Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

SeeQuant Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Xandrieth Xs 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....

brando647 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.

Polaris_DiB I don't remember what happened, but The Animatrix basically got lost in the shuffle for me back in 2003 when it came out. I'm a fan of the Matrix series and have definitely had to defend it from time to time against people who've decided that they don't like so many people agreeing that a movie is smart, so therefore argue that it's not, and after all, the sequels don't really help much on that regard. But all that aside, it's taken me a long time to actually get around to view the stuff that's supposed to branch out the world created by the Wachowskis.I'd say it's something to be proud of. It's really nice when creators who homage something get the honor of being homaged back, and the range and versatility of these animations certainly do them honor--none moreso than the quality. The variety of styles and approaches in the animation make this collection consistently interesting, and in some cases are so good its easy to forget one is watching an animation (and not just for "The Final Flight of the Osiris", either...).The stories range from histories to sub-narratives in the regular Matrix storyline to surrealistic explorations of the world created by The Matrix. They are not necessarily tied to the same worldview and theme, and "The Second Renaissance" definitely gives some empathy to the machines, who have largely been faceless enslavers and murderers in the main storyline. For some reason, there's quite a lot of women walking around in their underwear, which is probably to keep the male non-fanboys interested, and quite a lot of animations feature a moment of epiphany with blood, which gives a sort of abject theme to the mix (I am reminded that one of Neo's first actions upon waking up in the first "Matrix" was to vomit, which ties into that old quote "You need to throw up to realize you're alive").I think The Animatrix is, as a collection, better than both Reloaded and Revolutions. Individually, they range in quality, but most of them are really good. The best thing about all of them are the ways in which the styles of animation play with the surreality inherent in the world that the Wachowskis created.--PolarisDiB

johnnymacbest 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.