Double Bill Mini Musings: 500 Days of 9...

(500) Days of Summer:
Genuinely witty with a skewed view on the romcom formula - but to reduce it to being a 'romcom anything' (be it "alternate" or "anti") would be too simplistic and somewhat unfitting. The story clearly feels real (indeed it was based closely on the experiences of the writer), Levitt and Deschaniel both bring an air of indie cred and truthfulness to the two protagonists ... and it's just a really enjoyable watch.

9:
Almost immediately this feels over-cooked, while simultaneously feeling decidedly undercooked. We're thrown into this post-war world of desolation populated solely by marauding machines and figures that look a fair bit like Sackboy from Little Big Planet, but we have little to grasp onto before we're thrown into one action set piece after another. The slight running time doesn't feel that way, we don't have enough understanding of the whys and wherefores of the world from the outset and throughout, and while it is very impressive visually it really does feel lacking. While I haven't seen the original short it was based upon, this most certainly feels like an overstretched short with little added to really give some purpose and connection to the elongated content. A shame really as it looked very impressive from initial teaser images and trailers.