Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on May 2010

9: ©2009 Focus Features LLC. All Rights Reserved

Post-apocalyptic puppet show for pre-teens (too dark for little kids) about nine little rag-doll robots on a no-more-humans Earth doing battle against a larger and more menacing robot that wants their souls. Souls? It’s visually creative—techno and fantasy fans will love it—but the emphasis is on action, and opportunities to explore the intriguing, hinted-at philosophical quandaries are ignored. I was entertained but not enchanted. And what’s with the religious overtones? Would have been better if it had come out before WALL-E. Or Terminator, for that matter. Say something nice, Don. OK, it’s not in 3D.