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| Homer Yen... |
 Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 1:42 pm |
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"9" - From Rags Come Riches
by Homer Yen
(c) 2009
Not too long ago, a UCLA film student named Shane Acker created as his
short subject a visionary world in which (and this is going to sound
bizarre) a sentient being that looks like a voodoo rag doll fights for
survival in a post-apocalyptic world. It is called "9" and it
garnered an Oscar nomination in 2006. In fact, you can get a glimpse
of his 10-minute short film, presented in high-quality, at this
YouTube.com address (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IQcMeNh7Hc).
It caught the attention of some Hollywood movers and shakers, who
subsequently decided to fund and develop a feature length film around
this premise. And now, you can see that tense 80-minute adventure
playing at your local cineplex. If you like your science-fiction
layered with a smidgen of darkness, lots of action as underdogs
struggle for survival, and an endless stream of inventive ideas, then
this film will not disappoint. Though it is animated fare, it is
decidedly designed for the PG-13 crowd. It's not as white-knuckle
tense as "District 9" but it is certainly more adult-oriented than
"Wall*E".
In the opening scene, our hero and titular character (voiced by Elijah
Woods) awakens in a lab. His life has just started. He pushes open
the windows of the room in which he is in. The camera pans back to
reveal a devastated landscape that has resulted from a cataclysmic
war. This is not going to be a pleasant life. Not much is left here
in this place and time. Actually, "not much" is too generous. The
planet is now a heap of wreckage. All that moves, perhaps, are other
similar-looking voodoo-doll beings that were also brought to life
through arcane magic. Who are they? What do they represent? Why is
9 the last of the bunch? These are all interesting questions that
they story eventually reveals. Meanwhile, also lurking in the shadows
and hunting them down is a mechanical, one-eyed beast.
What you'll first notice is the visual brilliance of the film, filled
with sumptuous renderings. There is a remarkable level of attention
to detail. Take our hero, for example. His skin has the pronounced
texture of a burlap sack. When his eyes blink, it reminds you of the
opening and closing of shutter from an old-style 35mm camera. The
buildings within this desolate landscape are larger than life. The
cathedral and the library are not immense structures by themselves.
But, when you consider that these sentient rag dolls appear to be no
more than a foot tall, it makes otherwise ordinary buildings appear
cavernous and foreboding. Meanwhile, the enemy creatures that 9 and
his brethren have to contend with are fearsome contraptions indeed.
The visual effects, the sound effects, the dark landscape come
together to create a lush otherworldly experience.
Back in the 90s, I was transfixed by a computer game called MYST.
Anyone every play it? It was a CD-ROM graphic adventure video game
for the PC. Its critical success was due to the fact that the game
impressively immersed players into its fictional otherworld. "9"
evokes that same incredible feeling.
Grade: B+
S: 0 out of 3
L: 0 out of 3
V: 2 out of 3 |
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