Sidewalks On The Corner

A small group of burlap automatons must band together to fight machines from a war torn era. Adapted from the short film of the same name, “9” has been expanded to a full length film, thanks in part to Tim Burton and crew.

Follow up:

9
Focus Features
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13

Director: Shane Acker (Student Academy Award winner for original short film “9”)
Writer: Pamela Pettler (“Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride,” “Monster House”)
Cast: Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher Plummer, Crispin Glover, Martin Landau
Running Time: 79 minutes

Studio Synopsis:
An action-packed adventure, director Shane Acker’s animated fantasy epic is the feature-length expansion of his Academy Award-nominated 2004 short film of the same name. The screenplay for the feature is by Pamela Pettler (“Monster House”); directors Tim Burton (“Beetlejuice”) and Timur Bekmambetov (“Wanted”) are among the feature version’s producers. The time is the too-near future. Powered and enabled by the invention known as the Great Machine, the world’s machines have turned on mankind and sparked social unrest, decimating the human population before being largely shut down. But as our world fell to pieces, a mission began to salvage the legacy of civilization; a group of small creations was given the spark of life by a scientist in the final days of humanity, and they continue to exist post-apocalypse. Another of their own, #9 (voiced by Elijah Wood), emerges and displays leadership qualities that may help them survive and possibly even thrive. The conflicted but resilient tribe already includes #1 (Christopher Plummer), a domineering war veteran and the group’s longtime leader; #2 (Martin Landau), a kindly but now-frail inventor; #3 and #4, scholarly twins who communicate nonverbally and mostly with each other; #5 (John C. Reilly), a stalwart and nurturing engineer; #6 (Crispin Glover), an erratic artists beset by visions; #7 (Jennifer Connelly), a brave and self-sufficient warrior; and #8 (Fred Tatasciore), the none-too-bright muscle and enforcer for #1. With their group so few, these “stitchpunk” creations must summon individual strengths well beyond their own proportions in order to outwit and fight against still-functioning machines, one of which is a marauding mechanized beast. In the darkness just before the dawn, #9 rallies everyone of his number to band together. While showcasing a stunning “steampunk”-styled visual brilliance, the film dynamically explores the will to live, the power of community, and how one soul can change the world.

(l-r.) #6 (voiced by Crispin Glover), #5 (voiced by John C. Reilly), #8 (voiced by Fred Tatasciore), and #9 (voiced by Elijah Wood) are on alert in Shane Acker's epic adventure fantasy 9.
Photo: Focus Features

J.P.'s Take:
Upon first glance it's not your typical animation. Written/produced and directed by Shane Acker, the short 11-minute version is considered somewhat of a minor masterpiece. Mainly because of it's nostalgic appeal. It takes us back to the silent era, where films bared more emotion from its characters telling the story through their actions.

What's impressive about the feature-length version is the animation and its unique perspective in the way the story is told. Instead of using human actors to convey a bunch of lines, little robots made of burlap with mechanical parts are given life. It’s the story of how mankind leaves the fate of their survival in the hands of these little cloth-bots that sparks intrigue.

Although the story itself is nothing special, the story line is something you may find in modern Sci-Fi movies like “Terminator,” “War of The Worlds,” “The Matrix,” etc. You could probably compare it to many movies about robots and war; however, it's the sympathy the audience has for the characters and premise that keeps you watching.

Right away you notice “9” isn't the cute and fuzzy animation that kids are use to. It has the look and feel of a European war movie, with its bleak and grim tone through out. It makes you feel as if death lurks around every corner. Actually, most of the time it did. Those of you who remember 80's films like “Labyrinth” or “The Dark Crystal” know exactly what I'm talking about. There is a certain mystery about it as well. 9 and his band of numeric crusaders become involved in that search of some far fetched, yet imaginative answers. They're not only in search of answers to the war they are fighting, but they also need answers as to why they were created in the first place. The battles they encounter give them a humanistic quality, as they, too, must bare the burden of life and death . . . finding truth and a since of purpose.

What really brings this whole dark picture to life is the voice over work from the actors. Elijah Woods is the brave hearted #9, Martin Landau plays a curious but wary #2, and Jennifer Connelly is the heroic #7. You can also hear the voices of Crispin Glover as the quirky #6, Christopher Plummer as the crabby leader #1, John C. Reilly the cautious but prepared #5, and last, but not least, Fred Tatasciore as #8.

I don't recommend this film to children under 12, simply because it's dark and dreary. The kids may not understand what's happening. I personally enjoyed the journey and wanted to stick around to see what would happen next. Although the story was very easy to figure out, I'm assuming this is what the filmmakers are counting on. It's worth seeing if you want a new spin on an old theme.

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J.P. Langston is a member of "Sidewalks Entertainment" team primarily as a videographer. He loves movies, especially sci-fi horror and action comedies. Some of his favorite films include "Blade Runner" "The Matrix Trilogy," The (original) "Star Wars," "Equilibrium," "Serenity," "Kill Bill Vols 1 and 2," "Appleseed," "Unbreakable" and "Sin City." He has a large DVD collection, which is still growing. Since reviewing films for "Sidewalks," he has been expanding his palette for all types of films.