Rating: 
Summary: This ran on my DVD as ALL Japanese
Review: I was expecting to at least be able to run it with English subtitles. I'm a big fan of Japanese Anime, but was a bit annoyed that I had to watch this in *all* Japanese. I'd be very interested to hear other folks experiences...The animation is really well done, though I thought the imagery in the Renaissance pieces was a bit, well, sick. The level of violence was unnecessary IMHO as well as overly graphic in a very negative sense. On a visual level, it was quite well done. Some of the plotwork could have used a more effective writer and/or editor, but the visuals redeemed the segments.
Rating:
Summary: Some great scenes, some scenes best left off
Review: Of the 9 short animated "shorts" on the "Animatrix" some are the best examples of animation available, while some are highbrow intellectualising which leave this viewer disappointed. Final Flight of the Osiris - the Final Fantasy team put together a superior piece on the brave final stand of the crew of the doomed hovercraft Osiris. I loved Final Fantasy - Spirits Within, therefore I was expecting a lot from this piece and I was not disappointed. If only swordplay was more realistic (I don't care whether you're in the Matrix or not, some things in a sword fight work, while some things never work). The Second Renaissance Parts 1&2 - Finally the history of the world leading into the Matrix series and most questions are answered. A good piece. Kid's Story - Awesome, the second best of the lot, the animation is a little hard to get used to, but after two viewings it's pretty easy to take. The best story of the lot. Program - The best. Ninja Scroll, Wicked City, Vampire Hunter D - Bloodlust and Goku - Mr Kawajiri's work speaks volumes. A great example of good anime (there is a lot of bad anime running around). World Record - The most interesting story of the lot, but the animation style was difficult to take. I really wanted to like it. Beyond - A good story, with great characters. It would have been really interesting if Studio Ghibli was given the reigns of this project. I've always been curious of effects of a couple of bad lines of code in the matrix. A Detective Story - Trinity is always good, but this segment could have been much better. Matriculated - Nothing against Peter Chung (Aeon Flux is one of the best characters in animation ever), but this segment is a prime example of highbrow intellectualising which left me disappointed. Don't pay full price for this disc.
Rating:
Summary: This Uneven Companion Piece...
Review: The stories presented in the Animatrix (It's a compilation of nine animated shorts) are an uneven bunch. You have some real gems - like "World Record," "Kid's Story," and "Beyond" (a wonderful piece that further explores the concept of exiled programs that aren't "doing what they're supposed to.") These will broaden your understanding of the matrix and the ways that humans interact with it. You have worthless contributions like "Program" that are just painful to sit through. And then you have everything else that falls somewhere in between. This uneven companion piece to the Matrix is certainly worth watching, and if you are a dedicated fan of the series you will definitely want to add this DVD to your collection. Like the Matrix Reloaded, the Animatrix assumes that you are familiar with the basic premises established in the first Matrix film, so don't expect a lot of backstory. If you haven't un-plugged during the past four years and discovered what the Matrix is...you had better do that first.
Rating: 
Summary: Cool if a little hard to piece together parts.
Review: I really enjoyed this dvd, each little short was enjoyable by itself, Where it fails a bit is when some of the pieces try to fit together. They story gets somewhat convoluted, and is hard to follow, still quite enjoyable. Worthy of adding to anyone's collection who likes this kind of DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Animation. Better Storytelling Than...
Review: ..."The Matrix: Reloaded" and "Enter the Matrix" game combined. The animation was particularly good, especially for "Matriculated" (since Peter Cheung is one of my favorite producers/animators, etc.). The storytelling resembles the original "Matrix" movie, in that it is not so canned and prepared. Rather each of the shorts flesh out rather nicely in their own ways. I will explain the few that I liked particularly. Final Flight of the Osiris: This short was the prelude in "Enter the Matrix" game and the backstory to "The Matrix: Reloaded." Excellent 3-D modeling and animation. Basically the Osiris is destroyed after being pursued by the Sentinels and the package arrives in some post office. Second Renaissance: Parts 1 & 2: Explains how the Matrix was formed and the existence of coldless machines and their "symbiotic" relationships with humans. This anime contained very disturbing scenes of war, conflict and basically humanity at its worst. Matriculated: This is an anime how humans are humanizing the very machines that are attempting to destroy them. This describes the conflict whether machines are really tools at all or contain sentient existence (like cells in the human body). Basically, machines undergo self-realisation in this anime. (Side note on my part: Maybe Agent Smith and/or (some of the) the Machines will undergo such humanization in the final installment of the Matrix trilogy? Good question, eh?) Overall, this DVD was really worth purchasing compared to "The Matrix: Reloaded" or the game. At least it was much more entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: A must have, simple as that!
Review: This is some of the most amazing Anime out there right now. The first episode, which is all CGI is unreal and the roster of artists is just incredible. This is a must have for all Matrix fans as well as all Anime fans. Don't sleep on this, go get a copy!
Rating:
Summary: INCREDIBLE ANIMATION, GIVE IT A LOOK! -( BUT NOT FOR KIDS)
Review: I don't really know how I could recommend this DVD to people who are either unfamiliar with the Matrix mythos or who are unwilling to watch a series of short animated films, each with its own visual style and depth. However, as an "anime rookie" (I've seen Akira and Ghost in the Shell) I can say that artistically this DVD is stunning. Each short is presented differently and each one shines in its own particular/peculiar way. If you have the inclination to try a film that is beyond standard fare you should at least rent this title. I can say, however, that the two Parts of "The Second Renaissance" are among the most visceral films I have seen in some time, either animated or not. I could not get the images out of my head. Neither gratuitous nor exploitative, there are several uncomfortable scenes involving human vs. robot revolts, dismemberment, and/or mayhem which were as striking as they were disturbing, particularly a scene where you see several brawny men restraining what appears to be a human woman in a revealingly torn shirt. Shockingly, one of them wields a large pipe and bludgeons her with it, ripping the synthetic skin on her face and revealing her to be a robot. The viewer is shocked...should you be grateful that it was not a person who was brutalized, or should you still feel the horror? In short, it is beautifully animated and thought-provoking fare that will knock the socks off animation fans but will probably not appeal to most who are outside of the genre. NOT FOR KIDS!!!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Anispectacular!
Review: In a word: Stunning!
Simply amazing and beautiful artwork throughout. Haunting, intriguing and fanciful stories broaden the Matrix universe. Including a two-part "prequel" relating the story of the machines early clashes with their human masters. The near-realistic looking Final Flight of the Osiris (from the folks behind Final Fantasy) is a thrilling piece of eye candy. Matriculated is an unexpected treat, exploring a kind of Anti-Matrix, where a machine's mind is plugged into human brains. Perhaps my favorite segment, Program, from director Yoshiaki Kawajiri, treats the viewer to an unforgettable medieval samurai battle sequence. Animatrix delivers.
Rating:
Summary: Great animation, uneven storytelling
Review: The Animatrix is nine short animated films that tie into or branch off of the world created by the Wachowski brothers in three feature films. Taken as a whole, this project can be described as a visual masterpiece decorating a very uneven set of stories. It is a worthy buy for fans of animation, and for those of us who are simply fascinated with anything Matrix related, but if you are expecting any groundbreaking, knock your socks off revelations or storylines, you may be a bit disappointed. The animation often achieves moments of breathtaking beauty and detail, and is refreshing in its variety from one short film to the next. Styles vary from the ultra-realistic (Final Flight of the Osiris), to film noir (A Detective Story), to the truly bizarre and psychedelic (Matriculated).
As for the storylines, they are frequently vague and in serious need of fleshing out, and are for the most part not essential to any deeper understanding of the main story presented in the Matrix films. For my taste, the three shorts that did relate directly to the film, Final Flight of the Osiris and The Second Renaissance Parts I and II were the most satisfying and the others were simply dessert after the main course. All in all, every story with the exception of The Second Renaissance Parts I and II left me wanting more. Perhaps that is a testament to what a story should do, or perhaps it is an example of an inability to pull a story completely together, depending on which point of view you choose to take.
Whatever the case may be, if you are only a casual fan of the Matrix films and could care less about the fine art of animation, this DVD is probably not for you. However, if you have an appreciation for animation, or if you are waiting for Neo or Morpheus to contact you through your computer, then get your geek on and get yourself a copy of the Animatrix.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Quite The Matrix
Review: I am an avid Matrix fan. So I was excited to have my copy of AniMatrix arrive in my mailbox. I quickly opened it and watched through all 9 episodes. I watched the first one and thought this is real good stuff. Unfortunately, the only one worth watching was the first one. Each one that followed got stranger as I watched them. My teen-aged sons said it looked like the Matrix on drugs when it came to the other eight. Unless you are really into the amine art/cartoons, it would be best to only rent this video.
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