Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) The concept of sports in the matrix is actually a pretty interesting one in the face of achievements that you could describe as out of this world. Such an achievement we have here by a 100-meter runner who keeps breaking world records. Unfortunately, the execution did not really convince me. The only fairly interesting thing I took from these 9 minutes is basically the relationship between world records in the real world we live in and in the Matrix universe. Is under 9 seconds possibly anyhow? Early on, it sounded already like under 9.8 was unique, but Usain Bolt got there already. So how far can we go (or jump), how high can we get? How fast can we be. It will surely be interesting to watch this short film in a couple decades from now and see if we got close to the protagonist's achievement. Anyway, this is not among my 3 favorite segments from the Animatrix, but also not among my least favorites. The Wachowskis did not write this one here. i am not familiar with the director or writer here, but it looks like they frequently work together. Anyway, I hope for them that this may be their most known achievement, but not their best.

Shawn Watson In this Animatrix short, the debut of Takeshi Koike (who went on to direct popular anime Redline), Dan, an athlete threatens to break through the digital rain and wake up in the real world. He runs so fast, attempting to break his 9.8 second 100-metre dash, his muscles burst but he keeps going, desperate agents watching every step.Dan does manage to wake up in his gel-pod, but is quickly put to sleep again (I guess the machines force-fed him the blue pill). Back in the Matrix he's crippled and the agents are satisfied. But he breaks the rules of being a cripple and manages to stand. It seems Dan is unknowingly realizing that there is no spoon.A good short, if a little to sparsely drawn.

bob the moo Usually it takes a great mind and intuition to realise what the matrix is without assistance. However it can also happen for other reasons. For Dan it happens as a result of him pushing himself to his physical limits in an attempt to prove the world wrong in their accusations of drug abuse.When his muscles fail during a race, Dan keeps going. He pushes his mind beyond the physical restrictions of his body and it shows him the truth - that his body as he knows it is not real. Part of the series of animations making up the Matrix companion piece `The Animatrix', I saw this as a stand alone piece recently at a festival of shorts and animations and it stood out as being of a rather more basic visual style than some of the other shorts.The plot took a minute to settle as it messed around with back story but, once it got into the race it became more interesting as I realised why the runner was able to learn of the matrix (as described above). The animation is not quite as good - by which I mean, not to my tastes. The bleak shadowy effects are interesting but at times it was a bit too extreme. The cross over into the real world was well handled but the touches added to the agents didn't work for me and over-elaborated on characters who were perfect in the film simply because they are meant to be unmemorable and blend into a crowd.Overall this is good as it is interesting but it is not the best of the series. It is worth seeing once simply to expand on the Matrix experience but it could have used a bit more substance in place of the athlete's back story which was unnecessary and unused.

Contatie Honestly, this short isn't given nearly enough credit for what it deserves. You take an obvious idea from The Matrix like this one (which was: "What happens if someone pushes themself so far, they free their mind by themself?") and made a story that wasn't at all as obvious or contrived as you expect.SPOILERS. DOOMED IS YOUR MIND, IF YOU EYES VENTURE THIS FAR.The story starts out at the day a big race for a pro athlete ready to set a world record, and basically just builds up to the instant he passes the finish line. You can see how psyched Dan has gotten and how hell-bent he is to earn this record for himself, between fatherly advice his dad gives him on the phone and Dan's ADD-stricken hip hop buddy. Being pushed this far, his muscles are at threat of positively exploding, but what does that matter in The Matrix?Agents (who've taken on the director's completely original design) can't hope to catch up, when the call is given to keep him from waking up. He does, though, and at this moment for Dan, it is like waking from a dream you didn't want to wake up from, or having a nightmare instead, all together. The machines make short work of him, electro-shocking his brain and rendering him a lifeless vegetable, before sending him back into The Matrix. Just after his return, he sets a new record and his hospitalized.Towards the end, Dan gets up from his wheelchair before a nurse, out of metal braces and restraints, muttering "Free." leaving the viewer to decide whether he'd just been robbed of his humanity, or he'd finally freed himself.THOSE WITH HEART PROBLEMS CAN START READING AGAIN.Not the best short (that's a toss-up between A Kid's Story and Beyond) but overall worth watching, if just for the stylish animation. Actually, all of them are worth watching for the animation, but this one's particular throbbing muscles in slow motion in its fluid movement is an orgiastic feast for the eyes. They should do an Animatrix 2.9/10