The Animatrix

 

Reviewed by: Mario Aguilar

 

DVD Warner Bros.

Rating PG-13

 

 

What it’s (basically) all about: The Animatrix explores the history and inner workings of The Matrix world with 9 short anime stories.  “Final flight of the Osiris” details the last flight of the human ship Osiris as their crew attempts to warn the last human city of a robot attack.  “The Second Renaissance, Parts 1 & 2” detail the deterioration of the man/machine relationship and how The Matrix was first established.  “Kid’s Story” tells the tale of a kid who attempts to escape The Matrix after he is contacted by Neo.  “Program” shows a battle between two people in a simulation.  A man runs so fast that he breaks a world record and out of The Matrix in “World Record”.  “Beyond” tells of a girl looking for her cat that stumbles across a glitch in The Matrix in the form of a haunted house.  Trinity is tracked by a private investigator in “A Detective Story”.  The last story, “Matriculated”, turns the table and inserts a robot into a man-made Matrix where the humans probe its mind and heart.

 

Nitty Gritty:  If The Matrix lacked one thing, it was a back story.  Yes, we know that the world is dominated by robots, and yes we know humans are their main power source, but how did it get that way?  The Animatrix provides all the answers to fans of The Matrix and more.  Not only do we find out how the Matrix was developed, but we also learn why. 

 

The film also offers anime fans a wide variety of stories and animation styles.  While the vast majority of the shorts were written by the Wachowski brothers, the artists and directors of the shorts are a who’s who of anime.  Directors include  Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll), Shinichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop), and  Peter Chung (Ćon Flux).

 

The film has a PG-13 rating, but the content of some of the shorts is above that rating.  “The Second Renaissance” parts one and two are both packed with extreme violence, cursing, and nudity.  At various points in the shorts there are limbs being severed or other body parts being smashed by robots.  There are some other points in the other stories with violence or sexual situations.

 

Special features include a trailer for the video game Enter the Matrix, seven featurettes with director profiles and interviews, and audio commentaries on several films including “World Record” and “Program”.  However, the real treat of the special features is a great short documentary on the history of anime called “Scrolls to Screen.”  This piece details the origins and beginnings of anime and features commentary and cameos on many directors and artists including comic legend Todd McFarlane.  It is a must see for anime fans.

 

Survey says: While this film has a PG-13 rating by the MPAA, it is best suited for an adult collection.  There are very graphic war scenes, scenes of extreme suffering, not to mention plenty of nudity and instances of strong language.

 

Personal Ad: I must admit that I was a huge Matrix fan and was left wanting more after seeing the first film.  After seeing the second and the third films, I was somewhat disappointed in the Wachowski brothers.  It seemed as though special effects took precedence and the story turned into somewhat of a house of mirrors.  The Animatrix restored my faith in the Wachowski brothers.  Each story offered not only a different perspective in terms of roles and significance, but also in variations of animation.  Many have ranked The Animatrix in the top 10 of anime and with such a diverse group of animators working together on this project, it is easy to see why.