TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews On the Animatrix disc, this is the sixth short. I'm sorry to say, but this is my least favorite. I can appreciate that the animation is interesting and different. The concept is definitely deserving of attention. The voice acting is very good. However, with all the time spent on back-story, and an execution that just did not grab me(which I am willing to grant may have more to do with personal tastes), this just doesn't seem that great, especially considering what the other ones are like. This just comes off as having wasted a lot of potential. The visual style is like a grotesque caricature, and it is similar to Aeon Flux. Strangely hypnotic. It is unpleasant to watch, one bit in particular, and I would say that that is intentional. This is almost nine minutes long. The story-telling utilizes a non-linear time-line, and you have to pay attention to follow it. The DVD holds a making of, seven and a half minutes, and it, along with the commentary(not in English but with subtitles), are worth taking in. I recommend this to fans of The Matrix universe and/or science fiction. 5/10

Polaris_DiB Very interesting point: what does it take, precisely, to wake up from the Matrix? Does it require that red pill, or can it actually be caused by exertion of mind or body (or both) beyond the realm of possibility in the "real world"? These are the questions asked by both "The Kid's Story" and this short, "World Record". However, "The Kid's Story" is more like a back-story introduction to the character who appears in the sequels doggedly following Neo around like a lost puppy, whereas this short stands alone.The animation itself isn't quite as exceptional as the rest of the shorts, but it's interesting what it does with body and motion. As the narrative relies entirely on the workings of the main character's body, expressionistic use of his muscles are created by warping both while he's running and during his own backstory. It's actually a very interesting approach, and is slightly reminiscent of the much more caricaturistic "The Triplets of Belleville".--PolarisDiB

Contatie Honestly, this short isn't given nearly enough credit for what it deserves. You take an obvious idea from The Matrix like this one (which was: "What happens if someone pushes themself so far, they free their mind by themself?") and made a story that wasn't at all as obvious or contrived as you expect.SPOILERS. DOOMED IS YOUR MIND, IF YOU EYES VENTURE THIS FAR.The story starts out at the day a big race for a pro athlete ready to set a world record, and basically just builds up to the instant he passes the finish line. You can see how psyched Dan has gotten and how hell-bent he is to earn this record for himself, between fatherly advice his dad gives him on the phone and Dan's ADD-stricken hip hop buddy. Being pushed this far, his muscles are at threat of positively exploding, but what does that matter in The Matrix?Agents (who've taken on the director's completely original design) can't hope to catch up, when the call is given to keep him from waking up. He does, though, and at this moment for Dan, it is like waking from a dream you didn't want to wake up from, or having a nightmare instead, all together. The machines make short work of him, electro-shocking his brain and rendering him a lifeless vegetable, before sending him back into The Matrix. Just after his return, he sets a new record and his hospitalized.Towards the end, Dan gets up from his wheelchair before a nurse, out of metal braces and restraints, muttering "Free." leaving the viewer to decide whether he'd just been robbed of his humanity, or he'd finally freed himself.THOSE WITH HEART PROBLEMS CAN START READING AGAIN.Not the best short (that's a toss-up between A Kid's Story and Beyond) but overall worth watching, if just for the stylish animation. Actually, all of them are worth watching for the animation, but this one's particular throbbing muscles in slow motion in its fluid movement is an orgiastic feast for the eyes. They should do an Animatrix 2.9/10

PlanecrazyIkarus When I heard the title "World Record" as part of a collection of short movies in the matrix universe, I was quite enthralled. There is a lot of potential here. Could it be about an outsider like Neo & friends achieving a world record for fun? Could it be about a person who loses their perspective of reality and does impossible things? What is it about?The answer is something close to the latter. It's about an athlete who gets too focused on his desire to achieve a record. Or something. Quite frankly, the story is poorly told, interwoven, trying to be very clever and ending up being awkward. The animation shows craftsmanship, but at the same time, it looks surprisingly ugly and basic. But the real crux is the story - admittedly, I would not have understood it without watching a making of or a directors commentary or whatever it was, explaining a few of the final scenes. The movie, perhaps like the athlete's life, or at least his run, is a blur.The sad thing is all the wasted potential. Where "Beyond" takes a simple idea - a glitch in the matrix producing a haunted house - and turns it into something truly special, this short movie takes a special idea - an athlete breaking the laws of the matrix by sheer willpower - and turns it into something so convoluted it's disappointingly boring.5/10