Rating: 8.5/10
Review date: May 11, 2003
The Animatrix is a collection of nine short (varies from six to sixteen minutes long) animated films which varies from CGI to more traditional anime. It is based on the idea of Larry and Andy Wachowski, creators of the Matrix and its upcoming sequels who personally wrote four of the Animatrix stories with the remaining five being written by their respective anime directors. The Animatrix purpose is to introduce fans to the universe of the Matrix which includes explaining the original war between humans and machines as well as showing glimpses of events which happens in the Matrix universe.
I am fortunate to be able to catch the Animatrix in the cinema before it is released on VCD and DVD. The first thing that I need to say is go watch it if you haven�t because it is a great addition for the original Matrix as well as serving as a prologue to Matrix Reloaded which will hit theaters in a few more days.
Every single episode in the Animatrix is unique in the sense that they are directed by various artists from Japan, Korea and the U.S. You will notice that the style from one episode to another is different, thus creating a distinct feel to each which is further reinforced by the stories that shed more light on the working of the Matrix universe.
It is really hard to elaborate more on the Animatrix without spilling some beans here and there so I�ll just list the title of all nine films instead. The first one to be shown is The Second Renaissance Part 1 followed by Part 2 (covers the war between humans and machines which ultimately ended in the enslavement of humans), Program, Beyond, World Record, A Kid�s Story, Matriculated, A Detective Story and The Final Flight of the Osiris (serve as a prologue to Matrix Reloaded).
I don�t have much to say except that I highly recommend diehard Matrix fans (like me) to go catch in any nearby cinema to whet your appetite even more while waiting for Reloaded. If you couldn�t watch it in the cinema anytime soon, that�s too bad, just wait for the VCD or DVD which will be released on June the 3rd.
One thing for sure is that it is a great collection for anime and the Matrix fans alike who would love to find out more about the Wachowski brothers imaginary universe. But wait a minute, how do we know the world we�re living in is real? I�ll leave that for you to ponder� Maybe you can try logging onto a chat room and search for the answer (just like what happened in one of the Animatrix episodes), but you never know what you might find there. Just don�t be surprised if you mobile phone rings all of a sudden� (hint hint)
Memorable quote: �There is a difference between a test and a choice.�
-Trinity in A Detective Story-
(c) Martin Taidy 2003