(Rated PG-13 for brutal violence): It's an animated film, stunning in its originality of design as well as in its details - made more astounding when seen on the big, big screen.
We follow 9, the latest of a series of small, rag doll like creatures who must roam the post-apocalyptic wasteland, now devoid of humans, who were destroyed by the machines they had created. Now a Great Machine becomes lord of the land, and along with an army of spider-like mechanical robots to do its bidding. It becomes a war between those mechanical critters and the little band of sentient stitchedpunks. Or something like that.
The stitchpunks, just inches tall, all soft, cloth textured and pliable with camera lenses for eyes, have two diverse opinions about their plight. The first of them, 1, insists on taking the safest way out - running & hiding. It is then up to 9, along with a feisty 7, to take the lead to the opposite, to fight back; fight back they do with one cliff hanger of an experience after another until a final revelation & showdown.
As you can see, the plot is derivative; "Wall-E," some of Miyazaki's animé, and way back to James Thurber's "The Last Flower" touch on similar ideas; but Shane Acker's original idea (extended from his Oscar-nominated short) and Pamela Pettler's subtle restraint in writing (She was responsible for "Corpse Bride" earlier.) combine to flesh out the story with veiled suggestiveness that goes beyond the plot.
Is the basis for the film philosophical? Religious? Socially or politically critical? Or all of the above? The machines were made to serve humans, to fight wars, and then became all too successful and self serving. Further, our rag-taggle band of nine seek sanctuary in a bombed-out cathedral, try to figure out what they've been told, that they are all that's left of humanity - pieces of the Originator's soul - ponder the meaning of their lives, make decisions that, if wrong, could wipe them out - all of which are prefaced by not knowing how they came to be in the first place - all hinted at in a 79-minute movie.
One might wish for more from Acker/Pettler (and likely also Tim Burton, who was on the production crew), to answer questions with further revelations, but, hey, the design is so magnificent and the pace so rapid, let's just settle back, appreciate the breathtaking originality in images & design, and ponder the questions afterwards.
Acker directs his cast of voices, from Christopher Plummer to Jennifer Connelly to John C. Reilly to Martin Landau and even to Elijah Wood, giving them enough individual character to identify them from one another. Danny Elfman's musical themes work well within the tone & framework of the movie. Credits went by too fast to note, but I believe there was one given to a Toronto based studio for the art work.
Anyone as visually oriented as I am will ignore the plot failings and savor the rest - and there is plenty to savor. (Grade: A-)
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