L'ultimo volo della Osiris

I strongly suggest that any fans of the Matrix should see this short animated feature. It is a sort of ''mini-prequel'' to Matrix Reloaded. The computer animation is quite remarkable, similar to that of Final Fantasy, or the Starship Troopers TV series. Also, I thought it was a very clever (devious?) move by the film studios to show this as a featurette with Dream Catcher - I guarantee this ploy must have at least doubled the box office takings for that film (quite a good movie in it's own right, in my opinion). Animatrix: The Final Flight of the Osiris is highly recommended viewing for Matrix devotees, enthusiasts of computer animation and sci-fi fans in general.

While practising kung fu and flirting in the dojo training programme, the captain of the Osiris, Thadeus, is alerted to an attack by a group of sentinels. Fleeing into an uncharted tunnel system the craft reaches the surface of earth where they see an army of sentinels and a machine for burrowing. Realising that Zion is directly beneath that site the crew realise that the machines are preparing an attack on Zion. As the sentinels close in on the craft one of the crew enters the matrix to deliver the information to one of the drop off points and warn Zion – but is there enough time?

I was wanting to see this short so much that I almost went to see Dreamcatcher to get it! Happily it came onto TV a few days before the second Matrix film opened. The plot is quite simple and feeds into the sequels quite well. Being cynical you could say that this is yet another marketing tool for the Matrix and in a way it is. However I prefer to think that it performs a dual role as a trailer but also a short film in it's own right. Realistically – do you think the Matrix marketing machine NEEDS any help from this?

The film moves quickly and is quite dramatic despite the short running time. Conversely to the films the `real' world is actually more exciting than the brief entry into the matrix itself (although they do try to spice this up with fancy moves etc), the real drama is the frantic attempt by the Orsis to escape or at least deliver it's warning. It may be more style than real substance or back story but it works well for what it is.

The animation is very good. Looking at the characters faces reveal that it isn't quite as good as the real thing, but when it comes to machinery etc it does look very good indeed. I must admit to being a little sad and male by appreciating the striptease type sword fight – one example where animation can make things as good as real!! Maybe the animation is why the stuff in the matrix isn't as exciting – because we know `how they did that' – they drew it!

Overall I don't know if I'd pay to see this but it is worth a look as part of the Matrix films. It has pace and is exciting and, although the short itself has a simple plot it does fit in nicely to the wider world. Even if you view this as a cynical marketing ploy – it is still quite an entertaining marketing ploy.

This short was visually stunning and full of action. It created a different world within the mind's of matrix fans. It made me care about other characters outside of the one's featured in the movie. Jue made me wish Lucy Liu had been cast in an upcoming sequel.

The Final Flight of the Osiris is referenced in "The Matrix: Reloaded" although only briefly. That makes it one of the two short movies in the Animatrix which are, the other being the incredible "Kid's Story" which actually gives that annoying sidekick from Reloaded an amazing new dimension that I had never expected.

Back to Osiris. The movie starts with some nice training fight sequence that seems to be the Wachowski's wet dream: Kung Fu + Anime + Eroticism. Seriously, I felt slightly disconcerted at enjoying the sexiness of it all. I suppose they wanted to make a point: Computer generated animation can be sexy. They made their point a little too well for my liking.

Anyway, after the strip-fight, the story begins, but to be honest, the fight took up so much of the time of this short that the rest seems oddly rushed through. Of all the shorts, this is the one that felt like it simply wasn't meant to be short, and had to be rushed too much for its own good. It's about sentinels, the discovery of the premise of Reloaded (Zion is threatened) and a desperate attempt to save the world, martyr-style.

Visually, it is stunning throughout. This left Final Fantasy (made by the same people) out in the cold, it looked so much better, especially the skins of the main protagonists. If being able to photorender people was sufficient to make a movie for humans, we'd be nearly there. Unfortunately, the animation of the mouths when talking is still not quite perfect, but everything else nearly is.

But it's all style and little substance. That's why this is definitely not my favourite short, although it is very interesting to watch.

7/10

This is the first of the Animatrix shorts, found on the DVD of them. It is arguably the most entertaining. This maintains a rather fast pace throughout the entirety, without ever becoming overwhelming. It takes place a little before, and sets up, Reloaded(and also the Enter the Matrix). That doesn't mean it is a requirement to view this, however. The plot is well-written, and the story-telling is good. The CGI is stunning, incredibly naturalistic and quite close to being seamless. This was animated by the people who also made Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, and you can tell that their talent was applied to this. The visuals are amazing all the way. The music is fitting. The sound in general is great, and the voice acting is nice. The characters are well-written, but there is little time devoted to developing them, particularly beyond the two leads. This is 9 minutes long, and the focus here was on making it feel like one of the awesome action scenes from the films(this is definitely the one most true to that aspect of the trilogy). They succeed. This has strong sensuality, but not particularly anything objectionable beyond that. The disc also holds a making of, six and a half minutes, very worth watching, with the crew talking about it, clips of it, and we even get a glimpse at some of the short they created to prove they could pull this off. I recommend this to any fan of the concept and the movies. 8/10