9

(M) Madman DVD/BD

This beautifully-detailed animation would have been wonderful on the big screen. But the story — another about a displaced soul — still works pretty well on DVD.
Imagine if you can … a world with so much potential but where our pursuit of technology has only led us to our doom. The world is ending but life must go on.
9 draws on art, history and apocalyptic and dystopian myths from H. G. Wells to George Orwell and Star Wars to tell its tale of fabricated life battling machines to preserve some hope for humanity in a devastated city.

The character 9 is cobbled together from hessian, wood and metal to perform a function only revealed after mysterious symbols are deciphered, others of his kind learn to work together and a common enemy is understood and overcome. Fear and self-preservation must be balanced with courage and selflessness. Cowardice with heroism. Power and destructive purpose with ingenuity and improvisation.

The future looks bleak but while there is still a chance …

Fans of the popular computer game will recognise how Myst-ic 9 is — the way it is drawn. How problems are solved. It is also very metaphysical and mystical. And is spoiled by a hocus-pocus ending.

Stephen Webb