The Animatrix is a collection of nine visually stunning short subjects intended to fill the gaps between The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded. Larry and Andy Wachowski, the creators of the Matrix feature films, were involved with each of the animated shorts to varying degrees, insuring that the shorts dovetailed neatly within the Matrix’s fictional universe. As one might expect, only fans of the Matrix movies are likely to have the patience and background to sit through more than one or two of The Animatrix’s patchwork shorts. That’s a shame, because The Animatrix is a lot of fun for the initiated.
The Animatrix uses several of the same cyberpunk themes the Wachowski brothers use to similar effect in their features. The Matrix is about a world where machines have enslaved humanity, and most of the human race is blissfully unaware of the truth, lost in a shared virtual reality. Thus, the alternating conflict and coexistence between humanity and machines and the differences between dreams and reality are common threads throughout the shorts. These themes lend themselves to multiple interpretations, and each of The Animatrix’s installments is illustrated in a totally distinct graphic style. "Final Flight of the Osiris" is an ultra-realistic foray into CGI that puts most of Final Fantasy to shame, "Program" and "Beyond" are mainstream anime, "A Detective Story" emulates the gritty, grainy look of film noir, and "Matriculated" is about as psychedelic as anything this side of Yellow Submarine.
Like Heavy Metal, the anthology film from the early 1980s, The Animatrix is an international affair, written in the United States but using Japanese and Korean talents as both animators and directors. The Animatrix also shares Heavy Metal’s chief flaw – a triumph of style over substance. The storylines and voice talents are simply not strong enough to equal the magic of the visuals. This is particularly disappointing with "A Detective Story" and "Beyond" as both sequences have the potential to be far more satisfying, yet come across as unfinished Twilight Zone episodes.
There are two exceptions, however. The first is "The Second Renaissance" directed by Mahiro Maeda. A vivid illustration of the war between the human race and machines as told from the machines’ point of view, "The Second Renaissance" has the disquieting effect of making the audience question the assumptions of the Matrix films. Man’s inhumanity is well illustrated here, making one wonder if the machines were right all along. The graphics recall the ambivalent anime classic Metropolis at first, but the machines keep redesigning themselves to be less and less humanoid as there are abused more and more by the human race. The first time I saw "The Second Renaissance" I had to literally stop the tape in my VCR and reflect for a few minutes before moving on. The second exception, "Kid’s Story," can’t really be described without giving away the twist ending but contains a neat vocal cameo by Matrix star Keanu Reeves, and will make you wonder for a while if the story takes place within the Matrix universe or if this is the story of an obsessed Matrix fan.
Despite their popularity, the Matrix films are not universally loved. However, if you’re a fan of the films (as I am) or if you enjoy brainier anime like Serial Experiments Lain and X:1999 and are willing to do your homework, you’ll find a lot to love about segments of The Animatrix. I also have to give the Wachowskis credit for pushing the anime envelope with these shorts, rather than rely on the simplistic, formulaic animation stylings of other movie-inspired animation such as Men in Black and Godzilla. As with Ang Lee’s Hulk, another controversial choice, I’m willing to take the heat and recommend The Animatrix to my readers.
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Other Anime Reviews Metropolis Review* Macross II Review Serial Experiments Lain Review * Digimon - the Movie Review Gundam Wing Review |
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