The Animatrix (2003) User Reviews (174)

do you need to watch Animatrix to understand The Matrix Trilogy?

[deepion · 8/10 · 8 April 2004]

First off, the Animatrix is not a movie, but a collection of nine animated shorts (one being CGI based) which basically delves into the world that is The Matrix. Animators come from Japan, Korea and the US and include many world renouned animators (the first animation, Final Flight of the Osiris, was made by the same team who created the Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within movie). Below is an outline of each animated short and what relevance it has in the Matrix world.

1. The Final Flight of the Osiris: CGI based animated short involving the discovery of the machine army and the delivery of the evidence to the drop point noted in the Enter The Matrix video game.

2. The Second Renaissance Part 1: One of four of the nine animated shorts written by the Wachowski Brothers and details the creation of artificial intelligence and the rise of the machines

3. The Second Renaissance Part 2: Continuation of the previous short film based on the war against the machines and the enslaving of the human race.

4. Kid's Story: Remember the Kid in Reloaded and Revolutions? this animated short is about how he came to be in the real world, including his encounter with Neo.

5. Program: This animated short is set in a training simulation and focuses on betrayal and escaping the real world back into the matrix, just like Cypher tried to do in the original Matrix movie.

6. World Record: Based on the idea that exceptional people with exceptional skills can in effect wake themselves up without being unplugged from the matrix, this short focuses on an American sprinter who runs so fast he escapes the rules of space and time and sees the real world.

7. Beyond: A glitch occurs in the Matrix and weird things starts to happen, time slows down and one girl is caught in the middle of it.

8. Detective Story: A private investigator is hired by Agents to track down Trinity, but he soon realises that he is a pawn in a conspiracy which ultimatly will lead him to see the truth.

9, Matrixulated: This animated short is about a team of human resistance which captures sentinals and uses the sentinals to fight for them. They, however, do not reprogram the sentinals but mearly show them an alternative choice and let the sentinals make up their own minds.

Every animated short is well made and really pushes the boundary of animation. Also, the script for each one is great and the whole experience really does make you feel part of the Matrix World and does answer questions as well as raise some more. But, does it infact help the understanding of the Matrix Trilogy? Basically, yes it does, however, not all the animated shorts do, only a few. The rest are just extra stories, opening up a whole new can of worms and filled with philosophy which made the original Matrix great, but are still worth seeing. The Animatrix develops the story of the Kid in Reloaded and Revolutions and Morpheus' speach about the human/machine war in the original Matrix movie. So, only very slightly does it actually alter your view or answer any questions on the Matrix Trilogy, but that is not the reason why you should see the Animatrix, see it because it is simply an amazing ride through the Matrix and should be watched by fans of the Matrix and animation alike.

some great animated short

[SnoopyStyle · 8/10 · 30 June 2015]

This is an anthology of nine animated shorts in the world of the Matrix.

Final Flight of the Osiris It's photo-realistic animation. The crew of the helipod Osiris try to warn of an imminent attack. The animation is similar to Final Fantasy from 2 years earlier. This is like a deleted section from the movie.

The Second Renaissance, Parts 1 & 2 Robots starts off as obedient servants. They start asking for their rights and is put down. They gather in the Middle East and build Nation 01 for machines. They become successful trading with the human world which starts to slide economically. They blockade Nation 01 and eventual war ensues. Mankind blocks out the sky which is the machine's main energy source. Machines enslaves humanity as their new power source. This is a nightmarish vision of the world. It's very compelling up until blocking out the sky. The short has to fit the movies whether it makes sense or not. It's still a powerful story.

Kid's Story Popper is a high school kid who senses something wrong with the world. He is recruited by Neo and escape the Matrix. This is the most obvious material for a Matrix short and there is nothing surprising about it.

Program Two fighters battle in a simulated samurai world. Duo betrays his crew to the machines to go back into the Matrix. The other fighter refuses. The twist ending takes away much of the power of the story.

World Record American Dan Davis loses his sprint world record due to a positive dope test after breaking the 9 second mark. He returns to break it again and finds himself breaking more than the milestone mark. I really like the image of his muscles snapping but there isn't much else in this one.

Beyond There's a glitch in the Matrix and strange anomalies are occurring at an abandoned house. A young girl looking for her cat Yuki finds the house with a bunch of neighborhood kids. This is my favorite short. It's imaginative and fun.

A Detective Story Private investigator Ash is low on money. He's hired to track down a hacker named Trinity. I don't particularly like the black and white animation. It's got the dot matrix like an old newspaper cartoon. The story is a bit old. The style probably leaves it feeling tired.

Matriculated A group of humans scour the desolate wasteland. They capture a machine scout runner. Instead of reprogramming it into a slave, they try to make it join them by choice.

Definitely a must-see...

[jluis1984 · 8/10 · 28 March 2006]

The Wachowski brothers managed to create an inspiring new sci-fi universe when they released their now-classic "The Matrix" in 1999. The premise of a virtual world where the mind "lives" proved to be limitless with the release of this collection of 8 animated shorts; each one of them exploring the Wachowski's "Matrix" universe in very different and interesting ways. With superb animation by veterans of different styles of animation, some of "The Animatrix" shorts at times feel even better than the Matrix series themselves.

Andy Jones, one of the minds behind "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within", starts with "The Final Flight of the Osiris", a movie done completely with computer generated graphics that shows a race against time in order to warn the citizens of the rebel city of Zion that the machines found them and are going to destroy them. The beautiful and fluid animation is very good, but overall the story doesn't live up to the expectations. It is a cold start, but very good after all.

Veteran animator Mahiro Maeda continues with a 2 part story called "Second Renaissance", a story detailing the events that lead to the creation of the Matrix which easily ranks among the best shorts of the compilation. Its fabulous animation done in anime style is visually beautiful and in a short time it tells a powerful story with a great message. True masterpiece.

Shinichirô Watanabe, director of the acclaimed "Cowboy Bebop" directs two segments, "Kid's Story" and "a Detective Story". The first one is a bit uneven, with good animation but a weak story. No wonder why it is the shortest of all as it has no place for development. On the other hand, "A Detective Story" is a brilliant segment very reminiscent of Watanabe's own "Cowboy Bebop". Mixing perfectly film noir with the Matrix universe, this superb anime is definitely a must-see.

Another big name of anime, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, directs "Program", dealing with the doubts of those who have been awakened of the Matrix. With a beautiful setting in Medieval Japan, Kawajiri manage to show true emotions through the vivid visuals. I feel this short is a bit underrated and that it is more than what it seems.

The lead animator of the world famous "Ninja Scroll" (1993), Takeshi Koike, directs "World Record"; an interesting tale of a man who manage to awake by his own means, while trying to break the 100m dash time world record. While the story is top notch, the stylish design for the characters at times looks a bit too over-the-top, however, it still is one of the best shorts of "The Animatrix".

Koji Morimoto directs one of the most most imaginative shorts in the collection: "Beyond". A tale about a place where "The Matrix" has had a processing error, turning it into a "haunted house" where some kids go to test reality and go literally beyond imagination. This short truly shows what anime really is about, with an enormous display of creativity, not only in the visuals, but also in the writing.

Finally, "Æon Flux"'s creator Peter Chung delivers the grim "Matriculated". A tale about a group of humans who try to "humanize" the machines. Despite it's dark tone, this is probably the most optimistic short, and the most humane. The animation feels like another chapter of Chung's famous miniseries, so fans of his work will be pleased.

"The Animatrix" is definitely a must-see for any fan of sci-fi, as in the tradition of "Heavy Metal", it explores different aspects of science fiction, going even beyond what "The Matrix" movies have done. 8/10

Now THIS is more like it!

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 10/10 · 7 May 2004]

The idea of the Matrix is so full of potential and could be taken in so many, many directions. The movies decided to go in the direction of pretension but the Animatrix goes EVERYWHERE the movies don't. It is so far superior and well worth the time. It's a shame that most audiences don't consider Anime or any form of animation to be 'real' or something that they should take seriously (sadly even Matrix fans feel this way and won't watch it simply because it's animation) because they're missing out on something very special here.

It's not original to review this DVD by going thru all the shorts so I'll just stick to what I like best (which is most of it). First of all, 'The Second Renaissance Parts 1 and 2' is absolutely VITAL as backstory to the first Matrix film. And it's a zillion times more interesting than the sequels in terms of drama, irony and subtext. 'The Final Flight of the Osiris' takes place before Reloaded and leads us into story of the machines beginning to drill down to Zion. And it's very cool. 'Detective' is a story of a private eye trying to find Trinity and discover what exactly the Matrix is. But Agent Smith comes after him to put a stop to that. It's in black and white and has a wonderful atmosphere of 1950's dime novel pulp fiction. 'Matriculated' is the story of a captured machine who is taught/hypnotized into feeling what it's like to be human. It's a very clever story that manages to provoke feeling for the characters (and even the captured machine), something the movies never did. 'Kid' is about the kid from Revolutions who takes over the Mech at the end and manages to open the doors to Zion. Apparently, before being freed, he was a schoolkid who met Neo online and wanted to 'wake up'.

But the best one is 'Beyond'. A magical tale with an atmosphere so solid that it's almost tangible. It's about a girl who goes looking for her cat in an old abandoned factory with some other kids. But in this factory the Matrix is having problems and 'reality' for the characters doesn't quite work properly. It's a very interesting tale that really makes you think.

There are numerous extras on this DVD, all of them more interesting that the other Matrix DVDs. All 9 of the shorts are presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound. It's truly for all fans and non-fans of the Matrix universe.

Art comes to life on this "enhancement" of the Matrix

[cafesmitty · 10/10 · 8 June 2003]

This was the most brilliantly interpreted, scripted and thought provoking thing I have seen in a very long time. The DVD gives you background filler for what the Matrix is and the Wachowski brothers allow some of Japan's best anime artists to interpret the 9 different stories on their own. I think, just like art, each viewer will have a different type of experience. You have 9 wonderful compelling stories and the visual style is so different that it adds much value to the telling of the stories. The brothers had a vision and clearly the Matrix affected many people and, what a wonderful gift they gave by incorporating the world of anime into the telling of their vision. But not only is it visually stunning and stylish, but the music is dead on. There are all sorts of morals in the stories. From SECOND RENNAISSANCE'S man's destructive nature and his down fall, to the sort of, don't-play-with-fire nature of MATRICULATED and the playfulness and joy of BEYOND. Plus the DVD special features take us into each director of each piece explaining his "art" and how the film the Matrix affected them. We even get a little history on the origins of anime. It was just really enjoyable to watch people who are so passionate about their craft and about the Matrix. I think you will enjoy this immensely and take something out of it yourself.

Animatrix or Matrixime

[HyperPup · 10 June 2003]

Being a long time viewer of Anime and Anime Collecting, I found myself very intruigued by the notion of an "all Matrix inspired animation project", and having seen many anime anthologies (Robot Carnival, Neo Tokyo, etc.), I knew it was a sketchy territory to say the least. Most anthologies are hit and miss but this one for me was mostly a hit. Gladly, I was not dissapointed at all. All the stories became not just history to the Matrix world but poignant, frightening, disturbing and scintillating drama that takes the blasted landscape of the machine run Earth into a landscape of incalculable possiblities. The idea of the Matrix having its stylistic touches taken from anime makes this disc an even more appropriate and evolutionary step. Bravo to all who got this project together, because expanding the scope and vison of your work to honor its concepts was pure genious. Lucas could learn a thing by this.

Could have been even better

[mrnettek2000 · 7/10 · 4 August 2013]

I gave this a 7/10, but there is no reason it shouldn't have been 10/10. I'm a Matrix fax, but the flow of the Animatrix is all outta wack. They startoff with a scene where the people are in the Matrix/where the Matrix already exists...I don't believe that should have been the first animated movie/scene. The whole story would have been better if they started off with just humans...building the AI, and slowly, and gradually the AI took over. That's my only real gripe...lack of even flow of the storyline. But, nonetheless, it was good; must see.

There are multiple scenes that are just stunning...especially the graphics.

Anime at its absolute finest.

[johnnymacbest · 8/10 · 17 April 2008]

Art is beautiful, beautiful as the world outside and the world inside. Such is the case with movies, which is has excelled at a purely imaginative and visual level. A concept is born, yes, but what is more important is that it is fleshed out in grand and spectacular form in uniqueness and inspiration. Art is what an individual expresses in pictures and ideas and imagination. If art is to be fully realized in a bold and grand vision, the creator must take many steps to make sure that it is unique and impressive. It must break new ground with originality and ingenuity, a long and quite arduous task, but grants rewarding results. And with that, a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction is felt heartily within the soul of the creator and as well in the viewer.

Movies are an expression and also an art medium, spanning decades from the 18th century and now in the 21st century. But another medium exists, born from distant lands with a different culture and different view on the take of art. In Japan, anime was born. Anime are cartoons or drawings told in Japanese style with deep and compelling story lines. Since then its popularity has exploded with Western audiences and worldwide. Unlike traditional animation, which caters to American audiences, anime is culturally different in that its characters and style is more centered on drama and dialog rather than on pure action and one-liners.

1999. A year that a remarkable science fiction film graced American and world audiences. That film was The Matrix. Directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski, the film was a box-office smash hit and became the most successful film in the genre. It was influenced by anime and comic books as well as philosophy. The nature of the film deals with perceptions of reality and the role in discovering the true nature of the "world". It also spawned two sequels which expanded the storyline of the Matrix, but never explored the Matrix itself; leading to some criticism from moviegoers and critics alike. However, the Animatrix is a cool gem in itself that more than garners interest in the world of the Matrix.

Told in a series of 9 vignettes, the Animatrix is a new take on the Matrix concept as it explores the back stories of the first film and features new exciting tales for fans of the films and anime lovers. As in the case of the other reviews on this site, no details will be revealed. Just like in the original film, you have to see it for yourself.

To see the Matrix universe in film version is great but to see it expanded in anime form is simply breathtaking. The visuals are so out of this world and engrossing that you can't help but be immersed in its world. It is truly something to experience and a sight to behold.

A marvelous way to tell a story from a different artistic perspective. Check it out for yourself and appreciate it all over.

Renaissance man.

[southdavid · 6/10 · 30 December 2021]

Just to round out my revisiting of "The Matrix", I decided to watch "The Animatrix" again. It's a collection of animated shorts that fill out the world of the films, with more detail about specific events, or a secondary unrelated story set in the same world. There are nine films that make up the series, they are as follows.

Final Flight of the Osiris. This one ties directly into the films, as it's how the crews learn about the machines drilling towards Zion. It's a CGI effort that was cutting edge at the time, but is now superseded by most video games and certainly by all contemporary efforts. It's a little odd, there's a sexy fight scene which is made a bit weirder by the fact you know there's an operator watching them but on the whole, this was good.

The Second Renaissance. This one is split into two parts and is the history of the war between machines and man. Backstory written by the Wachowskis, this has more traditional animation techniques and some horrific imagery of violence and gore.

Kids Story. Again, this feeds directly into the film, as it's the story of the kid from the sequels and what Neo did to rescue him. Keanu and Carrie-Anne Moss both voice their own characters. It's a CGI/traditional animation mix this time, but the results were a bit to underwhelming for me.

Program. Another mixed animation style. This one is again inside the Matrix, with a feudal Japan setting as a character tries to convince another to join him in re-entering "The Matrix". Better than "Kids Story" but not as interesting as the previous ones.

World Record. I found the traditional animation style on this one to be quite ugly. It's about a sprinter who self-actualises and sees the truth of the Matrix without outside help. I found myself not really caring about he story though.

Beyond. A woman tracks her cat into a "haunted house", which turns out to be a house where the Matrix has glitched somehow and the rules of physics aren't applied correctly. Though an interesting idea, it's another episode I struggled to get much enthusiasm for.

A Detective Story. Though again I struggled to care about the storyline, about a detective hunting Trinity for reasons I can't quite remember, this one, at least, had some stylish pencil art designs to keep me interested.

Matriculated. A colourful effort about humans trapping a machine within the Matrix, to try and teach it some emotion ( I think). Again, nice to look at but a dull story.

Overall, the ones written by the Wachowski's themselves are solid additions to the series, and the final flight of the Osiris is perhaps even essential. Many of the rest though don't have either the premise, or the story, to be worthwhile.

Nothing can get closer to "Ghost in the Shell" than this

[Facehugger_28 · 10/10 · 30 January 2008]

Having never seen the Matrix, but being a loyal anime collector, I came across this high ranked animated feature.

Never in my life has I seen something as close as brilliant and poetically nightmarish that Ghost in the Shell has delivered, bringing the Matrix franchise closer to "art and soul" than "blockbuster".

Some of the amazingly dramatic episodes in this feature may make Animatrix a parallel brother to Ghost in the Shell itself. And the animation is very dreamy and expertly crafted, the second best thing that this feature will bring you.

If anime is your thing, or the matrix, or getting started to both, I couldn't recommend this higher.

A Must for MATRIX Fans

[brando647 · 7/10 · 26 January 2010]

With the exception of the third film, I love the MATRIX trilogy so when this anthology was released I was excited at being able to delve deeper into the MATRIX universe. The collection contains nine shorts from acclaimed anime directors and animators. Some stories expand on existing plot points from the movie while others are merely a chance for a director to give us their own glimpse into the world of the MATRIX. Some of the shorts are downright amazing, both in content and visual quality, while others fail to really hold my attention. Still, there are no truly weak stories in this collection and each addition has something to admire about it.

Some of the highlights of this anthology are "The Second Renaissance, Parts I and II", "Beyond", and "The Final Flight of the Osiris". Director Mahiro Maeda has created the best installments of the series with "The Second Renaissance", a glimpse into the Zion historical archives to view how the machines became sentient and their war with the humans. It fills in all the information gaps from before the first MATRIX film and the animation's realism gives the brutal violence an extra kick when you watch it. "Beyond", from director Koji Morimoto, was one of the more fun stories, with a young girl in search of her cat being led to a building where the Matrix has glitched and reality is warping. "The Final Flight of the Osiris" from Andy Jones is another bridging story, with the crew of the hovercraft Osiris discovering the sentinels in the process of digging to Zion and setting off the events of the MATRIX sequels. Jones, who was the animation director on FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN (2001) brings the same lifelike CG animation to the ANIMATRIX and I admit it looked amazing.

I suppose I should also give an honorable mention to Peter Chung's "Matriculated", in which a group of humans have devised a process to give the machines a choice in joining their resistance, because of it's trippy, surely LSD-inspired animation style. For the majority of the piece, I had no clue what was transpiring but I just loved the tripped out visuals. The remaining films, while I was not as impressed, were still beautiful pieces. The collection gives you a wide variety of animation styles, ranging from the beautifully contrasted ("Program") to the bizarrely fluid ("World Record"), from multiple directors. If you've got the DVD, I also recommend the special features. Almost as entertaining as the films were the chance to listen to each director and learn what inspired their contributions and how their style is influenced in life.

If you want to understand "The Matrix" you don't want to miss this

[AttilaD87 · 9/10 · 1 January 2009]

Born from the directors(Larry and Andy Wachowski)of "The Matrix" ,this 9 part great animated movie tell's the story of what happened whit mankind before the time that "The Matrix" takes place.

Here are the titles of the nine part of The Animatrix: 1.Final Flight of the Osiris 2.Kid's Story 3.The Second Renaissance Part I 4.The Second Renaissance Part II 5.Beyond 6.A Detective Story 7.Program 8.World Record 9.Matriculated

In the first part of The Animatrix "Final Flight of the Osiris" we find out that the Osiris is the ship who informs Zion that the machines are digging direct to it.

If you don't watch the "Kid's story" you will not be able to understand what does the kid is talking about to Neo in "The Matrix Reloaded"

But the most important parts of The Animatrix are the The Second Renaissance Part's in which is told the story between man and machine.

The movie is the necessary introduction of "The Matrix", don't miss it

The antimatrix is not what you wish for but not bad .

[AnthonyMeg · 7/10 · 18 January 2019]

First off the visualization was all right, but unluckily didn't have as impressing plot as the CGI work,of this assemblage of short stories, I thought some were top notch and kept relevant and sticked to the idea and other parts that i didn't quite like maybe because of the dissimilar styles because the stories didn't have the same quality some that are superb and some are somewhat low even when it comes to the storyline off the ones i didn't like were illogical and have have some flaws, but overall it is a seven out of ten movie, that what you have to keep in your mind before watching .

Lots of eyecandy, but little substance

[dementos · 4/10 · 1 June 2003]

First off, I have to emphasize that I love 'The Matrix', the movie. But these shorts only bored me and at times even tended to get on my nerves.

Why? Because it's all eyecandy and no substance. These shorts don't add anything to 'The Matrix'. On the contrary. After the fourth or fifth variation on the theme, the whole concept gets very old (nothing is like it seems, reality vs. virtual reality, the evil machines, etc.) In fact, by repeating everything over and over and by trying to 'explain' everything, these shorts manage to destroy all the mystery and uniqueness that made 'The Matrix' so special.

Furthermore, these shorts are bursting with spectacular camera movements, cool sound effects, and non-stop action. But that's not a good thing. Because here again the problem is that repetition and the overuse of these elements is counter-productive. It's like a small child telling the same joke over and over again: You might be amused the first time you hear the joke. But the n-th time you have to endure the same lame joke, you just wish the kid would shut up.

Superior to "Reloaded"

[danfeit · 8/10 · 31 May 2003]

After loving the original "Matrix" film and hating the recent "Reloaded," my enthusiasm for "Animatrix" was somewhere between curiosity and contempt. "Reloaded" was so slow and empty I hesitated to explore the "Matrix" concept any further as a possible waste of time. Well, the good news is that "Animatrix," while far from perfect, is much more interesting than "Reloaded" as it explores the original concept rather than try to act as a sequel.

"The Animatrix" is a collection of animated short stories, each one independent of the others. Each tale has its own interesting twist and can be enjoyed in any order (except for the two-part episode, obviously). The stories are based on the original "Matrix" film so if you haven't seen the sequel(s), don't worry. The segments are (in no particular order):

"Final Flight of the Osiris" This is a CGI animated story that is a prelude to the story of "Reloaded." While I'm not a big fan of 3D computer animation, it was actually quite good and I think it should have been filmed and included in "Reloaded." It would have made a much more exciting introduction.

"Program" This was a very brief but an exciting battle between two humans in the Matrix. As they fight they argue over the merits of the fight against the Machines. The ending is a bit of a cop-out but the story is still cool.

"The Second Renaissance" This is a two-part story that explains the war between Man and the Machines. Morpheus gives a brief overview of this story in the original "Matrix" film but "Renaissance" actually details why the war began. This was my favorite part of the "Animatrix," although its armageddon-like tale is a little depressing. It also features GRAPHIC VIOLENCE which will shock most viewers, so be prepared. Still, it is a fascinating explanation.

"World Record" This was a fun idea but artistically I was unimpressed. The characters' features and motions were so wildly exaggerated that it feels ridiculous. Could have been better.

"Kid's Story" This is another story which sets up an element of "Reloaded." It is brief and fun to watch, but not much goes on here.

"Detective Story" I would have enjoyed this piece a lot more if it hadn't been so rushed. The story is interesting but it begins and ends so quickly it's actually not that good. A shame.

"Beyond" This was a cool idea and I enjoyed it. It didn't have much to say but as a short film it was good.

"Matriculation" This is probably the weakest segment as it serves up mostly eye candy and little content. There is an interesting concept behind the action but most of the time you're just staring at wild colors and patterns.

While inconsistent I enjoyed "The Animatrix" and I recommend it. I would have liked to see "The Second Renaissance" and "Detective Story" expanded into feature length films (or at least hour-long OVAs).

The Origin of Matrix in Animes and Computer Generated Movie

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 5 August 2003]

Animatrix is composed of nine excellent episodes, each of them of running time of about ten (10) minutes, showing parts of the concept and universe of 'Matrix'. There are at least three films that are outstanding: the first one ("Final Flight of the Osiris"), which uses the same technique as 'Final Fantasy', and the second and third movies ('The Second Renaissance I & II"), where the war between humans and the machines is explained in details. I watched this series of short movies two days ago, but I intended to see them again and again, to catch more details, especially in the extras of the DVD. The fans of Sci-Fi in general (and 'Matrix') and animes will love this DVD. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Animatrix"

A mixed bag, but it's probably only for Matrix fans in the first place.

[Li-1 · 10 June 2003]

** out of ****

The Animatrix is a collection of short animated films related to the The Matrix universe. Of the nine shorts featured, I enjoyed four of them, and found the rest either dull or disposable.

The Second Rennaissance, parts 1 and 2, is the most compelling segment of the bunch. The story reveals how war broke out between man and machine. The rivalry is riveting and packed with memorable visuals, particularly the battle scenes, which are vividly gruesome and terrifying. True, this story is essentially little more than a Terminator rip-off, but it provides an interesting background for the trilogy, and works sufficiently in explaining the origins of The Matrix.

The Final Flight of the Osiris is directly related to The Matrix Reloaded. It opens with a playful swordfight between two individuals in a dojo, a black man and an Asian woman. They're in a simulated program, and are actually part of the crew of a ship called the Osiris. The title says it all, so you know what to expect from this short film, plot-wise. The attention-grabber is the computer animation, which is stunningly realistic and life-like.

A Kid's Story also relates to The Matrix Reloaded, focusing on a kid who finds himself doubting the world around him. His questions lead him to contact with Neo, who informs him to escape before the Agents get him. It's an enjoyable segment with a strong ending, and it would probably hold more suspense for those who haven't seen Reloaded.

I won't waste time going into details over the rest of the anthology. There are various reasons why the other stories didn't appeal to me, whether it be the art or the plots. The Wachowski Brothers wrote these stories, which puts on display ideas they would rather choose not to execute for their films, which is mostly mired in kung-fu, gun battles, and car chases. But that's another review altogether.

An interesting accompaniment to the Matrix universe

[jozefxs · 7/10 · 22 February 2020]

Gave this movie another watch a few days ago. I recall the first time I watched it, soon after it came out, I was completely blown away by the CGI animation for the first segment. That segment still holds up really well until today, despite the amazing advances in computer animation since then.

As for the whole movie... Hmm. How shall I review it? It is a completely animated movie, made up of several segments which are all inspired by or expands upon the Matrix universe. Each segment is animated differently, so the quality is radically different from one segment to another. That itself isn't a bad thing, as each style of animation was interesting in its own way. But each story, on the other hand, was also all over the place... I think I might have enjoyed this movie a lot more if all the segments were better interconnected. Some segments were really interesting, and gives meaningful background to the Matrix universe. Some other segments, however, seemed rather pointless - with storylines that were neither interesting or properly linked to the Matrix universe.

Overall, I guess I can rate this a 6.5/10. The first half is relatively better structured, but as the later segments kick in, I was rapidly losing interest.

A Brilliant compilation you should watch only after watching the Matrix series....

[royadityax · 10/10 · 8 December 2015]

Well, the thing about the movie is that it has great animation, stories, representation, suspense, concept and thrill…. But well, all though it will make you think, rethink, contemplate and stick to till the end enjoying the film to the last bit….. But the thing is you won't make anything out of it. Cause the doesn't show a story but a couple of them. It's basically a side addition to the Matrix series and if you wanna understand this anime…. You gotta watch the Matrix series first….

So don't watch this before you watch that….

But don't dare to miss this after watching the Matrix series.... It goes everywhere the film didn't.... It's totally worth the time....

A Fun Little Goodie Bag

[mikayakatnt · 7/10 · 6 November 2019]

A nice grab bag of different stories relating to the Matrix universe. Each with its own creative design and visuals. Though I enjoyed some shorts, I found others a bit boring. If you're like me, you've rewatched some shorts on Youtube while ignoring others.

3.5/5. Though some shorts I'd rate much higher and some much lower. A must-watch to any big fans of the Matrix universe.

Nine animated shorts that should be watched by all Matrix fans

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 7 September 2013]

Fans of the original Matrix trilogy might worry that this is just 'The Matrix Cartoon'… thankfully it isn't; it may be animated but it isn't cartoony. The nine short serve to add to the original films; showing us more of life in The Matrix and explaining its origins.

Each of the stories is animated in a different style; the first is CGI that one could almost mistake for live action at times and the next seven are anime; their style will be familiar to fans of Japanese animation although each story has its own distinct look. The final story was created Korean; not a source of animation I'm familiar with; I don't know how typical this was but it was certainly interesting if a little bit trippy!

The stories are short but satisfying. There is no connection between them, with the exception of 'The Second Renaissance Pts. I and II. Most are fairly dark in tone but not all; 'Beyond' was quite delightful as a group of children played an a faulty area of the town where glitches in the Matrix enabled them to do amazing things.

The styles of animation may have been highly varied but it was all of a high quality as was the voice work. I suspect it would be less enjoyable if one hadn't first seen 'The Matrix' although 'The Second Renaissance' serves to explain the origins of the Matrix in a way that adds nicely to the original and 'Last Flight of the Osiris' is a fine introduction to the events seen in the final two parts of the trilogy.

A few of these shirts are excellent

[adamlsherwin · 7/10 · 22 February 2021]

Mixed bag. Loved the noir short, last short, and first two shorts. Some felt unnecessary, or the animation just didn't land for me. However, it's easy to tell a ton of creativity and effort went into these animations. It's amazing that the filmmakers were given this much freedom, and quite frankly amazing this movie was made at all.

The beauty of creative thinking

[andthats · 9/10 · 2 February 2005]

I wasn't going to write anything hear but reading a few negative reviews on this piece that i feel are wrong have inspired to add my thoughts:

For those of you unfamiliar with this, it is basically 8 separate stories (1 being a 2 parter) set in the universe of the matrix that pose and answer some interesting questions. I'm sure this appealed instantly to all anime fans like myself, but will probably put off a number of people (i know a few myself) who will simply think Anime=Cartoon=Childish. This really irritates me because i've always felt that anime gives a lot of people the ability to put their creative thinking and wild ideas on the screen without needing access to ridiculous budgets. I think the wachowski bros (sorry if spelt wrong) feel grateful that their blatantly anime inspired vision was given the chance of day, and are now using it push forward some of the great anime moguls that inspired them towards the audience they have captured.

Lets break this down: Flight of the Osiris- Amazingly rich looking CGI piece about the crew of a ship that discovers the machine army heading to zion. Looks beautiful, character animation is spot on, and is pretty riveting stuff.

Second Renaissance(1&2)- Don't believe what other people are saying about this being a terminator rehash. It is about the machines taking over earth before the matrix, but the comparison ends their. In terminator skynet was definitely the villain, in these it is quite easy to see that it is man who is the villain. The inherent cruelty of our species is showcased in these as we seek to destroy a race we've created who attempts peace many times. There is a part when a mob is beating on an android girl who simply pleads "i'm real" before they smash her to pieces! It has hidden depth, plus the battle scenes, imagery and soundtrack are great!

Kid Story- My personal fave. About the kid in matrix 2 and 3, (you know, the one who idolizes neo) and his awakening to the matrix and his faith in something completely intangible. It moves along at a sedate pace for most of it, then hits you with 30 odd seconds of some of the most intense and exciting action i've seen for a while! Rough, old school drawing that works fantastic with the style of this piece!

Program- Classic style, ass bustin, head crackin samurai extravaganza!! I do love this one. A simple moral dilemma with questions raised of- just how bad ass can you get in the matrix?! It just go's up and down, action, then talk, then action, then talk. But it works nicely and leaves your heart pumpin.

Right, i know that this says it contains spoilers, but i'm sure people will read it anyway cause i've always found that warning more of a temptation than anything else, so i'll leave the last 4 stories as a mystery cause they are more thinking pieces than action pieces. Also, i'm mildly embarrassed about how long this review has got, so i better stop before i give myself an aneurysm.

Just remember, i think anyone will at least find some of these stories cool, and they're only 10 minutes long apiece anyway, so it's not like you'll have long to suffer if you don't like it. later

The first 4 shorts are required viewing to understand the sequels

[destructor-61011 · 7/10 · 22 November 2022]

This series of short animations should have been publicised much more than it was before they released the main sequel.

The first 4 shorts are essential viewing and should be watch in order of 2, 3, 4 and then 1.

The rest, whilst not bad, are just fillers and can quite easily be skipped.

Story 2 and 3 are about how the war began and ended. Story 4 is about a character from the 2nd film and helps explain his arc.

Story 1 is really the start of the 2nd film and explains a lot of the story arc from the first act.

So we get lots of different animation styles per story which you'll either love or hate. The soundtrack is very slow, sombre and of course, electronic but works very well with each story.

Even now, years later, it's surprising how many have watched the main trilogy but didn't even know these shorts existed.

If you're a fan of the Matrix, they're a must watch. And as already stated, the first four are required viewing before watching the main sequels.

Enjoy...

Very confusing

[Angels_Review · 5/10 · 17 April 2014]

It's rather hard to talk about a show like this because it's mostly like a range of different episodes. They may all contain the Matrix like style but there really isn't much that connects them. From the story to the animation, each part is different and told in its own way. The movie gets more and more confusing as the stories keep going, making it hard to get what is going on. There isn't an indication of if you are inside the Matrix or outside it. All I could understand was how pretty the animations were at points and how 'crappy' they were in others. The whole mix of samurai to space age, to computer simulations that look so real that it could be live action, all of that just seemed a little overboard.

Question, why does it start out with a man and women undressing each other with katanas? Is it just for sexual looks or is there actually a reason for it? Can someone answer this part for me? The animation was all over the place from CG to Cartoon, to whatever. I felt rather bombarded by all the different art styles just as it happened in 'Dante's Inferno: An animated epic'. The only thing that saved this a little was that the stories were not all linked to one storyline like Dante. When I say Crappy artwork, I don't mean bad artwork. I just mean stuff that really doesn't look right in my eyes. The style that is so loaded with detail that you can see almost every line in the face right next to stuff that is very simplified. I may not be using the right word for it but I have no other idea what to use for it. Now the detail work pretty much is nice in the CG part, but I thought it never worked in the cartoon part of the show.

The voices are actually pretty well done and one of the only fluid parts of the show. They have voices that work out rather well for the mood that the 'scene' is trying to show. If it's intense, it sounds intense, if it's slow, it has that feeling. Some of the characters sound like they were voiced by some of the voice actors that were even in the matrix itself.