The Second Renaissance Part II (2003)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Mahiro Maeda

Writers:

Andy Wachowski (writer)
Larry Wachowski (writer)

Genre:

Animation | Sci-Fi | Short

Plot:

With the robot city isolated and it's ambassadors ejected form the United Nations, a trade war begins...

Plot Keywords:

United Nations | Dismemberment | Mushroom Cloud | Laser Cutter | Nudity

Cast

Julia Fletcher	...	The Instructor (voice)
Dane A. Davis	...	01 Versatran Spokesman (voice) (as Dane Davis)
Debi Derryberry	...	Kid (voice)
Jill Talley	...	Mother / Additional Voices (voice)
Dwight Schultz	...	Additional Voices (voice)
James Arnold Taylor	...	Additional Voices (voice)

Also Known As:

The Animatrix: The Second Renaissance Part 2 (USA) (series title)

Runtime:

UK:10 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Finland:K-15

Company:

Studio 4°C

Quotes:

The Instructor: May there be mercy on man and machine for their sins.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Return to Source: Philosophy & 'The Matrix' (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

MARTENOT WAVES

Very interesting back story delivered with frantic style

With the robot city isolated and it's ambassadors ejected from the United Nations, a trade war begins to protect the human economy from superior products. When the trade war escalates into war the machines begin a seemingly unstoppable march across the globe. With solutions running out man darkens the sky to try and shut out the machine's main energy source, but the machines keep coming and the war for earth reaches it's horrifying conclusion.

The second part of the history of the Matrix leaves aside the civil unrest and political build up and launches straight into the war for earth. Where part 1 used fictional news footage to good effect, here the main use is cameras belonging to the human soldiers. The violence, terror and speed of the war is well brought out and I found myself unable to look away as it was really gripping. Some of it is very gory but the overall impression is that man was overcome by sheer weight of numbers.

As a sister to the films this works very well. You don't need to have seen this short to understand the film but it enriches your experience. Unlike some of the other shorts that you do need to see to understand the films (or bits of them anyway). The animation is very frantic and very slick and the thing is pure style with the strong substance.

Overall it is easy to dismiss this but it does have enough style of it's own to justify it's existence as a short in it's own right. It suggests that (unlike many blockbusters) this trilogy (for all it's flaws) was established in a world that was planned rather than one which was expanded when the box office suggested that it would be a good idea to try to do so.