With plenty of better animated films on offer this year, it is probably best to save time and money, and watch the short instead.

| Original Score: 2/5 | May 7, 2024

By telling a story that could not be filmed in live-action, Acker makes animation the wonderfully unpredictable and visionary art form it should be. Too bad he doesn’t back up his glorious animation with an equally interesting story.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Sep 4, 2023

9 is a challenge to remember our roots... to not get caught in our beliefs or our politics or - most especially - become chained to the powers of our intellect alone.

| Dec 22, 2020

If the story lacks in expected profoundness, the generally impressive character designs more than make up for it.

| Original Score: 6/10 | Nov 28, 2020

A muddled dystopian fable about the dangers of technology, Acker's story comes across as WallE meets Terminator.

| Nov 25, 2020

Fans of adult themes in animation will likely marvel.

| Original Score: 2.5/4.0 | Sep 17, 2020

The new version stays so true to the original you could describe it as a feature-length short-which is not the most staggering accomplishment.

| Oct 20, 2014

A potent reminder that not all shorts, even ones as brilliant as Acker's, will necessarily work well as a feature.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Jan 3, 2012

9 has a very Coraline-esque tone to it, so if that's a film you enjoyed, then this movie is definitely something worth checking out on the big screen.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 10, 2011

Darkly beautiful to watch.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 28, 2011

Feels unnaturally fleshed out and overthought, dampening the excitement through extensive padding...captivating eye candy, but something of a dramatic spinout.

| Original Score: C | Jun 2, 2010

If you're gonna be so downbeat, yah gotta be good. This ain't good. Paul Chambers, CNN.

| Original Score: D+ | Mar 27, 2010

9 is overall an enjoyable and inventive film.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 18, 2010

A throwback to the industrial era, the film doesn't feel as important now as it might have then.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 28, 2010

Proudly mature -- the movie deals much with individual death as well as doomsday -- so it's a welcome work, something we might even dare to call American-style anime.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Jan 18, 2010

This movie is what would happen if the folks at Pixar were manic depressives . . .

Full Review | Jan 4, 2010

I think if I were not diligently taking notes for this very review I might have folded laundry or something to pass the time... It's a beautiful movie to look at and a clumsy story with a weird ending.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Dec 29, 2009

Totally lacking in character development. It is like seeing a love story involving toasters.

| Dec 21, 2009

There is a lot that is interesting to see in the world created by Shane Acker but not enough to make the feature film satisfying.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Dec 21, 2009

Watch it for the visuals, and dream about what Shane Acker might accomplish with a better screenplay.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Dec 20, 2009