The Animatrix

These are a number of animated skits based on The Matrix. Each segment explains some part of the Matrix mythology that has only been implied, or details the story of someone who broke free. Nothing is given away about the ending of the trilogy, so don't worry about that. The animation is fantastic -- each episode uses a different style, so it's just as much fun to appreciate the differences in animation art as it is to get more involved in the Matrix backstory. Part of me thinks this is how The Matrix should have been done. What with all the special effects used, why not just animate and as a result get to do more with this neat-o futuristic vision? One of the episodes I consider dangerous, in that every depressed or disillusioned kid is going to think suicide will take him out of The Matrix (read: the world we live in) and into the "real" world. I suspect that's why Warner Bros. made them put a warning label on the DVD. Just in case.

year: 2003
length: 102 min.
rating: 3.5
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0328832/combined