Stars: Carrie-Anne Moss, Keanu Reeves

Director: Yoshiaki Kawajiri

Summary: A collection of short films which explain the story of the 'Matrix' universe.

Taking the characters and premise from the groundbreaking science-fiction film, THE MATRIX, this ambitious project compiles nine short films directed by animation specialists from Japan, Korea, and America. The action is rapidly paced and combines different styles of animation from CGI to anime to more traditional animation, producing a unique and varied look even more stunning than its predecessor. A sampling of the talent includes MATRIX creators Larry and Andy Wachowski, Yoshiaki Kawajiri (NINJA SCROLL), Peter Chung (AEON FLUX), and Shinchiro Watanabe (COWBOY BEBOP).

WIN DVDs by rating this DVD

Average User Rating:

WIN DVDS by being amongst the first to review this DVD. Reviewing DVDs earns you bonus entries and lets you WIN DVDs!Please login before reviewing this DVD. If you're a new user, register for free and enter to WIN FREE DVDs!

The Animatrixis a series of nine stories by different directors set in the Matrixuniverse, all of them conceived and commissioned by the Wachowski brothers. They demonstrate an eclectic mix of anime animation styles, stories and characters, most of which intertwine with the narrative of the first sequel, The Matrix Reloaded.

The first and most impressive is the Final Flight of the Osiris(from the director of Final Fantasy). In a breathtaking computer-generated short that would have worked well as a pre-title sequence for the second film, the crew of the ill-fated Osiris discover the sentinel army and the machines drilling towards Zion. This most filmic of the offerings guides fans into the more individualistic animated styles of the subsequent features.

The second and third instalments, The Second Renaissance, Parts 1 &2, turn the tables on the man vs. machines battle by telling the story of the emergence of artificial intelligence and the ensuing (mostly human instigated) carnage leading up to the subjugation of the human race. The remaining features are: Kid's Story(directed by anime supreme Shinichiro Watanabe), which introduces us to the Kid, who also features in Reloaded; Programand World Record, written by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, better known for schlock horror anime Vampire Hunter B; Beyond, which tells what happens when ordinary people discover bugs in the system; A Detective Story, a homage to film noir as PI Ash is hired to track Trinity; and the distinctly psychedelic Matriculated.

The standard of animation is high throughout, even where the storylines are confused (and in one or two cases little more than conceptual). This is a fascinating collection of shorts that will appeal to Matrixand anime fans alike, as well as shedding light on some of the more obtuse plot machinations of Reloaded.

On the DVD:The Animatrixis primarily a visual offering, so it's good to see that this anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1 video transfer is near-perfect, with CGI extravaganza signature short The Final Flight of the Osirisbeing about as stunning as is possible on a small screen. Extras are plentiful: the commentaries for The Second Renaissance Parts 1 &2are in Japanese with English subtitles; there are two more commentaries, for Programand World Record. There are also some features, including one on the history of anime and seven on the individual films in the series; the best of the latter is the featurette for Osiris, which goes into detail on the CGI and contains a "square celebrity death match" sequence of a modified Aki (from the Final Fantasyfilm) battling a sentinel. --Kristen Bowditch

Aspect Ratio:	2.35 Wide Screen, 16:9 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Scrolls To Screen The History And Culture Of Anime, Seven Making Of Featurettes, Four Audio Commentaries
Year:	2003
Release Date:	June 2, 2003
Runtime:	90 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	D 037316
Keywords:	Animated, General, Wide, Screen, Fiction, Science, Animation, Horror, Sci, Fi, Animatrix
Genre:	Science Fiction