As
a companion piece to THE MATRIX trilogy, THE ANIMATRIX ($25)
is not only a brilliant piece of marketing, it is one of the most
ambitious collections of animated films culled together to flesh out the
mythology of a popular science fiction universe. On top of that, THE
ANIMATRIX is probably the coolest direct-to-video animated release in
the history of home entertainment. This extension of the movie trilogy
created by brothers Andy & Larry Wachowski, features nine short
animated films that fill in some of the back story on how "The
Matrix" came to be, as well as providing additional detail to certain
characters and situations from THE MATRIX RELOADED. Coming from
different directors and production teams, each of the nine films that
comprise THE ANIMATRIX are as stylistically different as one could
imagine, yet create a cohesive whole due to the commonality of the
universe they depict.
Produced
in full CGI, The Final Flight Of The Osiris is the most
ambitious, erotic and beautiful of the nine shorts that make up THE
ANIMATRIX. Set on a sister ship to Morpheus' Nebuchadnezzar, The
Final Flight Of The Osiris tells a story that is tied directly
into events that come to pass in THE MATRIX RELOADED. The second
and third films comprise two halves of a story called The Second
Renaissance, which depicts the rise of the machine and the fall of
mankind. Kid's Story ties directly into THE MATRIX
RELOADED, with its tale of a teenager, whose Internet activities
attract the attention of a hacker named Neo, as well as some unstoppable
gentlemen in dark suits.
In
the film Program, we find two samurai warriors facing off in
a training simulation, due to the fact that one of these freed minds has
grown weary of their existence outside of The Matrix. World Record
features a driven athlete, who discovers the true nature of reality by
pushing his "body" beyond the limits of physical endurance. In Beyond,
a young woman searching for her missing cat discovers a place where the
laws of physics have seemingly broken down. A Detective Story
is a noir-ish tale, in which a private investigator is put on the case to
find a hacker named Trinity. Matriculated is the final
segment; one that depicts the human resistance using an interesting
technique to create a rapport with captured robots, so they will help to
defend humanity against their own kind.
Warner
Home Video has made THE ANIMATRIX available on DVD in a 2.35:1 wide
screen presentation that has been enhanced for playback on 16:9 displays.
This is nothing short of a superb DVD presentation- kudos to the folks at
Warner! The image is a crisp and highly defined as cell animation can
possibly be, while the initial CGI segment proves to be a phenomenal sight
to behold. Color reproduction is excellent- vibrant hues are rendered
without noise or defect. Blacks can appear velvety or just perfectly inky-
depending upon the sequence, while whites are always clean and stable.
Contrast is superb for the varying forms of animation, plus the CGI
sequence produces a terrific illusion of dimensionality and depth. Digital
compression artifacts are virtually non-existent on the dual layer DVD.
Wow
is about the best way to describe the excellent Dolby Digital 5.1 channel
soundtrack that is featured on the DVD. THE ANIMATRIX features a
highly aggressive and highly immersive sound mix that is certain to give
one’s sound system a real workout. Obviously, the sound designers
allowed themselves extra leeway to fully complement the films imaginative
visuals- and the entire film is all the better for it. Sound effects
emanate from everywhere and effortlessly go everywhere, thus affording
surround junkies the kind of aural "high" that they crave.
Dialogue reproduction is crisp and always fully understandable, even
during the film’s most intense sonic barrages. The bass channel is deep
and full-bodied, which complements both sound effects and music. Speaking
of the music, it is rendered with excellent fidelity and a genuine sense
of presence. A Japanese 5.1 channel track is also encoded onto the DVD, as
are English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Animation
and sound serve to enhance the interactive menus, which supply access to
the standard scene selection and set up features, as well as the
supplemental materials. Four of the animated films feature running audio
commentaries- The Second RenaissancePart I & Part
II, Program and World Record, all of
which are in Japanese with English subtitles. Anime fans should find the
commentaries very interesting, as they will the following featurette: Scrolls
To The Screen: The History And Culture Of Anime a twenty-two
minute program that looks at the Japanese animation phenomenon and its
effect on filmmakers Andy & Larry Wachowski. The Creators
section of the supplements offers biographical data on the directors and
producers associated with THE ANIMATRIX. Execution
offers nearly an hour’s worth of material that covers the "making
of" the various short films. Closing out the supplements is Enter
The Matrix: In The Making, which is a preview of the video game
version of the universe created by the Brothers Wachowski.
THE
ANIMATRIX is one hell of a cool animated film based upon science
fiction universe of THE MATRIX. Warner’s DVD looks and sounds
phenomenal, so if you are a fan of the movie series this is a must have
disc. Very highly recommended.
As
a companion piece to THE MATRIX trilogy, THE ANIMATRIX ($25)
is not only a brilliant piece of marketing, it is one of the most
ambitious collections of animated films culled together to flesh out the
mythology of a popular science fiction universe. On top of that, THE
ANIMATRIX is probably the coolest direct-to-video animated release in
the history of home entertainment. This extension of the movie trilogy
created by brothers Andy & Larry Wachowski, features nine short
animated films that fill in some of the back story on how "The
Matrix" came to be, as well as providing additional detail to certain
characters and situations from THE MATRIX RELOADED. Coming from
different directors and production teams, each of the nine films that
comprise THE ANIMATRIX are as stylistically different as one could
imagine, yet create a cohesive whole due to the commonality of the
universe they depict.
Produced
in full CGI, The Final Flight Of The Osiris is the most
ambitious, erotic and beautiful of the nine shorts that make up THE
ANIMATRIX. Set on a sister ship to Morpheus' Nebuchadnezzar, The
Final Flight Of The Osiris tells a story that is tied directly
into events that come to pass in THE MATRIX RELOADED. The second
and third films comprise two halves of a story called The Second
Renaissance, which depicts the rise of the machine and the fall of
mankind. Kid's Story ties directly into THE MATRIX
RELOADED, with its tale of a teenager, whose Internet activities
attract the attention of a hacker named Neo, as well as some unstoppable
gentlemen in dark suits.
In
the film Program, we find two samurai warriors facing off in
a training simulation, due to the fact that one of these freed minds has
grown weary of their existence outside of The Matrix. World Record
features a driven athlete, who discovers the true nature of reality by
pushing his "body" beyond the limits of physical endurance. In Beyond,
a young woman searching for her missing cat discovers a place where the
laws of physics have seemingly broken down. A Detective Story
is a noir-ish tale, in which a private investigator is put on the case to
find a hacker named Trinity. Matriculated is the final
segment; one that depicts the human resistance using an interesting
technique to create a rapport with captured robots, so they will help to
defend humanity against their own kind.
Warner
Home Video has made THE ANIMATRIX available on DVD in a 2.35:1 wide
screen presentation that has been enhanced for playback on 16:9 displays.
This is nothing short of a superb DVD presentation- kudos to the folks at
Warner! The image is a crisp and highly defined as cell animation can
possibly be, while the initial CGI segment proves to be a phenomenal sight
to behold. Color reproduction is excellent- vibrant hues are rendered
without noise or defect. Blacks can appear velvety or just perfectly inky-
depending upon the sequence, while whites are always clean and stable.
Contrast is superb for the varying forms of animation, plus the CGI
sequence produces a terrific illusion of dimensionality and depth. Digital
compression artifacts are virtually non-existent on the dual layer DVD.
Wow
is about the best way to describe the excellent Dolby Digital 5.1 channel
soundtrack that is featured on the DVD. THE ANIMATRIX features a
highly aggressive and highly immersive sound mix that is certain to give
one’s sound system a real workout. Obviously, the sound designers
allowed themselves extra leeway to fully complement the films imaginative
visuals- and the entire film is all the better for it. Sound effects
emanate from everywhere and effortlessly go everywhere, thus affording
surround junkies the kind of aural "high" that they crave.
Dialogue reproduction is crisp and always fully understandable, even
during the film’s most intense sonic barrages. The bass channel is deep
and full-bodied, which complements both sound effects and music. Speaking
of the music, it is rendered with excellent fidelity and a genuine sense
of presence. A Japanese 5.1 channel track is also encoded onto the DVD, as
are English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Animation
and sound serve to enhance the interactive menus, which supply access to
the standard scene selection and set up features, as well as the
supplemental materials. Four of the animated films feature running audio
commentaries- The Second Renaissance Part I & Part
II, Program and World Record, all of
which are in Japanese with English subtitles. Anime fans should find the
commentaries very interesting, as they will the following featurette: Scrolls
To The Screen: The History And Culture Of Anime a twenty-two
minute program that looks at the Japanese animation phenomenon and its
effect on filmmakers Andy & Larry Wachowski. The Creators
section of the supplements offers biographical data on the directors and
producers associated with THE ANIMATRIX. Execution
offers nearly an hour’s worth of material that covers the "making
of" the various short films. Closing out the supplements is Enter
The Matrix: In The Making, which is a preview of the video game
version of the universe created by the Brothers Wachowski.
THE
ANIMATRIX is one hell of a cool animated film based upon science
fiction universe of THE MATRIX. Warner’s DVD looks and sounds
phenomenal, so if you are a fan of the movie series this is a must have
disc. Very highly recommended.
