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9 Movie Reviews
Animated tale about a race of diminutive burlap humanoids who are charged with the task of perpetuating life on Earth in a post-apocalyptic era. Cast:Elijah Wood, Jennifer Connelly, Martin Landau, Christopher Plummer, John C. Reilly, Crispin GloverDirector:Shane AckerRelease Date:September 9, 2009DVD Release:December 29, 2009From:Focus FeaturesRating:PG-13Length:1 hr 19 min
9 played in limited release to good not great reviews. • Christy Lemire wrote for the Associated Press, "The animation is so breathtaking in its originality, so weird and wondrous in its detail, you wish there were more meat to the screenplay." • And Michael Cavna wrote in the Washington Post, "It's the state-of-the-art visuals that will rock many a viewer's world..." More Reviews Below...
Mary Pols, Time: MODERATE "...visually alluring but hollow... while reminiscent of 'Coraline's' playful weirdness and 'Wall-E's' plotline, the film lack the power of either."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 710 words, 09/11/09
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: EXCELLENT(cg) "...proof that apocalyptic catastrophe is great for moviemakers, inspiring wonderfully original visions of ruin and expanding the artistic possibilities of cinematic technology."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 649 words, 09/11/09
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: VERY GOOD(cg) "The animation is so breathtaking in its originality, so weird and wondrous in its detail, you wish there were more meat to the screenplay."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 540 words, 09/10/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: MODERATE(cg) "Long on imaginative design but less substantial in narrative, this dreary story of fighting the power is more numbing than thought-provoking."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 478 words, 09/09/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...lingers in a strange, sinister and brilliantly realized landscape rich with allusions to the histories of painting, animation, fantastic literature and 20th-century totalitarianism."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 771 words, 09/09/09
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Acker's underwritten but beautifully animated debut is both an ode to technology and a warning against it. Perhaps unintentionally, the film itself echoes those themes."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 140 words, 09/11/09
Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: GOOD "Every year the envelope of contemporary animation is pushed, stretched and tested by all sorts of adventurous talents. Shane Acker is one of them..."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 604 words, 09/09/09
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...may not be an instant classic like 'Wall-E,' but it signals the arrival of Shane Acker as an audacious new talent to watch."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 320 words, 09/09/09
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...filled with terrifically intricate action and clever details, though more care could have been taken with Pamela Pettler's script."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 392 words, 09/09/09
Scott Foundas, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "Shane Acker keeps things moving briskly... pulls off the trickier feat of establishing distinct personalities for his monochromatic, look-alike characters..."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 531 words, 09/09/09
Radheyan Simonpillai, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "Uninspired and repetitive back-and-forth action and burlap sack puppets fall flat, all-star voice cast (Christopher Plummer, Jennifer Connelly, Elijah Wood) be damned."(See all of Radheyan Simonpillai's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 168 words, 09/10/09
KEY CITIES (14 Reviews)
Michael Cavna, Washington Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "What will linger is not the dialogue. It's the state-of-the-art visuals that will rock many a viewer's world -- their pre-apocalyptic world."(See all of Michael Cavna's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 923 words, 09/09/09
Peter Hartlaub, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...all heart and action, channeling 'The Magnificent Seven,' with more characters and a bleaker background. (Imagine if Cormac McCarthy had directed 'The Incredibles.')"(See all of Peter Hartlaub's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 645 words, 09/09/09
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: MODERATE(cg) "The animation and action sequences are jaw-dropping, truly amazing stuff, so much so that they almost completely overshadow the story."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 479 words, 09/09/09
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...lively, smart, handsome... it was born as a 10-minute short (which won an Oscar) and, frankly, could keep growing in size and scope before wearing out its welcome."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 324 words, 09/09/09
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Dark enough for either boring or scaring small children... also thematically slender enough to disappoint grownups."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 387 words, 09/09/09
Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The visuals are great and mostly distinct enough to make an old story feel somewhat fresh, and the film's swift pacing ensures a lack of squirming."(See all of Connie Ogle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 360 words, 09/09/09
Scott Foundas, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "Shane Acker keeps things moving briskly... pulls off the trickier feat of establishing distinct personalities for his monochromatic, look-alike characters..."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 531 words, 09/09/09
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "If looks were all, '9' would have earned a better rating from me.... I only wish this richly imaginative movie had stayed truer to the dark heart of its visuals."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 239 words, 09/11/09
Brett Michel, Boston Phoenix: MODERATE(cg) "...older viewers may find little to admire about Acker's feature-length expansion of his Oscar-nominated 10-minute 2005 short, other than its CGI visuals. But what visuals!"(See all of Brett Michel's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 162 words, 09/10/09
Radheyan Simonpillai, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "Uninspired and repetitive back-and-forth action and burlap sack puppets fall flat, all-star voice cast (Christopher Plummer, Jennifer Connelly, Elijah Wood) be damned."(See all of Radheyan Simonpillai's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 168 words, 09/10/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...lingers in a strange, sinister and brilliantly realized landscape rich with allusions to the histories of painting, animation, fantastic literature and 20th-century totalitarianism."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 771 words, 09/09/09
Anthony Lane, New Yorker: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a blend of vengeful action picture, punctuated by fireballs, and more peaceable, mystical -- and, frankly nonsensical -- ruminations on the nature of destiny.... it works."(See all of Anthony Lane's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 976 words, 09/07/09
Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "Every year the envelope of contemporary animation is pushed, stretched and tested by all sorts of adventurous talents. Shane Acker is one of them..."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 604 words, 09/09/09
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...certainly is a valuable introduction to an exciting new talent, but by expanding the film's length, characters and otherworldly environment things are strangely diminished."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 654 words, 08/18/09
Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "Every year the envelope of contemporary animation is pushed, stretched and tested by all sorts of adventurous talents. Shane Acker is one of them..."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 604 words, 09/09/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...lingers in a strange, sinister and brilliantly realized landscape rich with allusions to the histories of painting, animation, fantastic literature and 20th-century totalitarianism."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 771 words, 09/09/09
13.7 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
9 's reviews are separated by an average 13.7 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Coverage: 9 's reviews cover 82.4% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 18,597 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 477 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 9.4 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
9 's reviews on average broke 9.4 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is 9 's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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