If you want a high-brow post-apocalyptic action film with snappy dialogue and a brilliant twist ending, then Shane Ackerís ì9″ will probably come as something of a disappointment.† ì9″ lacks too many important elements to be a truly exceptional film.† But those areas in which it does excel make it well worth the price of a ticket.
Rendered entirely in CGI, the film looks amazing.† The world created by the visuals and the early, silent moments of the film is truly nightmarish, with a bombed-out abandoned city reminiscent of England after the blitz, populated by creatures which look kind of like the sentinels from ìThe Matrix,” only way scarier.† The whole film has a 1940s aesthetic which is really interesting and evokes the worst fears of the world during that time.† Into this hellish landscape come our heroes, delightfully simple-looking rag doll creatures capable of expressing a remarkable range of emotions through their faces and bodies.† All in all, it looks like the beginning of a truly epic film.
Then the rag dolls start talking.† To put it bluntly, this film would have been far better if that hadnít happened.† Donít get me wrong, the voice acting wasnít bad.† But every line fell into one of two categories: things anyone over the age of six would have been able to figure out without them being said, and trite-sounding clichÈs.† Had the movie been shown with no dialogue, with only sound effects and music, the story would have been just as clear, and the film would probably have been widely praised for its effective minimalist storytelling.
Of course it might have been harder to sell tickets without Elijah Wood and Jennifer Connellyís names on the poster.† But somehow I doubt that was the filmís main selling point.† What hooked me right from the trailer were the visuals.
The plot is simplistic, but itís also sweet, and manages to have some emotional pull in spite of the clunky dialogue, in part due to how expressively the rag doll characters are animated.† Itís fairly predictable, and the only moments of genuine surprise I had watching this film were caused by plot points that didnít make a great deal of sense ó the motivation of the main characters was questionable, and I kept expecting insights that never came.
Despite how this review sounds, I actually did like ì9.” It was fun, exciting, creepy at times, and it never really felt like it dragged.† If I was disappointed by it, I think it was because I saw in it so much potential for being more than just entertaining.† But it was entertaining, and if turning off the higher part of your brain for a bit is what youíre in the mood for, I highly recommend it.