bazmitch23 Normally the term "Straight to DVD" is the kiss of death. But this does well because it's The Matrix. And the fact that it's anime works as well. Because Ghost In The Shell was a huge influence on The Matrix.Although it's a straight to DVD film, you don't feel like you're watching a straight to DVD film. If there's any filmmaker who is making a straight to DVD film, my advice is to make it as theatrical as possible. Don't be lazy and make it cheap.My favourite episode is The Second Renaissance. I could watch that short over and over. It's so effective and powerful. It just pulls you in. It's also the short that makes you "Oh NOW I get it." It's also pretty disturbing with the graphic images of people dying. It also looks great on HD.Another thing I like about The Animatrix is that it's never dull. Every short keeps you on the edge of your seat. However, my least favourite story is Matriculated. I've watched this short many times and I still don't like it. I think it's because nothing happens in it. It's people plug into The Matrix, make a robot follow them and that's it. It's just images. And despite me saying The Animatrix is never dull, this short bores me. Every time I watch The Animatrix, I just skip this part. Overall, The Animatrix is great. However, I would've given it a 10 had it not been for Matriculated. Now, I wonder how this movie would've done if it were theatrically released.

Tweekums Fans of the original Matrix trilogy might worry that this is just 'The Matrix Cartoon'… thankfully it isn't; it may be animated but it isn't cartoony. The nine short serve to add to the original films; showing us more of life in The Matrix and explaining its origins.Each of the stories is animated in a different style; the first is CGI that one could almost mistake for live action at times and the next seven are anime; their style will be familiar to fans of Japanese animation although each story has its own distinct look. The final story was created Korean; not a source of animation I'm familiar with; I don't know how typical this was but it was certainly interesting if a little bit trippy!The stories are short but satisfying. There is no connection between them, with the exception of 'The Second Renaissance Pts. I and II. Most are fairly dark in tone but not all; 'Beyond' was quite delightful as a group of children played an a faulty area of the town where glitches in the Matrix enabled them to do amazing things.The styles of animation may have been highly varied but it was all of a high quality as was the voice work. I suspect it would be less enjoyable if one hadn't first seen 'The Matrix' although 'The Second Renaissance' serves to explain the origins of the Matrix in a way that adds nicely to the original and 'Last Flight of the Osiris' is a fine introduction to the events seen in the final two parts of the trilogy.

ziga321 If you like the original series, especially the story and premise there is a good chance you will like this one even more.In 'second renaissance', it explains the war between the humans and people. This short is somehow very violent, but beneath all the violence is hidden a message.In 'world record' things become more philosophical. This short ask a question whatever would happen if somebody would break his own body/mental limits. In it we follow the runner, whom runs so fast the he breaks his own 'chains' and wakes up on the other side in one of those "beds", the same one Neo wakes up in the movie. Very good short, with visuals that go well to the short story feel. My favorite.In 'beyond' we follow some young children's who find some old hut with BUGS in the systems. Not that crawling little creatures, but mechanical/system bugs, like time and gravity getting reversed. Very good short. Probably my second favorite.The others, i remember 'detective story and 'kid's story' which are also good.As I said this is simply a must watch for any fan of the original series.

Al_The_Strange As part of the hype generated by the "Matrix Reloaded," this series of anime shorts was developed and distributed to provide more insight to the worlds in the Matrix saga (and possibly to wrangle up some more fans). With the efforts of Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Shinichiro Watanabe, Peter Chung, and other Japanese directors, it's a varied collection that offers multiple insights and a variety of styles and quality. This collection is like a sampler plate for anime (incidentally, it was the first anime I really watched and got into, and it inspired me to check out the real thing)."The Final Flight of the Osiris" is the first of the lot, and of all computer-animated films I know of, this one still shows superior quality. Characters look incredibly life-like at times; by modern standards, it resembles a video game clip more than anything, but considering that there aren't a whole lot of CGI movies with human characters, this film is quite impressive. It's a short, action-packed, and fairly invoking. Above all, it helps bridge the gap between the first two Matrix movies."The Second Renaissance" Parts I and II serve as the Matrix prequel, chronicling the war between man and machine. It's extremely bleak and quite violent. With its portrayal of nuclear devastation, environmental warfare, and the eventual enslavement of the human race, these two episodes really get to me. The animation is quite smooth and slick, with lots of memorable imagery. It is fast-paced, almost erratically so, but the biblical-style narrative keeps it entrancing. In a proper Matrix marathon, I place these before the three main movies, and it is worthwhile seeing for all Matrix fans."Kid's Story" doesn't have the same momentum as the last few episodes, but it is a nice little story that shows how the Kid character comes into being in the Matrix sequels. Its slower pacing and sketchy graphics don't really appeal to me, but it is another requisite bridge between the first and second movies."Program" has always been my favorite of the lot, featuring fantastic visuals and fast-paced action. The duel between two lovers is quite intense, and their actions really underscore the philosophical issue of whether or not it's better to live a lie or suffer the truth. The animation quality here is strong and the character designs are excellent."World Record" is one of my least favorites in this collection. It does have a really funky style and quality, with interesting visuals. It is a pretty good story, but it is lacking in action."Beyond" strikes me more as a Miyazaki-style story, with its emphasis on child-like whimsy and wonder. It has a cast of likable kids, some wonderful visuals, and it is a cute little story overall. Once again, it doesn't offer much action, but it isn't totally dull either."A Detective's Story" is my least favorite of the lot. It does have some nice film-noir style visuals and characters. I'm just disappointed in the story, which is a little too short to serve as an effective mystery, and by its conclusion it doesn't really resonate."Matriculated" is something very weird and trippy, almost dream-like at spots. It's a solid and original story with a profound conclusion and some interesting implications. Its visuals are fantastic, and it's the one other story here that I consider most worthwhile.All of these stories show quality animation style and quality; some of the digitally-animated backgrounds may show some anomalies, but it holds up for the most part. Voice-acting can be a little cheesy, but is still decent. Production designs are strong, with plenty of cool settings, vehicles, weapons, robots, and objects that correlate to the Matrix movies well. The feature also has one of the coolest soundtracks.I highly recommend at least the first three stories to Matrix fans; the feature as a whole I'd recommend as a rental to anybody who's interested. But if you're getting this as part of the Ultimate Collection DVD or Blu-Ray package, why not check it out? 5/5 (entertainment: 4.5/5, stories: 5/5, films: 4.5/5)