Final Flight of the Osiris (2003)

Director:

Andy Jones

Writers:

Andy Wachowski (written by) &
Lana Wachowski (written by)

Release Date:

21 March 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Animation | Sci-Fi | Short

Plot:

After discovering a force of machines on its way to Zion, the crew of the hovercraft Osiris attempts to warn the city by using the Matrix.

Plot Keywords:

The Matrix | Chase | Martial Arts | CGI Film | Cell Phone

Cast

  (Credited cast)

Kevin Michael Richardson	...	Thadeus (voice)
Pamela Adlon	...	Jue (voice)
John Di Maggio	...	Crew Man (voice) (as John DiMaggio)
Tom Kenny	...	Operator (voice)
Rick Gomez	...	Pilot (voice)
Tara Strong	...	Crew Woman (voice)
Bette Ford	...	Old Woman (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Miyoko Asô	...	(voice: Japanese version)
Akio Ôtsuka	...	(voice: Japanese version)
Mizuki Saito	...	(voice: Japanese version)
Haruo Satou	...	(voice: Japanese version)
Tomotake Shigematsu	...	(voice: Japanese version)
Makoto Yasumura	...	(voice: Japanese version)
Atsuko Yuya	...	(voice: Japanese version)

Also Known As:

Final Flight of the Osiris (USA) (alternative title)
The Animatrix: Final Flight of the Osiris (USA) (series title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence, sensuality and language.

Runtime:

9 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:PG | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (British Columbia/Nova Scotia) | Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:18 | Sweden:11 | UK:12A | USA:PG-13

Company:

Silver Pictures

Trivia:

To demonstrate that a CGI Matrix film was possible, Square Pictures created a short. They took the Aki character from Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, gave her a haircut and a different outfit, and animated a fight between her and a "Sentinel" robot from the Matrix series. The finished "Final Flight" also drew on the technological and artistic assets Square had assembled together for their Final Fantasy movie.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

CONGA FURY

Not bad. Just not too good either

The Final Flight of the Osiris is referenced in "The Matrix: Reloaded" although only briefly. That makes it one of the two short movies in the Animatrix which are, the other being the incredible "Kid's Story" which actually gives that annoying sidekick from Reloaded an amazing new dimension that I had never expected.

Back to Osiris. The movie starts with some nice training fight sequence that seems to be the Wachowski's wet dream: Kung Fu + Anime + Eroticism. Seriously, I felt slightly disconcerted at enjoying the sexiness of it all. I suppose they wanted to make a point: Computer generated animation can be sexy. They made their point a little too well for my liking.

Anyway, after the strip-fight, the story begins, but to be honest, the fight took up so much of the time of this short that the rest seems oddly rushed through. Of all the shorts, this is the one that felt like it simply wasn't meant to be short, and had to be rushed too much for its own good. It's about sentinels, the discovery of the premise of Reloaded (Zion is threatened) and a desperate attempt to save the world, martyr-style.

Visually, it is stunning throughout. This left Final Fantasy (made by the same people) out in the cold, it looked so much better, especially the skins of the main protagonists. If being able to photorender people was sufficient to make a movie for humans, we'd be nearly there. Unfortunately, the animation of the mouths when talking is still not quite perfect, but everything else nearly is.

But it's all style and little substance. That's why this is definitely not my favourite short, although it is very interesting to watch.

7/10