The Animatrix starring Kevin Michael
Richardson, Pamela Adlon, John Di
Maggio, Tom Kenny, Rick Gomez
Much Better Than The Actual Movies
Matrix writer-directors Larry and Andy Wachowski commissioned seven
artists from Japan, America and Korea to make nine short films set in the
world of their feature trilogy. Some of the top anime directors contributed
to this anthology, including Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll), Koji Morimoto
(Robot Carnival), and Shinchiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop). Some of the
films tie directly into the narrative of the live-action movies. Drawn in a
style reminiscent of Jean Moebius Giraud, Mahiro Maedas The Second
Renaissance (Part I & Part II) depicts the human-machine wars that
caused the enslavement of humanity and the creation of the Matrix. The
duel between two flamboyantly costumed Kabuki warriors in Kawajiris
Program is an expanded version of the cybernetic training Neo (Keanu
Reeves) undergoes in the first Matrix film. Watanabe evokes the look of
old newspaper photographs in A Detective Story, which falls outside the

storyline of the features. Fast-paced, violent and grim, The Animatrix is an
uneven but intriguing compilation that represents a new level in the
ongoing cross-pollination between Japanese animation and American live
action. (Not rated, suitable for ages 16 and older: considerable violence,
violence against women, grotesque imagery, brief nudity, alcohol use)
--Charles Solomon
Personal Review: The Animatrix starring Kevin Michael
Richardson, Pamela Adlon, John Di Maggio, Tom Kenny, Rick
Gomez
Let me say straight out, I have never been a fan of the Matrix movies.
What started out as an obvious ripoff of John Woo films and Ghost in the
Shell was drawn out into an unnecessary trilogy for purely financial
reasons. The Wachowski brothers are without a doubt two of the biggest
hacks in Hollywood, just look at the failure of their Speed Racer
adaptation. However, the idea of the Animatrix was genius; take the
premise of the Matrix, strip away all the useless martial arts attempts at
action scenes and focus on the truly interesting part of these films, the
story. The centerpiece is without a doubt the finest; "The Second
Renaissance". This two-part story tells the most interesting piece of
drama, the back story, and the dark depths to which this chapter goes
show the true destructive nature of humanity. If only the films had focused
on the first war between humans and machines, we might not have had
such horribly acted pretentious dribble. Several of the other shorts are
excellent as well. "Final Flight of the Osiris" demonstrates Square's
perfection for human CGI animation (second only to Pixar), while Peter
Chung takes his hyper-intelligent mold of anime to the extreme in
"Matriculated". What becomes clear to the viewer after time and repeated
viewings, is these artists are infinitely more creative than the Wachowskis,
who should have perhaps stayed as producers on the film trilogy, and
handed over directorial control to someone more capable, and more
competent.
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