(#11) / The Animatrix / (screenplay) by Andy and Lana Wachowski / (Movie)

Opening

Bibliographic Information:

The Animatrix / (screenplay) by Andy and Lana Wachowski / (directed) by various

ASIN: B00008LDPU / Warner Home Video

$4.14 (Amazon) / 89 minutes

Release date: 2003 / Rating: Non-rated

Body of Content

Summary: Set in the universe created by the Matrix movies, The Animatrix is a direct-release DVD that helps fill out the stories, characters, mythology, and origins of the film franchise.  The animated movie is full-length film – but it is comprised as an anthology of separate stories – many of which are stand-alone entries.  The entries include the following titles – “The Second Renaissance Part 1”, “The Second Renaissance Part 2”, “Kid’s Story”, “Program”, “World Record”, “Beyond”, and “Detective Story”.  Stories like the two-part “Renaissance” tale help provide the origin story behind The Matrix.  Meanwhile, other stories like “World Record” portray everyday people like an elite sprinter whose speed is both a virtue and a weakness, as it allows him to see more of reality than most people.   

Critique: [Spoiler Alert] The original Matrix film was a ground-breaking film for both 1) the creative and imaginative visual world depicted, and 2) the thoughtful philosophical commentary on artificial intelligent and the nature of reality.  The second and third films diverge from these trends – the second film, Matrix: Reloaded, still contains a bulk of wonderful visual cinema but lacks a coherent philosophical contribution – while the third film, Matrix: Revolution, in my opinion lacks both elements.

The Animatrix is interesting – in the sense – since it returns more to the positive territory of the first two films.  The film is animated – but still contains some impressive fight scenes and visual elements.  The divergent storytelling makes the animated film less satisfying than the original movie; however, it contains a better rhetorical feel than the two spawned sequels.

At some level, I really believe the writers could have taken the ideas from the animate film and made a stronger conclusion to the third film.  Revolutions severely lacked a heart – a certain philosophical ethos embodied by the original film.  Given that many trilogies fall back to their prolegomenon in the last film, the directors should have used the source material in the two-part “Renaissance” as an opportunity to tell a more impactful story.  In the two-part segment, more information is learned about the last human cities, the rise of the computers, and the reasons for the impeding war.  All of this material would have served the interests of Revolutions and provided a better ending.  Detailing the exactness of a story’s beginning is a perfect way to tell the end of a story – in fact, it is downright literary to do so.

While I applaud the first Matrix film for all its charm, innovation, and philosophy, the ending to the franchise was unsatisfactory.  Perhaps, the writers rushed the sequels – filming them at the same time and releasing them only six months apart.  The stories in The Animatrix could have made a better final product for the series – if the directors had paused for a moment – and decided to write a trilogy that completes a story arc from beginning to end back to beginning.     

Teaser: Can so many divergent stories present a united film detailing and expanding on the Matrix universe?

Information about the Author: The Wachowski siblings – Andy and Lana – penned the Matrix trilogy.  They furthered their portfolios by writing/directing other films, including Speed Racer, V for Vendetta, and Ninja Assassin (IMDB, 2011).  The pair of directors has a strong interest in the science fiction genre.  While Speed Racer represents the adaption of a fantasy-style cartoon, V for Vendetta represents a dystopian, political thriller.  The pair is attached to a couple of other science fiction film projects – namely, Cloud Atlas – starring Tom Hanks and (Matrix-veteran) Hugo Weaving (IMDB, 2011a).

Supplemental Material

Genre: Science Fiction / Anime / Anthology / Action

Curriculum Ties: Creative writing – canonical issues, compilations / Science – artificial intelligence / Philosophy – ontology, perception of reality, slavery   

Booktalking Ideas: 1) In a world where machines rule, can humans find their place in such a future? 2) This film is a prequel, but it is also a story of origins – come see how The Matrix began!

Reading Level: The animated format (cf. the trilogy of moves, all rated-R) lowers the entry level for the film slightly.  More storytelling occurs in this film than the second and third movies – and there is more time spent on drama besides just action.  Grades 8 and up seems advisable, although the Amazon review believes the officially non-rated film as appropriate of ages 16 and up (Amazon, 2011).

Challenge Issues and Defense: PG-13 films fall between PG and R – making them difficult to know exactly what age is best intended.  This film is non-rated, but IMDB notes the film contains three separate scenes of sexuality/sensuality – along with various fight sequences (IMDB, 2011b). 

The marque movies received some awards – though mostly for technical aspects, not for content.  If displayed in a children’s section, parents may object to this film.  Even though it is animated film (i.e. cartoon), it is (indeed) intended for older audiences.  This film could lead to challenges – most of which librarians could solve by moving it to the teen or adult sections – though the latter section is likely over-reaching.   

Personal Reasons for Inclusion: I am more a fan of the first Matrix than the sequels; however, this represented an opportunity to insert an animated genre selection – one that is a bit edgy given the corpus of work that preceded it.  

Last Thoughts

References:

Amazon. (2011). The Animatrix [Webpage]. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Animatrix-

Clayton-Watson/dp/B00008LDPU/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid= 1322110500&sr=1-1

Internet Movie Database (IMDB). (2011a). Andy Wachowski [Webpage]. Retrieved from

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0905152/

Internet Movie Database (IMDB). (2011b). The Animatrix: Parental guide [Webpage]. Retrieved

            from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0328832/parentalguide

Listening to (Music):

Artist – Paramore / Album – “Brand New Eyes”