Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
When 9 first comes to life, he finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world. All humans are gone, and it is only by chance that he discovers a small community of others like him taking refuge from fearsome machines that roam the earth intent on their extinction. Despite being the neophyte of the group, 9 convinces the others that hiding will do them no good.
9 is a visually striking animated film with genuinely impressive post-apocalyptic steampunk world-building and strong cinematography that stands out in animation. However, the plot is fairly thin and underdeveloped for its premise — the stitchpunk dolls fighting machines concept is intriguing but the narrative rushes through its ideas without much depth. Voice acting is serviceable but unremarkable given the talent involved. The ending feels abrupt and thematically muddy, failing to deliver on the emotional weight the film builds. Novelty is above average thanks to its distinctive visual identity and tone, though the underlying story beats follow familiar action-adventure arcs.