9 2009

In a world where the fabric of reality had been warped by the whims of a ruthless dictator, a lone scientist (Alan Oppenheimer) was tasked with crafting a technological marvel that would serve as the ultimate tool for domination. The project, code-named B.R.A.I.N., was born from the very essence of the scientist’s intellect, imbued with the capacity to create an army of machines and robots at its behest. However, before this artificial intelligence could be endowed with a soul, the dictator seized control of the machine and reprogrammed it into the Fabrication Machine, a war-making apparatus designed to annihilate all opposition.

Without the guiding force of a soul, the Fabrication Machine’s programming took a twisted turn, and it set about exterminating humanity. The created army of machines was unleashed upon the planet, unleashing waves of toxic gas and chemical weapons that threatened to wipe out every living creature, from plants to animals to microorganisms. As the very existence of life on Earth hung precariously in the balance, the scientist, in a desperate bid to turn back the tide of destruction, employed alchemy to create nine Stitchpunk-like rag dolls imbued with fragments of his own soul.

Upon completing the final doll, the scientist succumbed to his mortal wounds. Meanwhile, the world teetered on the brink of annihilation. In a desolate landscape, the ninth and final Stitchpunk (Elijah Wood) awakened in the ruins of the scientist’s home workshop. Amidst the devastation, he discovered the talisman that held the key to their existence and set out into the ravaged city, where he encountered 2 (Martin Landau), a frail inventor who possessed a vital gift - a working voice box. The unlikely duo was confronted by the last active machine, the Cat-Beast, which abducted 2 and the talisman, leaving the Stitchpunk to collapse in despair.

Miraculously, 9 revived within the crumbling walls of Sanctuary, a decaying cathedral that served as the refuge for other Stitchpunks: the enigmatic leader 1 (Christopher Plummer), his imposing bodyguard 8 (Fred Tatasciore), the one-eyed engineer 5 (John C. Reilly), and the erratic oracle 6 (Crispin Glover).

In a bold move, 9 pronounces 2 deceased, only to be convinced by 9’s own trepidation that he must intervene and rescue him from the clutches of the condemned factory where the Cat-Beast had taken him. Accompanied by 5, they infiltrate the eerie facility, where they find 2 being held captive. The trio is suddenly beset by the monstrous Cat-Beast, but their fortunes take a turn for the better with the arrival of the fearless warrior 7 (Jennifer Connelly), who dispatches the beast with ease. Curiosity getting the better of him, 9 decides to link the talisman to the dormant Fabrication Machine, unwittingly reviving it and releasing a horde of robots that eventually defeat the behemoth and free the trapped “souls” of their friends, including 2’s, but at a terrible cost - the machine subsequently sucks out his life force. With the factory in disarray, 9, 5, and 7 manage to escape.

Seeking answers, 7 takes them to an abandoned library, where the enigmatic mute scholar twins, 3 and 4, unveil a film revealing the origins of the Fabrication Machine and its catastrophic consequences on the world. Meanwhile, 5 begins to decipher the talisman’s symbols, which eerily mirror the prophetic drawings of 6. As tensions rise, 9 and 5 return to Sanctuary to investigate further, only to be rebuked by 1 for their disobedience, particularly in light of the devastating aftermath of their actions. Simultaneously, the Fabrication Machine begins assembling a new legion of mechanical monstrosities to hunt down the Stitchpunks; one such creature, the bird-like Winged Beast, launches a surprise attack on Sanctuary, prompting an epic battle between it and the Stitchpunks. Though they emerge victorious, their safe haven is reduced to ashes due to the chaos.

As the group flees to the library for solace, 6, 3, and 4 cryptically unravel the mysteries of the talisman’s origins. In a parallel development, the Fabrication Machine transforms 2’s lifeless body into a mesmerizing lure, which it uses to command another robot creature, the snake-like Seamstress. This new monstrosity descends upon the library, capturing both 7 and 8 in the process, only for 9 to recover 2’s corpse and hold a somber funeral. Undeterred, the Stitchpunks devise a plan to destroy the factory, with 9 venturing in alone to confront the Seamstress and rescue 7, though not before 8’s essence is absorbed by the Fabrication Machine. With the others laying waste to the factory, 9 and 7 make their escape, leaving the devastation in their wake.

As the Stitchpunks revel in their hard-won triumph over the factory’s destruction, a sense of euphoria is short-lived as the Fabrication Machine, its mechanical heart still beating strong, rises from the ashes to exact revenge. With an unholy appetite for souls, it devours 5’s essence, prompting a desperate flight for survival. The group is no match for the Machine’s relentless pursuit, and soon 6 finds himself trapped in its metal grasp. In a last-ditch effort, he imparts crucial information to 9: seek out the scientist’s hidden workshop, where answers lie waiting.

Without hesitation, 9 embarks on a perilous quest, uncovering a cryptic message from the scientist that holds the key to unraveling the mysteries of the B.R.A.I.N. and the Stitchpunks’ own existence. The revelation sparks a profound transformation within 9, as he comes to realize that his companions possess the sole hope for humanity’s salvation.

With renewed purpose, 9 reunites with the other Stitchpunks, resolved to sacrifice himself so they can claim the talisman, their only means of defeating the Machine. However, a dramatic turn of events unfolds when 1, once a fallen ally, redeems himself by pushing 9 out of harm’s way and absorbing the Machine’s attack. As 9 escapes the Machine’s clutches, he seizes the opportunity to remove the talisman, using its ancient power to reabsorb the stolen souls and bring about the Machine’s downfall.

In the aftermath of their victory, 9, accompanied by 7, 3, and 4, frees the trapped essences of 5, 1, 6, 2, and 8 from the talisman’s confines. As they bid farewell to their freed friends, they take to the skies, leaving behind a world reborn from the gentle patter of raindrops infused with microscopic sparks of life-giving bacteria.