by Nik Amanovic on 23rd June 2003
Unless you have been living on another planet these past few months it would have been impossible to ignore the hype that surrounded the release of "The Matrix Reloaded", the hotly anticipated sequel to 1999‘s phenomenon "The Matrix". While it is a well-known fact that the creators of this franchise, the Wachowski brothers, were inspired by Sci-Fi and Hong Kong Martial Arts movies, the other major motivator behind the Matrix concept was Japanese Animé (animation). This conventionally brings us to "The Animatrix", an idea that was spawned on a promotional tour of Japan by the Wachowskis where they requested to visit the studios where cult classics like "Akira" and "Ghost In The Shell" were produced. The end result of this ‘idea‘ is this DVD package of 9 short animated films that tie into the Matrix story, sometimes directly, each of which has been directed by leading figures within the Animé industry.
The opening feature is "Final Flight of the Osiris", which of all 9 shorts is most directly connected to "The Matrix Reloaded". It details the last moments of an ill-fated ship that discovers the city of Zion is under threat as 250,000 Sentinels burrow their way towards it, thus explaining how that information is privy to the humans in the film. Animated by the same studio that gave us the "Final Fantasy" film, "Final Flight of the Osiris" is great fun and visually stunning to the extent that you begin to worry for the future of real actors and actresses! "Second Renaissance 1 & 2" are both essentially short histories of how the Matrix came into being, utilising a CNN-style method of showing what happened during the war between human and machine. These two shorts were actually penned by the Wachowskis and are very helpful given that the live-action films give little background to what actually happened before "The Matrix". In "Kid‘s Story" we finally find out what that boy in "The Matrix Reloaded" meant about Neo saving him... Although quite a simple plot, "Kid‘s Story" is animated in a technique that does not resemble traditional Animé, a welcome surprise and highly entertaining to boot. "Program" takes place within a training programme set in meieval Japan, and of all the short films is closest to established Animé. Defying the laws of physics by flying from roof to roof it is like an animated "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", and is probably the most kinetically charged film on the disc. In "World Record" we witness a human break free of the Matrix all on his own without the aid of the infamous red pill, all of which is rendered in a very unusual animated style. "Beyond" examines the weird glitches in the Matrix (remember the black cat in the first film?) and takes place quite conveniently in a haunted house. However, the house is not haunted in the traditional sense and is in fact a playground where kids congregate to take advantage of the magical properties the house manifests. The penultimate short is "A Detective Story" in which Trinity, voiced by Carrie-Anne Moss of course, is pursued by a private detective in a seedy black and white animation that suggests the image of a classic film noir. Last but by no means least is "Matriculated" where a group of humans capture a robot which they hope to programme in an effort to make it ‘see‘ that it can live in harmony with people. The surreal psychedelic journey the robot takes as it is fed an endless stream of virtual reality provides the machine with feelings for its captors, although ultimately the experiment is doomed to fail...
Although the Matrix films have been so successful I found it doubtful that "The Animatrix" would appeal to many people. Whereas I myself am a huge fan of Animé, personal favourites including "Ninja Scroll" and the "Fist of the North Star" series, it is still regarded just as animation in the UK and therefore not worthy of an adult audience. Hopefully that prejudice will not prevail when it concerns "The Animatrix" because it truly is great fun to watch and the perfect companion to the Matrix series. From watching the 9 animated films and the excellent special features documentary you can see how important Animé was to the creation of the Matrix idea. For those of you who have actually seen the seminal Manga films it is obvious that the post-apocalyptic high-tech visions of the future as seen in "Akira" and "Ghost In The Shell" inspired the designs with "The Matrix". Fans of Animé will love "The Animatrix", while for those of you who are not familiar with it "The Animatrix" is a great place to start and explore a fascinating genre.
CWW rating: 9 out of 10
UK release: 2nd June 2003
Label: Warner Home Video
Price: £15.99
Certificate: 15
DVD EXTRA FEATURES:
"Scrolls to Screen: The History and Culture of Animé" documentary
7 featurettes with director profiles, interviews and behind-the-scenes footage of each of the films
4 audio commentaries
"Enter the Matrix" videogame trailer
Widescreen anamorphic format
David Jensen Photography:
https://www.davidjensen.co.uk/
