G-9 Review

story 6/10

G-9's beginning is great - weird, arty, and immediately engaging. Memory loss, mystic origins, a slow-pace and a naked woman in an abandoned city - this promised an exceptional experience. Unfortunately, the rest of the short didn't quite deliver on that promise.

First there's an extended and somewhat dull fight sequence followed by aimless milling with quasi-expository dialogue until the credits roll. The explanations wind up tying together a vaguely incoherent mess of sci-fi ideas that sort of fit, raising the issues of memory and identity but doing so neither clearly nor well.

If the middle was dropped and tighter pacing was used I probably would have loved G-9. This could have worked just fine as a stylishly incomprehensible head-trip had an ineffective action sequence not been shoehorned in.

animation 6/10

I'm conflicted on this rating. On the one hand, the images are frequently wonderful. Most are strikingly composed black and white - and many are simply sublime. The stranger interior designs seem strongly reminsicent of the disturbed genius of H.R. Giger's paintings (most famous for his work on Alien). The monster designs aren't as cool, but beside that there's a consistently good aesthetic sense shown.

You can easily get lost in the artistry of this piece, and it even makes the plot seem a heck of a lot more interesting than it really is.

On the other hand, animation is almost never used and when done, sucks - 'movement' is just distorting still images using computer effects. I wouldn't be surprised if no animators worked on this short at all.

Worse, the action sequences don't feel particularly tense or involving. I love limited animation if done well, but G-9 - while effective in parts - isn't a stellar example of that.

sound 6/10

The early music is ominous and atmospheric. Later rock pieces are forgettable; voice acting is generally okay.

characters 5/10

The woman, the monsters and the remaining miscellany are ultimately nothing more than bits and parts of a rather odd puzzle. That puzzle may not entirely connect but they serve their purpose reasonably well.

overall 6/10

Is G-9 worth watching? Well, I liked it despite the problems I've mentioned. If you're just looking for interesting artwork you may appreciate this. You'll also be satisfied if you enjoy sci-fi mind-games that don't need to be soluble. Otherwise there's little to recommend it for.