Animatrix

The idea of the Matrix is so full of potential and could be taken in so many, many directions. The movies decided to go in the direction of pretension but the Animatrix goes EVERYWHERE the movies don't. It is so far superior and well worth the time. It's a shame that most audiences don't consider Anime or any form of animation to be 'real' or something that they should take seriously (sadly even Matrix fans feel this way and won't watch it simply because it's animation) because they're missing out on something very special here.

It's not original to review this DVD by going thru all the shorts so I'll just stick to what I like best (which is most of it). First of all, 'The Second Renaissance Parts 1 and 2' is absolutely VITAL as backstory to the first Matrix film. And it's a zillion times more interesting than the sequels in terms of drama, irony and subtext. 'The Final Flight of the Osiris' takes place before Reloaded and leads us into story of the machines beginning to drill down to Zion. And it's very cool. 'Detective' is a story of a private eye trying to find Trinity and discover what exactly the Matrix is. But Agent Smith comes after him to put a stop to that. It's in black and white and has a wonderful atmosphere of 1950's dime novel pulp fiction. 'Matriculated' is the story of a captured machine who is taught/hypnotized into feeling what it's like to be human. It's a very clever story that manages to provoke feeling for the characters (and even the captured machine), something the movies never did. 'Kid' is about the kid from Revolutions who takes over the Mech at the end and manages to open the doors to Zion. Apparently, before being freed, he was a schoolkid who met Neo online and wanted to 'wake up'.

But the best one is 'Beyond'. A magical tale with an atmosphere so solid that it's almost tangible. It's about a girl who goes looking for her cat in an old abandoned factory with some other kids. But in this factory the Matrix is having problems and 'reality' for the characters doesn't quite work properly. It's a very interesting tale that really makes you think.

There are numerous extras on this DVD, all of them more interesting that the other Matrix DVDs. All 9 of the shorts are presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound. It's truly for all fans and non-fans of the Matrix universe.

This was the most brilliantly interpreted, scripted and thought provoking thing I have seen in a very long time. The DVD gives you background filler for what the Matrix is and the Wachowski brothers allow some of Japan's best anime artists to interpret the 9 different stories on their own. I think, just like art, each viewer will have a different type of experience. You have 9 wonderful compelling stories and the visual style is so different that it adds much value to the telling of the stories. The brothers had a vision and clearly the Matrix affected many people and, what a wonderful gift they gave by incorporating the world of anime into the telling of their vision. But not only is it visually stunning and stylish, but the music is dead on. There are all sorts of morals in the stories. From SECOND RENNAISSANCE'S man's destructive nature and his down fall, to the sort of, don't-play-with-fire nature of MATRICULATED and the playfulness and joy of BEYOND. Plus the DVD special features take us into each director of each piece explaining his "art" and how the film the Matrix affected them. We even get a little history on the origins of anime. It was just really enjoyable to watch people who are so passionate about their craft and about the Matrix. I think you will enjoy this immensely and take something out of it yourself.

After loving the original "Matrix" film and hating the recent "Reloaded," my enthusiasm for "Animatrix" was somewhere between curiosity and contempt. "Reloaded" was so slow and empty I hesitated to explore the "Matrix" concept any further as a possible waste of time. Well, the good news is that "Animatrix," while far from perfect, is much more interesting than "Reloaded" as it explores the original concept rather than try to act as a sequel.

"The Animatrix" is a collection of animated short stories, each one independent of the others. Each tale has its own interesting twist and can be enjoyed in any order (except for the two-part episode, obviously). The stories are based on the original "Matrix" film so if you haven't seen the sequel(s), don't worry. The segments are (in no particular order):

"Final Flight of the Osiris" This is a CGI animated story that is a prelude to the story of "Reloaded." While I'm not a big fan of 3D computer animation, it was actually quite good and I think it should have been filmed and included in "Reloaded." It would have made a much more exciting introduction.

"Program" This was a very brief but an exciting battle between two humans in the Matrix. As they fight they argue over the merits of the fight against the Machines. The ending is a bit of a cop-out but the story is still cool.

"The Second Renaissance" This is a two-part story that explains the war between Man and the Machines. Morpheus gives a brief overview of this story in the original "Matrix" film but "Renaissance" actually details why the war began. This was my favorite part of the "Animatrix," although its armageddon-like tale is a little depressing. It also features GRAPHIC VIOLENCE which will shock most viewers, so be prepared. Still, it is a fascinating explanation.

"World Record" This was a fun idea but artistically I was unimpressed. The characters' features and motions were so wildly exaggerated that it feels ridiculous. Could have been better.

"Kid's Story" This is another story which sets up an element of "Reloaded." It is brief and fun to watch, but not much goes on here.

"Detective Story" I would have enjoyed this piece a lot more if it hadn't been so rushed. The story is interesting but it begins and ends so quickly it's actually not that good. A shame.

"Beyond" This was a cool idea and I enjoyed it. It didn't have much to say but as a short film it was good.

"Matriculation" This is probably the weakest segment as it serves up mostly eye candy and little content. There is an interesting concept behind the action but most of the time you're just staring at wild colors and patterns.

While inconsistent I enjoyed "The Animatrix" and I recommend it. I would have liked to see "The Second Renaissance" and "Detective Story" expanded into feature length films (or at least hour-long OVAs).

Animatrix is composed of nine excellent episodes, each of them of running time of about ten (10) minutes, showing parts of the concept and universe of 'Matrix'. There are at least three films that are outstanding: the first one ("Final Flight of the Osiris"), which uses the same technique as 'Final Fantasy', and the second and third movies ('The Second Renaissance I & II"), where the war between humans and the machines is explained in details. I watched this series of short movies two days ago, but I intended to see them again and again, to catch more details, especially in the extras of the DVD. The fans of Sci-Fi in general (and 'Matrix') and animes will love this DVD. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Animatrix"

Having never seen the Matrix, but being a loyal anime collector, I came across this high ranked animated feature.

Never in my life has I seen something as close as brilliant and poetically nightmarish that Ghost in the Shell has delivered, bringing the Matrix franchise closer to "art and soul" than "blockbuster".

Some of the amazingly dramatic episodes in this feature may make Animatrix a parallel brother to Ghost in the Shell itself. And the animation is very dreamy and expertly crafted, the second best thing that this feature will bring you.

If anime is your thing, or the matrix, or getting started to both, I couldn't recommend this higher.