william (willsgb) this is one of two of the nine Animatrix shorts directly connected to the events of the Matrix Reloaded and tells an important story animated in gorgeous CGI reminiscent of the movies themselves. it begins in a dojo much like the one Morpheus and Neo spar in during Neo's training in the first film where we meet Thadeus and Jue who spar with swords and acrobatics and a tribal little tune to accentuate their sexual tension. they are interrupted by the warning of sentinel activity.the ship is named the Osiris, after the Egyptian god who presides over death, resurrection and immortality - as far as I'm aware - and this is about letting the story of its crew and their sacrifice for Zion be told and remembered, otherwise only mentioned in passing at the beginning of Reloaded. in escaping from the sentinels they choose to go down an uncharted passage and end up above the surface of Earth, where they spot the massing army of sentinels and the big diggers. they realise that Zion is directly below them, just as the sentinels realise they're being watched. the Osiris escapes while Jue enters the matrix one last time to deliver a warning of the impending invasion of Zion.she succeeds using lush acrobatics to get from a building high up to the ground through a set of bars down an alley, to a mailbox on the high street before having a short conversation with a granny about important packages getting to where they're meant to be. meanwhile in the real world, despite the best efforts of the Osiris engines and gunners and pilots, they stand no chance against the thousands of sentinels that descend upon them, and they are killed by sentinels before the ship explodes finishing them off. message delivered, goodbyes said and conversation with granny done, we see Jue's matrix self die.Final flight of the Osiris captures the essence and character of the films and visually satisfies with beautiful graphics, apparently produced by Square, of Final Fantasy fame, and the plot is an interesting and significant precursor to the events of Reloaded and any matrix fan should give it a watch, along with the other Animatrix. Fly, baby, fly!

TheOtherFool To warm things up for the disappointing last two Matrixes (or is it Matrices?), the Wachowsky brothers produced the Animatrix, a series of 9 short animated movies, the first of them being Final Flight of the Osiris.It starts of with a great sexually charged fight sequence between Thadeus and Jue, before the story takes place in the real world, with the Osiris finding out about the diggers towards Zion. They try to warn the city while hundreds of machines are chasing them.The story takes place before the Matrix Reloaded and stays close to the story we've seen so far (unlike other animatrixes). It's probably the best, if only for those first two minutes... 7/10.

stevenleadbetter Spoilers Ahead.Of the nine films in this collection, this is clearly the most faithful to the feeling of the original movie script. This jumps in almost directly after the events of the original Matrix movie.After Neo becomes 'The One' and shoots off, superman-style, we are led to believe that shortly afterwards the adventure on the Osiris takes place.If you are already familiar with the story then you will no doubt be aware that the Osiris is the sister vessel to the Nebuchadnezzar, the ship manned by Morpheus, Trinity and Neo.The machines have put a new plan into action to halt the rebellion of Zion. The machines have located Zion underground and are drilling towards it. This is a fact unknown to our brave band thus far, but the crew of the Osiris are about to discover the truth.The actions taking place in this short film are directly related to the start of the 'Matrix Reloaded' and the events that unfold there.Like all of the short films in this collection, this is produced by the Wachowski Brothers themselves. Created by Square USA, this Final Fantasy-esque adventure is pure eye-candy. In truth it does little more than set the scene for the beginning of the second film in the trilogy and does not (story or plot-wise) stand up to close scrutiny.Though beautiful to look at, it is touted as much more than this but fails to deliver in almost every other department. Following the jaw-dropping swordfight at the beginning of the film we are then led down a pedestrian path, plotwise, of the Osiris' attempts to escape from the Matrix's Sentinels. In an attempt to lose the Sentinels they head down an uncharted tunnel, flying at whirlwind speed in the Osiris.Accidentally they find themselves at the surface of the planet and they are greeted by a site that chills them to their very marrow. Hundreds of thousands of Sentinels working furiously in co-operation with a huge drilling machine.They quickly deduce that the machines have located the underground city of Zion and are drilling straight down into it. The last bastion of man would surely fall if the machines were to reach it after years of searching.Knowing they must get this information to Zion, but knowing they will never get there, Jue (our female lead)is despatched into the Matrix to post a package that will ensure the rest of the human race will know what the machines plans are.Again we are treated to some stunning special effects with the action jumping smoothly from Jue's acrobatics in the Matrix to the plight of Thadeus, captain of the Osiris and his attempts to give Jue some time to get the message posted safely.Ultimately the Osiris is overcome by the legion of Sentinels they are running from, a referral to which is made in the second motion picture in the trilogy.In summary, this is a very enjoyable, if simple, prequel to the events taking place in the Matrix Reloaded. As I said, it is quite stunning to look at, but for all of the appearance, it's content is lacking. If the intention was merely to enlighten us to the upcoming plot, then it really needn't have bothered as we quickly ascertain the goings on when the second picture starts. It is difficult, I understand, to feel anything for the characters as they are all new and we don't get to learn very much about them in the short time we have with them, but more could have been made of this, which is little more than a beautifully rendered extended trailer for the new (at the time) movie.

dirtygold00 This short was visually stunning and full of action. It created a different world within the mind's of matrix fans. It made me care about other characters outside of the one's featured in the movie. Jue made me wish Lucy Liu had been cast in an upcoming sequel.