Program

Inside a fight training program outside of the matrix, two warriors continue their games. When one reveals that he has struck a deal with the agents to return the matrix, he offers his female partner to come with him. When she refuses he has no choice but to begin a fight that only one of them will survive.

Part of the series of animations making up the Matrix companion piece `The Animatrix', I saw this as a stand alone piece recently at a festival of shorts and animations. The film gripped me immediately with it's visuals - very stylish, very manga in it's style. The plot was slick as well as being involving - the two protanginists talk until the point where it is obvious that there is only one way to resolve it. It is very enjoyable right until the epilogue that occurs outside of the training programme - that is poor and takes away from the short.

The film may have more in the way of style than substance but it does well enough to support the visuals with a basic premise that is interesting. It is flawed of course, but I have found that many of those who criticise the shorts that make up the Animatrix have not seen a great deal of short films or animations. With only a few minutes to do it's job, this short does well despite a rather bad conclusion that just spoilt it a bit for me.

The animation in this short is simply stunning. It has very bold angles and shadows to give off a harsh atmosphere. The characters and story were also compelling. We are treated to something like Cypher's choice in The Matrix (1999) but with two new characters.

This is the fifth on the disc of Animatrix shorts. It's seven minutes long, and thus shorter than the usual(which is about nine), and every moment is intense. This manages to not slow down for a second without overwhelming the viewer, as well as provide some food for thought, around one of the themes also explored in The Matrix(the first film as well as the franchise). The action is exceptionally well-done, engaging and fun. The animation is impeccable throughout. The visuals are stunning, and the choreography leaves little, if anything, to be desired. The dialog is well-written and also nicely delivered. The plot is well-done and the story-telling is strong, offering so much in this amount of time, and the ending adds a whole additional layer to it. The drama is powerful. The audio is well-done, with great voice-acting and sound effects. There is a six-minute making of, well-done and interesting, on the DVD, as well as a commentary track, not in English but subtitled, and worth it to hear the thoughts of those who made it. I recommend this to any fan of science fiction, Animé and anyone who likes what they watch to give them something to think about. 8/10

One of my favorites, until the ending. While still highly enjoyable, Program's twist ending really takes it down a notch. Up until then it's a strong short with great action and a great moral dilemma. While I still like the twist I think it really drags down an otherwise solid action short.

2 People fight in a simulation and their confrontation escalates more and more.

I really loved the manga inspired art style here. It really creates an awesome looking short with distinct character designs and movement plus the environment looks good too. The only problem is some dated 3D effects but other than that it looks great.

The action is excellent here and full of tension. The art style also helps it a lot. Sadly the voice acting isn't the best, but it's okay

I really love the moral dilemma the short takes up. The idea of knowing the truth of the Matrix making you more sad and losing faith if the human race can even win. Is it easier to stay in the Matrix and forget about the torments of the real world? Again, interesting dilemma, more or less ruined by the twist. While it's still good, it takes the gravity away from the heart of the short.

Overall a pretty solid short. Good animation and action and a cool story until the end.

This is a very good effort, one of the most enjoyable shorts that make up the Animatrix.

The story begins with a fight, indeed the entire story is a fight, between a girl and her friend or mentor, within a training programme, or perhaps it is a recreation programme, who knows? Either way, her opponent begins to display a more sinister side: He feels just like Cypher in the original Matrix, and asks her to join him in an effort to be reinserted, or die...

The animation is great, the story is thrilling and overall this is definitely a good short movie, fitting in very well in the Matrix-universe

8/10