail in the animating, the script writing, the casting, and the acting was just spot on. This movie is a tad depressing and you should be warned that if you are against magic, then you may not want to watch this. The movie deals with magic and science together near the end. If you like post-apocalptic movies with a great cast and great art, then this is the movie for you!
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