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With the hype of The Matrix Reloaded and
Revolutions, the world was assaulted with a “Star Wars-like”
multimedia promotional campaign hailing the coming sequels as the
films to see. Amidst this hype and campaign, The Animatrix was
released in all its fading glory. This isn’t a reflection of quality, but
merely a statement that the reaction from the public was a little
under-whelming. The Animatrix is a collection of 9 animated stories
that occur in the reality the Wachowski Brothers created. One of these
animated shorts; The Final Flight of the Osirus was released in
theaters and billed as revealing information vital to the up and coming
sequels. Several other of the shorts were released online, while the full
series was only released on DVD.
While essentially a marketing tool, The
Animatrix does provide quality entertainment and deepens the lore behind
The Matrix Saga. Are these animated shorts essential to understanding
the feature films? No. But if you can’t get enough, The Animatrix
feeds your hunger.
The Final Flight of the Osirus is
defiantly one reason for seeing The Animatrix. This story revolves
around the crew of the Osirus and how they discover the machine plot of
invading Zion. After being discovered by the machines, they begin a race
against time to warn Zion of the impending disaster. For outstanding
computer animation and action, you absolutely need to see this short. The
story feeds directly into The Matrix Reloaded and may only be
worthwhile if seen before the second film to further build your
anticipation.
The Second Renaissance Part I and II
tells the back-story behind the demise of the human race and the rise of the
machines. While interesting and intriguing, The Second Renaissance is
not as original of a story as The Matrix itself. Themes are obviously
borrowed from Isaac Assimov’s I, Robot and The Terminator. Be
advised that these episodes can be quite graphic in their depiction of war
and violence, even though they are cartoons.
Kid’s Story
reveals the background and “awakening” of a character seen in both The
Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions. The animation is this
piece is probably the most difficult to watch as the drawings are very loose
and exaggerated. This episode does not give you any explosive information
necessary for understanding the feature films.
Detective Story
is a film noir pulp story about a detective hired to track down an
elusive hacker named Trinity. Yes this is the Trinity we all know and love
from films, but that doesn’t mean this short is all that great. It is
slower, a tad confusing. On the upside, Detective Story lets viewers
know that not every potential can be awoke from the Matrix.
World Record
is another confusing tale about an extraordinary individual who wakes
himself up from the Matrix while setting a world record in a track event. If
you can get past the abstract animation style, and maybe watch it a few
times; you may find this is a truly fascinating story. However, ending is
not easily understood and is a little too open-ended for my liking. I end up
leaving this story on edge, but that could be the point.
Program
is a relatively interesting short that takes place within a
sparring program, hence the title. The entire short is much more creative
than the sparring sequence in The Matrix and introduces a
psychological element pitting the main characters against each other, each
one attempting to determine if the other is a traitor. Program is a
wonderful example of outstanding anime and its stylistic action sequences.
This is one of the more entertaining and enjoyable shorts in The
Animatrix.
Matriculated
is bizarre, and there is no other way to describe it. Mainly a psychological
journey, Matriculated takes the human war against the machines to an
entirely different level. Apparently some humans are working at converting
the machines to their side of the war by jacking them into an abstract
construct and manipulating them. Watch this short and you’ll see what I
mean, but not necessarily understand it. The unusual concept and incredible
visuals make Matriculated an interesting viewing experience.
Beyond
is another great reason to watch The Animatrix. Based on the concept
that our reality is a computer simulation (i.e. The Matrix), Beyond
revolves around the idea that computer programs don’t always function
according to design. This theory was mentioned in The Matrix when the
phenomenon of déjà vu is explained as a glitch in the matrix. In fact, this
is probably the finest jewel among the nine shorts in
The Animatrix.
In all, The Animatrix is an
interesting journey into the world of the Wachowski Brothers created in
The Matrix. For those who can’t get enough of this world, this is for
you. For those who are intrigued by this world and want to get a taste of
possibilities outside the films, this is for you. For those who live in this
world, seek help. But for those movie goers who watch The Matrix Trilogy
as a transitory viewing experience, you may not give a hoot about
The Animatrix. |
