The idea of men fighting an endless war over machines is a classic science fiction tale. It spelled out success for The Matrix, the 1999 film created by the brothers Wachowski. The Animatrix animated film of 2003 relied on the same concept.  It’s no wonder Shane Acker decided to come up with a version of his own.

But Acker’s version goes one step further. Machines have won, leaving no trace of humanity.
Enter the hero, a rag doll called 9 (Elijah Wood).  He is awakened to join fellow rag dolls 5 (John C. Reilly) and 7 (Jennifer Connelly). They set out on a creepy mission to retrieve the kidnapped 2 (Martin Landau), and end up resurrecting the very machine that first caused the terror.

Produced by Tim Burton and Russian director Timur Bekmambetov, we can anticipate that the animation will be dark and the characters quirky.

Burton’s previous animations (Nightmare before Christmas and Corpse Bride) fit within the genre of children’s horror, 9 is a more serious nightmare for adults with apocalyptic contents.

The gloomy computer generated imagery (CGI) is astounding – especially the robot clashes and the grim backdrops and sets. But the visual fantasy is left hanging with a disappointing plot that leaves no options for change, then defaults to a happy ending.

The ending is a let-down. Some dolls whose souls have been captured are not revived, even though the device that can bring them back is at hand.

The unexpected positive twist, where the rag doll remnants reignite human evolution on earth, is just too glamorous an ending.

The film does put forward the idea that humanity is more significant than mere intelligence, but the movie fails to develop the idea with detailed reasoning and clear background information.

Viewers are left with unanswered questions when the lights come on. How were all the machines destroyed if humans are already extinct? How could the last man on earth be the same scientist who built the robot in the first place? Why nine rag dolls to begin with? We are only left to wonder.