Step 1: Imagine the Terminator series done with sock puppets. 9 isn’t necessarily an original story, but the detailed visuals are incredibly creative.
Step 2: Don’t bring the small kids. Although 9 is animated, it’s a very dark and oftentimes scary look at an apocalyptic world in which machines have wiped out the human race. The only thing left of humanity are these nine “stitchpunk” creations, made by the scientist who basically created the big, bad machines in the first place. #9 (Elijah Wood) is the last one to awaken, and he finds most of the machines have powered down – except for a few stray “beasts.” He also discovers how the other eight of his kind have been surviving, including #2 (Martin Landau), an scientist himself trying to find answers; #5 (John C. Reilly), the most kindhearted; #7 (Jennifer Connelly), a kick-ass fighter; and #1 (Christopher Plummer), the granddaddy of them all who is afraid to explore this new world. #9 isn’t intimidated, however; he wants to know what happened, how they can defeat the remaining machines and most importantly, how they can live.
Step 3: Pump this full of explosions and heart-stopping chases. Sock puppets or not, 9 is a full-on action-packed thrill ride. It gives you little time to catch your breath from one sequence to the next, especially in the way the various different evil machines come after our motley crew. One looks like a snake with a doll’s face as its head. Another looks like a Terminator panther, much creepier than anything Transformers had to offer. Like I said, there is some pretty scary stuff in 9, and it’s definitely not for young kids.
Step 4: Make a really cool short animated film and see where it gets you. First-time director Shane Acker created 9 originally as an 11-minute film for his thesis at UCLA, won the Gold Medal at the Student Academy Awards and eventually was nominated for an Oscar in the animated short category. Soon, 9 was gaining a cult following and got the attention of directors Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov, who, as producers, helped Acker turn his short into the feature-length film it is today. You can certainly see their influences.
Level of difficulty in watching 9: Moderately easy. Kind of dark and depressing, 9 is nevertheless a visual treat that stirs the imagination.