Horst in Translation ([email protected]) 1) This is one of several animated short films that are based on the Wachowskis' "Matrix" movie. However, I have to say neither the characters nor the action made this really look like it belongs to the series except the fight in the first 2-3 minutes maybe. This lack of Matrix connection is not necessarily a criticism on these 10 minutes as the animation is fine and the story isn't bad either. The action didn't do much for me though, so I wouldn't recommend it. But then again, I am not a great Matrix fan anyway, at least this is a common denominator.2) This 9-minute short film from 12 years ago is part of the Animatrix series and also the first half of a two-part movie. Men become more and more angry at machines when these become more and more intelligent. The consequence is a bloody battle, especially for the machines. They leave and settle elsewhere, but decide to give mankind another chance as they return to the United Nations in a peaceful attempt, not be the last time they show up there. This was written by the Wachowski brothers (and sisters) and the director also worked on Tarantino's "Kill Bill" for example. Sounds like a good premise, but sadly, I was not really impressed by this one here. Lets hope that the second part turns out better.3) These 9 minutes continue where "The Second Renaissance Part 1" left off. Unfortunately it is equally forgettable just like the first part. Men rejected machines' peaceful attempt to return, so a war is unavoidable. And of course there can only be one possible outcome to that. So men want to destroy the sky? Another brilliant idea. NOT. I have to say I was never too big on "The Matrix", but these animated short films are even worse. And they almost have no reference to the films anymore at all. Not recommended. 4) One of the most popular segments of the Animatrix and this may be due to the fact that several actors from the live action movies do voice acting in here. The protagonist is a boy who manages to get out of the Matrix. There are quite a few parallels here between Neo very early in the first Matrix film and our hero here. I do not think the 15 minutes stated here are correct, this was certainly closer, maybe around 9 minutes. I enjoyed watching this one because it actually had a real connection to the live action "Matrix" films unlike most of the others. One of my favorites from the series and I recommend it. 5) "Program", a sequence from the Animatrix, was directed and written by Yoshiaki Kawajiri. It is an animated short film, obviously, and runs for roughly seven minutes. There was nothing truly outstanding here, but it wasn't bad either. It is all about the battle between the Cis and her frenemy Duo. He tries to convince her to get back to the Matrix and just live there like everybody else instead of constantly fighting against it. Pay attention to how Cis is depicted in white and Duo in black. First he tries to convince her with words, then with swords. Of course, she refuses to and in the end, good defeats evil. Or did it really? Solid short film, recommended. 6) The concept of sports in the matrix is actually a pretty interesting one in the face of achievements that you could describe as out of this world. Unfortunately, the only fairly interesting thing I took from these 9 minutes is basically the relationship between world records in the real world we live in and in the Matrix universe. This is not among my 3 favorite segments from the Animatrix, but also not among my least favorites. I am not familiar with the director or writer here, but it looks like they frequently work together. Anyway, I hope for them that this may be their most known achievement, but not their best.7) "Beyond" is one of the weaker segments of the "Animatrix" in my opinion. This is one of the longest episodes of the Animatrix. A girl's cat runs away and when she heads out to get her back the finds much more than just a lost kitten. I did not like the way the girl was animated at all. The rest was okay in terms of looks. The scene with the cat looking right at us before we see the mouse is a nice way from the director of playing with our brains. Not enough though to let me recommend it. One of the weaker Animatrix segments.8) I am okay with the Matrix and Film Noir, but not a great fan like some are. So I was very positively surprised that I managed to appreciate this Animatrix segment. It's probably in my top3 favorites and the reason may be that it was nice to see an actual character from "The Matrix" in one of these. It's not the only segment directed by Shinichirô Watanabe (also co-writer), but it's certainly his superior effort. The story was pretty good and the voice actor of the private eye also did a fairly decent job here. A pretty enjoyable and atmospheric watch of over 10 minutes I must say. Recommended.9) "Matriculated" is the last segment from the "Animatrix" movie. It is the longest at roughly 15 minutes and in my opinion, unfortunately, it is also the worst. I wish writer and director Peter Chung could have stayed a bit closer to the Wachowski movie. Also, it's not real anime anymore, but the style is not the problem. The problem is that there's no really fascinating story in here as there is in some of the other segments. I was a bit disappointed with this one as I hoped they could go out on a high note. Sadly, they did not. Not recommended.

ziga321 If you like the original series, especially the story and premise there is a good chance you will like this one even more.In 'second renaissance', it explains the war between the humans and people. This short is somehow very violent, but beneath all the violence is hidden a message.In 'world record' things become more philosophical. This short ask a question whatever would happen if somebody would break his own body/mental limits. In it we follow the runner, whom runs so fast the he breaks his own 'chains' and wakes up on the other side in one of those "beds", the same one Neo wakes up in the movie. Very good short, with visuals that go well to the short story feel. My favorite.In 'beyond' we follow some young children's who find some old hut with BUGS in the systems. Not that crawling little creatures, but mechanical/system bugs, like time and gravity getting reversed. Very good short. Probably my second favorite.The others, i remember 'detective story and 'kid's story' which are also good.As I said this is simply a must watch for any fan of the original series.

disdressed12 of this collection of animated short stories dealing with the matrix,it thought two of them were excellent,one was very good,and the rest ranged from OK to mundane.Final Flight of the Osiris is the first story,and i thought it was fantastic.it was done in cg,which looked great.it was also very fast paced and economical,and fun,even a bit cheeky.i also really liked program.i thought the story was really good,and this one was also economical and well paced.Matriculated was another story i liked,though not as much as the two i mentioned.i liked the animation style and the colour scheme,though there didn't seem to be a very coherent story.as for the remaining six stories,there's a definite drop in quality.there are are a few that are interesting,one even offers up a possible origin explanation for the Matrix(not the movie,but the simulation)itself.some are barely worth watching.since the 3 stories that i liked were so well done,i give The Animatrix a 5/10

flawedlogic1991 Warning Spoilers included.Let's look at "Final Flight Of The Osiris first. This CGI short film has graphics so advanced that the first time I saw the film, I mistook the characters for real people. These visuals serve as an example of the lengths the films go to to inspire awe in the viewer.Then take a gander at "The Second Renaissance Parts 1 and 2" Which tell the tale of how the machines were, in essence massacred by humanity at first, but then rose up and crushed an ever more desperate Human race. "Kid's Story" Is quite beautiful to look at and tells the tale of a kid who senses that something is wrong with the world he lives in.That was just a small sample of the 9 Short films which compromise "The Animatrix". The others continue in this mold, but I want to focus my attention on "The Second Renaissance". These 2 shorts are the best of the lot, and come packed with mind-blowing visuals and awe-inspiring Storytelling. They both are documentaries about the rise of the machines, which leads to the matrix trilogy. The first part deals with the fall from grace of the machines. Opening with a beautiful shot, the short then encompasses the entire world and it's history of antagonism against the "loyal and pure" machines, who only want to be respected. Once a machine kills a human to save itself, humanity realizes that a rebellion is nigh, and orders the destruction of all Artificially intelligent machines. The film uses images from humanity's darkest days, from the Holocaust, to the Vietnam War's atrocities to fully shock the viewer.The machines build a city in the promised land (biblical imagery is present throughout both shorts), and name it 01, the new nation quickly destroys the global economy with it's cheap products and man prepares for war. Part 2 deals with the fallout of man's choices and actions. The short opens with a sustained nuclear bombardment of 01, after which the machines strike out against humanity with huge armies. The machines massive victories cause humanity to turn to desperate measures for victory, they destroy the skies, and ensure the Matrix's rise. The machines win, in a climactic battle (the greatest battle ever put on film), and the humans surrender, the machines set up the power plants and use humans (conveyed in horrifying images of torture) as batteries. This is all whilst the narrator (ironically a Zion mainframe historical file, hence a machine) expresses her sadness, and delivers the most powerful line in the movie, "May there be mercy on man and machine for their sins".This is the most disturbing, and most powerful film I've ever seen.All of the shorts are directed by acclaimed Anime directors, and drawn in the Anime style (with the exception of Osiris), from the film-Noir "Detective Story", to the stunning "Matriculated", the result is a collection of absolutely stunning films that will leave you disturbed, and questioning what it means to be human.