The Animatrix
A triumph of form over substance. The Animatrix is nine animated short stories based in The Matrix universe. The selections are very uneven, but I supposed that’s to be expected when there are nine different directors. Several of the stories are written by the Wachowski Brothers, but the credits at the end are in such tiny print that I didn’t bother to see which ones. I have my suspicions.
Some of the shorts are dazzleing in their look, but the all come up a bit short in the story (so to speak). In fact, many of the characters seem completely out of place and it’s puzzle why they’re in the film at all. The ones that work are the ones that give some of the backstory to The Matrix. The Second Renaissance, which gave the story of the man-machine war that resulted in The Matrix itself, is foremost among them, but even it suffers from being just an series of animated scenes with a voiceover. And that thing about the runner made no sense whatsoever.
The film is probably good for real Matrix fanbois and it has an interesting style (or styles), and one or two of the stories are good. Not required viewing.
would not watch again
