Science fantasy '9' offers a lot of vision, but little soul

The dark and daunting animated science fantasy "9" looks a little like H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds," a little like a scary movie by Tim Burton, and a little like a horror film by Soviet-born director Timur Bekmambetov.

Wells had nothing to do with the making of "9," but Burton and Bekmambetov did. They produced this movie, directed by a "Lord of the Rings" animator named Shane Acker, expanded from his 11-minute, 2005 Oscar-nominated film short of the same title.

Screenwriter Pamela Pettler beefed up Acker's original, simple chase-movie story line by adding eight other characters to join the main one called 9, plus a Frankenstein-like (but not-so-mad) scientist. Then, the characters now come to life through a cast of famous actors.

The result is a haunting glimpse of a post-Apocalyptic planet occupied no longer by self-destructive humans, but by a strange little doll creature seemingly constructed of burlap-like material, with two large glowing lenses operating as eyes.

When 9 (voiced by "Lord of the Rings" star Elijah Wood) becomes conscious, he doesn't know anything about himself or the world, other than that it looks like a bombed-out disaster zone that might have been left in the wake of Wells' alien tripods. He gradually realizes he's not alone. There is another odd, burlap creation that resembles him, but with a different number, and a big, scary mechanical monster dog creature that wants to hurt them both.

Eventually, 9 learns there are eight versions of himself (shades of Sigourney Weaver's shocking discovery in "Alien Resurrection") and there's a big, mean spidery-looking entity out there that loves to zap the life force out of hapless burlap creations and trap their souls inside.

"9" is a visual treat for animation fans, particularly fans of Japanese anime, which clearly Acker has tapped as an inspiration.

The voice cast is an impressive collection of Hollywood names, with Jennifer Connelly as the female warrior 7, Christopher Plummer as the high-priest-like 1, Crispen Glover as the obsessed artist 6, and Chicago's own John C. Reilly as the brave, one-eyed fighter 5. (There is a set of burlap twins that don't need any voice talents.)

Despite its expansion from a short, "9" doesn't amount to much more than bigger-budget chase movie, with the poor little burlap creatures constantly running from the spidery soul-sucker. (Apparently, souls are commodities in big demand right now, as evidenced by Paul Giamatti's search for his in the black comedy "Cold Souls.")

A darkly optimistic movie, "9" doesn't deliver its intended impact of emotional resonance, but its bleak, detailed look of a world demolished by human failings is worth the trip to Acker's future.

Note: Acker's "9" should not be confused with the upcoming musical "Nine" starring Penélope Cruz.