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Matrix writer-directors Larry and Andy Wachowski commissioned sevenartists from Japan, America and Korea to make nine short films set in theworld of their feature trilogy. Some of the top anime directors contributedto this anthology, including Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll), KojiMorimoto (Robot Carnival), andShinchiro Watanabe (CowboyBebop). Some of the films tie directly into the narrative of the live-action movies. Drawn in a style reminiscent of Jean "Moebius" Giraud, MahiroMaeda's The Second Renaissance (Part I & Part II) depicts thehuman-machine wars that caused the enslavement of humanity and the creationof the Matrix. The duel between two flamboyantly costumed Kabuki warriors inKawajiri's Program is an expanded version of the cybernetic trainingNeo (Keanu Reeves) undergoes in the first Matrix film. Watanabe evokesthe look of old newspaper photographs in A Detective Story, whichfalls outside the storyline of the features. Fast-paced, violent and grim,The Animatrix is an uneven but intriguing compilation that representsa new level in the ongoing cross-pollination between Japanese animation andAmerican live action. (Not rated, suitable for ages 16 and older: considerableviolence, violence against women, grotesque imagery, brief nudity, alcoholuse) --Charles Solomon ... Read more

Reviews (311)

Needless but Entertaining Backstory
What's the deal with the unexplained reference to "the Osiris" in "The Matrix Reloaded"? Or the backstory of the character known only as "Kid"? How and why did the machines overthrow mankind? And what about what's happening to the world away from the characters we know from the central movies? "The Animatrix" answers those questions.

There are nine segments in this piece, one CGI and eight mixes of computers and flat-cell animation. All are done in the style of Japanese "anime," with everything good (sophisticated story development) and bad (demeaning attitudes toward women) that entails. Everything is pure backstory--you'll find nothing that changes the course or meaning of what you'll find in the core movies. And not all of it is necessary.

Four segments--"Final Flight of the Osiris," "The Second Renaissance" 1&2, and "Kid's Story"--dovetail directly into the content of the two movies. "Kid's Story" features cameo appearances by Keanu Reeves as Neo and Carrie-Ann Moss as Trinity. Moss also reappears as Trinity in "A Detective Story," which seems to provide some clue as to why Neo recognizes her name the first time they meet.

Four other segments--"Program," "Matriculated," "World Record," and "Beyond"--don't actually add anything material to the story. However, they allow us glimpses into what's going on when the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar isn't looking: a flaw in the Matrix programming, a campaign to convert machines to the human cause, an alternate way to comprehend the reality of the Matrix, and more. Some of them are interesting, others are self-consciously artistic and verge on incomprehensible.

All of the pieces have one thing in common--they're too short for us to immerse ourselves in the content and characters. In "Final Flight of the Osiris," we've barely met the characters before they're all dead. Some are never even given names. It risks becoming a barrage of free association, especially when each segment is separated from the ones that flank it by a lengthy credit sequence.

Still, it makes an adequate diversion, even if it's not as groundbreaking as the live-action movies. It often seems unnecessary, and probably is, but it's entertaining, and that's what we really want from our anime, isn't it?

To an artificial mind all reality is virtual.
Animatrix is a welcome twist in the Matrix series. Those of us who are the true fans of Matrix world will find this series of episodes to be a creative elaboration on the concept of the Matrix universe. It could also be a device used by Warchovski's to keep our hunger to see Matrix Revolutions at bay.

While some episodes are free standing, Kid's Story and Final Flight of Osiris are intimately linked to the events of the Matrix: Reloaded. Those of us who loved the Matrix have to admit; the idea of machines creating an artificial reality is a great one. Warchowski's were not the first ones to come up with the idea of dream skepticism but their execution of it makes for a fascinating concept.

The idea of the Matrix is filled with mystery, danger, fear, and much of unknown and unexplored.
The use of the animation was a great idea to address some of the plot holes of the Matrix series as well as to create more entertainment for those of us who want to see Matrix without Keanu Revees. What makes Animatrix a good DVD is that it incorporates nine wholly different stories and styles of presentation. While some will dislike particular episode or episodes most of us will walk away with at least one element or a story as profoundly touching. In other words, you might not like all, but at least something here.

Two episodes in the Animatrix are especially worthy of note. They are Matriculated and Program. Even though both of these episodes do not seem to appeal to general liking they are particularly profound and entertaining. Matriculated is very abstract piece and unlike some other episodes its message is not spoon feed directly to the audience. The visual imagery was stunning and memorable and was intended to make us come up with our own interpretations of what seemed bizarre. Perhaps Matriculated yields a hint at what will happen in Matrix Revolutions.

Fill in the blanks and new concept for programmers
This is a great DVD for Matrix fans and non-fans. I found the rennaisance stories worth the entire DVD. Final flight of the Osiris took my breath away. Kid's Story, if no one has noticed, is the story of the kid that appears giving ammo to the robots defending the deck in "Revolutions". Finally, Beyond is THE story that'll change your mind if you, like me, are a programmer. Is this how bugs look like inside a program? How many times have you tested modules and then left them in the hard disk? When a system accesses a defective set of subroutines, do they look like this? When your OS repairs a defective function, do the deletion leaves other programs without a place to find solace, amusing? If you want your brain scrambled like the eggs in your breakfast, buy this one!!

Much Better Than I Expected - Helps Fill In Some Blanks.
I figured this was just another spin off of the Matrix series. Around the time Reloaded was released, there was so much publicity and overexposure that with the video game and everything else, that I never took this seriously enough to actual watch. Now, about a year later I decided to give it a chance. I was suprised when some of the stories from this collection were actually good and explained some things that the movie didn't.

Final Flight Of The Osiris:
Explains what happened to the Osiris fleet while delivering the message about the machines digging to Xion. Amazingly lifelike 3D animation.

The Second Renaissance (Part I & Part II):
Explains the history between man and machine leading up to the creation of the Matrix and humans being used for an energy source.

Kid's Story:
Explains how "Kid" from Reloaded got freed from the Matrix. He is the one in the movie that carries Neo's bags.

Program:
A girl is forced to choose between returning to the Matrix with her love or death if she does not cooperate.

World Record:
Kinda confusing, but what I gathered from it is that a runner learns to break the laws of the Matrix to break a world record and is being watched by agents to make sure he doesn't figure anything out.

Beyond:
A story that shows how a possible bug in the Matrix relates to a seemingly haunted building and how it gets covered up while a girl is searching for her lost cat.

A Detective Story:
A detective is hired to catch Trinity, but may find out too much.

Matriculated: My personal favorite. People capture a robot and try to get in to convert to their side using a Matrix-like virtual reality. I can imagine that being under the influence would add to this story.

Almost all of the stories are open-ended and leave you somewhat unsatisfied and right when you get involved in a story it ends as just about every one is under 10 minutes long. All of the stories have their own animation style and use an interesting blend of 3d and 2d animation.

Too good to be true.
The Animatrix, in my opinion, has done far more for Japanese animation in the US than Cartoon Network and its "Toonami" ever have and probably ever will. The Wachowskis never tried to hide the fact that the look and feel of The Matrix was greatly inspired by years of watching anime. This collection was born out of a meeting with producers at the famous Studio 4oC in Japan. The idea was to bring in a collaboration of some of their favorite anime directors to further explore the world of The Matrix. The result was The Animatrix, a collection of brilliant side-stories that expand upon the normal moviegoing experience.

-Final Flight of the Osiris: This short was written by the Wachowskis and animated and directed by the same team that did Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Taking place directly before The Matrix Reloaded and even alluded to by Niobi in the beginning of said film. Here we follow the hovercraft, The Osiris, as its crew are the first to discover the method of the machine army's final attack against Zion. This short was actually shown in theaters in front of Dreamcatcher (ugh). To be completely honest, I went and saw Dreamcatcher just to see Final Flight of the Osiris. No regrets, it was worth it.

The Second Renaissance I & II: Written by the Wachowskis and directed by Mahiro Maeda (co-founder of Studio Gonzo of Blue Submarine fame), this is the complete origin of the relationship between mankind and the machines and how the war began. This alone is worth the price of the DVD.

Kid's Story: Kid, an important character in Revolutions, debuts here in a short written by the Wachowskis and directed by Shinichiro Watanbe (Cowboy Bebop). Great insight into Kid's character. Find out here why he's so obsessed with Neo in Reloaded and Revolutions.

Program: Written and directed by my favorite anime directer, Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, X: TV Series). Program is a short depicting two freedom fighters sparring in a training program designed around a feudal Japan theme.

World Record: Can a mind free itself through intense training and concentration? Find out here in Takeshi Koiki's story about a track star who just won't give up.

Beyond: Written and directed by Koji Morimoto. Beyond shows us a glitch in the matrix perceived as a haunted house. Here anything is possible and the laws of physics are completely re-written....that is until agents show up to correct the "problem".

A Dectective Story: It's noir! Another by Watanabe, this black and white short portrays a detective hired by agents to track down the ever-elusive Trinity in a story that takes place before the original Matrix.

Matriculated: A short by Peter Chung (Aeon Flux, Dark Fury: The Chronicles of Riddick, Reign), this story focuses on a team of surface dwellers that have an interesting way of dealing with the machines that reside there. When something goes terribly wrong with one of their robots, prepare yourself for a total mind-job that only Peter Chung can create. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Taking a page from The Animatrix, Dark Fury is part of a new trend of bridging theatrical sequels. As an official product of a franchise, the 35-minute anime benefits from having the original actors voice the characters, including Vin Diesel as Riddick. This story opens with the new action hero and the two other survivors of Pitch Black already caught by a giant spaceship filled with dread. The sinewy leader has a unique--and creepy--jail for master villains and she has her sights set on Riddick. The film--indeed the series--is indebted to animator Peter Chung, who brings his techno style from his Aeon Flux series. His smooth animation for Riddick doesn't reinvent the character as much as give him a new, appealing fluidity. As anime goes, there's nothing really new here--plenty of action, cool killers, and dramatic spurts of blood--but it's a building block for how this genre might enliven movie series and sequels in the future. --Doug Thomas ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Something to Wet the Appetite
I have seen both Pitch Black and the Chronicles of Riddick, so Dark Fury was another welcomed visit to a complex and quite fascinating universe. The story begins right where Pitch Black leaves off. Riddick and the two survivors from the first movie Jack and Imam are thrust into another "Dangerous Situation."

Peter Chung did an excellent job for such a short anime film. Dark Fury does an excellent job filling in some gaps between the two feature films. THe animation is not excellent but neither horrid but the world is simply fascinating. All Sci-Fi fans should get a hold of this and check it out. Riddick does not disappoint.

Live-action or anime ; let`s pray the series keeps up.
I am not a fan of Peter Chung. Half of his animation I can`t stand. However, "Dark Fury" is one of his best. The short animated film stays true to the characters of "Pitch Black," and broadens the time and universe they live in.
It`s also nice that the original cast has vocie-acting credits to their names. Much more fluid than the short animated "Van Helsing" film. Animation is awesome and very well done. Especially, the character designs.
"Dark Fury" also gives us (gasp) character development. Mostly noted towards the end. You will also understand why Riddick felt responible for Jack in " The Chronicles of Riddick".

To me, this is the true sequel to "Pitch Black". The only really bad thing about this: It`s too SHORT! Only 35 mins, but hey, it`s worth it.
I hope the "Riddick" series dosen`t end on a bad note. I pray they keep it up. I `ll take live-action or anime after seeing this film.

interesting
Well I would have to say it was interesting. Of course I'm not going to watch the movie. I just had to buy this dvd simply because I enjoy animated Sci-Fi. I'm still hunting for a Star Trek cartoon dvd release. But anyway, the graphics are great for a 35 episode. It has a very adult feel to the story. There are small blood scenes. This biggest thing I've noticed about this short film is the guns and bullets. Well it is almost guaranteed that most Japanese animation has bullets flying across the screen. This adds more feel and illustration to pain. Most american animations elect to go with lazers. Even movies like Titan AE, GI-JOE, and Street Fighter (USA Network) use lasers. Horrid since shows like Street Fighter (Japanese anime) use bullets and show off holes through the walls etc...

But in this short film, they have great bullet sound effects and even blood in some scenes. It's a step up from the traditional american cartoons. Also the use of CGI was in pretty good taste. I do think CGI is better off left for movies rather than animation, but they did a pretty good job of keeping it looking like 2D animation.

Well for $11.00 I guess you can't complain. It's really short, so if I were you, I would think about if you own the Blue Sub No. 6 series. If you own the Bandai release of BS No. 6, then obviously this DVD wouldn't be an issue for you...

Got me interested in seeing the live action movie,,
If you have seen "Aeon Flux" or "Reign" then you are familiar with the style of animation of Peter Chung. It goes well with this material. Although the film is short, I recommend it highly. Dark Fury is well worth your time and $$.

Bridge Between Pitch Black & Riddick
This animated feature is done by the Animtaor of AEON FLUX (Peter Cheung). It has an extremely dark style which fits in well with Pitch Black, and the recently released Chronicles of Riddick. Great music and good voice overs make this a fun filler between Pitch Black & Riddick. It's also nice to see how the charcters were split up for the begining of Riddick.

Someone mentioned in a review previously that Harry Potter Killed Riddick in box office. Well of course it did. But that's not cause Riddick was a bad film. It's because it was Harry Potter for gods sakes!

I suggest picking this dvd up for 9.95 it's a good buy, and also see Riddick in theaters or when its released on DVD & VHS. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Her extensive list of skills includes assassination, seduction, domination, and modeling. She is a leather-clad mercenary and a deadly double agent, known for her erratic behavior patterns and ability to dispatch villains with a kick of her shapely leg. She's Aeon Flux, the dazzling dominatrix from the popular animated series on MTV, a colorful hybrid of Japanese animation and Heavy Metal graphics. This digital video disc combines several complete episodes with selected shorts as they originally appeared on the popular music video channel. Aeon Flux is teasing treat for libidinous teens and grownup guys with teenage tastes. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (311)

retro
Ok,Ok. Pretentious in my book. Check out the original Heavy Metal. Alot more interesting and fun and, who knows, possibly one of the inspirations for Animatrix.

Not nearly as significant as the first movie
The Animatrix is worth a watch, something no hardcore Matrix fan should go without. The animation is original and gives you that strange sense of unease and suspense, as a collaborative effort of different artists from different countries. However, it's not exactly something you'd want to watch again, unlike the first movie (maybe the second movie). In the style of "The Matrix Reloaded," most of the Animatrix short films have no solid story - as many have said about "Reloaded," "they try to cover up a bad plot [or no plot] by confusing you." As much as you'd like to convince yourself that you're watching a deep and thought-provoking short film with great animation, it's impossible. Though the random images and slick beats are pleasant enough to watch, there's not a whole lot else to the Animatrix.

Must Have
For those of you that didnt like "World Record" its because it is the only short that requires abstract thought. Go back and watch it again. Im not going to spoil it for others, watch it again, it makes perfect sense.

Animatrix is DA BOMB!!!
This movie is great for people that like to have all of their questions answered about the Matrix. This is a masterpeice. 9 short films are all or pretty much all depressing, but if you think about it the Matrix itself is a depressing story. So there is a lack of happy endings in the 9 short films. But there is a story in particular that is called World Record, which is in fact the most emotional gripping story. I'm not going to ruin the story for you, but if you get this DVD then you will check it out for yourself and probably even agree with me. I love this DVD, compiled of 9 short films.

Can words describe it?!!
This DVD is incredible!! An absolute must for the Matrix fan, anime fan, or just plain fun fan!! Everyone who comes over gets a taste of Final Flight of the Osiris on the big screen, surround sound. Even people who haven't even seen the Matrix sat in awe as the episode's roller coaster ride swept them away. Along with the extras and other awesome episodes, this is one of the great DVDs in my collection! ... Read more