In part 2 of The Second Renaissance the trade war between the humans and the machines which began in part 1 now escalates into a shooting war. The war scenes are excellent and shown in a frantic pace with a heavy techno beat, not unlike the one we hear during the lobby-scene in "The Matrix", along side. The movie (part 1+2) answers many of the questions you are left with after seeing "The Matrix" regarding the development from our time to the time when "The Matrix" takes place, such as who started the war, how man scorched the sky, and how the surface war between man and machine went. For anyone who wants to learn more about the whole Matrix-universe The Second Renaissance is highly recommendable and for others I can only say that the movie is highly entertaining. 9/10 May there be mercy on man and machine for their sins
16 Reviews
Super brutal
briancham199415 June 2020
Wow, this was dark and depressing. If you thought the first part was violent, get ready for the next level! Here everything escalates and ramps up the intensity. We see the resolution of the war and the beginning of the human-machine symbiosis that we glimpsed in The Matrix (1999). Very effective in showing the brutality of the war.
May there be mercy on man and machine for their sins
willsgb21 November 2008
Warning: Spoilers
this is the second part of the story of the events that led to the machines' dominance over the planet and the Matrix, this episode presenting the conflagration that completely ravaged Earth and eventually ended with humanity's downfall. Narrated by a female bearing a fairy appearance in both parts and named as a file in the Zion archives, we are presented with more imagery to reinforce the events and decisions that take place, such as a skeleton clapping when world leaders decide to destroy the sky to block the sun and a mechanical, seemingly apocalyptic rider on a horse during the war. it begins with the machines retaliating after Zero One is bombarded with nuclear weapons, and operation dark storm is implemented to deprive the machines of their main energy source, the sun. it appears to be a gas, or perhaps nano-machines, distributed by planes across the sky. it is called a last resort, and although it seems crazy that leaders would resort to such an ecologically damaging solution, it is perhaps a sign of the sheer desperation of the situation and a hint at the world shattering escalation of methods and weapons of war concurrent with our technological development. after all, the cold war partially involved averting the use of globally destructive weaponry.
the machines fight back in full force after the sky is scorched and we see the terrible and overpowering onslaught of the machines against marines and soldiers and human weaponry in a battle royale. it's preceded by praying and trenches and fear and bravado, and then our world falls, with brutal explosions and machines rending people limb from limb. in the aftermath, the music takes a tragic turn and the narrator presents the post apocalyptic vision of the machines' victory and subsequent experiments and conversion of our bodies and species to batteries and an energy source to compensate for the lack of sun. we return to the UN where world leaders are told to give up their flesh by a machine, before the place goes up in a massive explosion.
we see the fields getting set up, people getting experimented on and the symbiotic, one sided relationship being born. we then see a boy playing in the snowy ruins of a city, before being called home by parents. running home, the spotlight falls on him and the penny drops. we see a flash of agents in the parents' place, and the world falls apart around the boy, to reveal him in a pod. it was possibly an early matrix. the fairy strokes the pod sadly before fading and the camera pans out to reveal the fields. the narration wraps it up, and it's a bleak, tragic, poignant and effective precursor to the films.
the machines fight back in full force after the sky is scorched and we see the terrible and overpowering onslaught of the machines against marines and soldiers and human weaponry in a battle royale. it's preceded by praying and trenches and fear and bravado, and then our world falls, with brutal explosions and machines rending people limb from limb. in the aftermath, the music takes a tragic turn and the narrator presents the post apocalyptic vision of the machines' victory and subsequent experiments and conversion of our bodies and species to batteries and an energy source to compensate for the lack of sun. we return to the UN where world leaders are told to give up their flesh by a machine, before the place goes up in a massive explosion.
we see the fields getting set up, people getting experimented on and the symbiotic, one sided relationship being born. we then see a boy playing in the snowy ruins of a city, before being called home by parents. running home, the spotlight falls on him and the penny drops. we see a flash of agents in the parents' place, and the world falls apart around the boy, to reveal him in a pod. it was possibly an early matrix. the fairy strokes the pod sadly before fading and the camera pans out to reveal the fields. the narration wraps it up, and it's a bleak, tragic, poignant and effective precursor to the films.
Very interesting back story delivered with frantic style
bob the moo15 June 2003
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.
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.
The best of the Animatrix shorts
Agent108 November 2004
There is no comparison to this short film. While it is the bloodiest and possibly has the least amount of plot, the idea and brutality of this story brings about a side of the Matrix that no one could ever have dreamed of. The eventual taking over of mankind was rather interesting, but the thing that was missing was the beginning of the human revolution and the first tests of the actual Matrix. But then again, this film did just fine without those two little plot points, considering the story moved along quite nicely. The only other question I have though is, why weren't the two stories combined for the sake of continuity?
Rise of the Machines
CuriosityKilledShawn20 February 2012
With the human economy almost in complete ruin the world fights back against the machine city, but underestimates their resilience. With no option left but to black-out the sky and eliminate the main source of machine power, the humans launch an attack on robot-kind and are quickly cut-down. Those who are captured are experimented on in the beginning of the Matrix concept.
It's pretty depressing stuff, and highlights the cheapness and futility of human life. As with the film series, it's very, very much like the Terminator mythology, but as long as humans are greedy, vain, and stupid it will always be relevant.
IE: It will ALWAYS be relevant.
It's pretty depressing stuff, and highlights the cheapness and futility of human life. As with the film series, it's very, very much like the Terminator mythology, but as long as humans are greedy, vain, and stupid it will always be relevant.
IE: It will ALWAYS be relevant.
The battle
TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews12 April 2009
Of the Animatrix shorts, this is the third, and, obviously, of The Second Renaissance, it is the second part. After the first one(which perhaps had more to say, but that is debatable) told us the events leading up to the war, this shows just that: The stand-off between the two forces. We already know the final result, so this is not about the destination, but the journey. The depiction is very dark, bleak and apocalyptic, and it achieves what was obviously one of the things they went for: It is not a pleasant sight. The irony is bitter and arguably cruel. The story-telling is similar. The animation is nice, with a well-integrated mix of 2D and 3D. Very effective direction and choice of color schemes. This has nudity or what comes very close to it, and definitely violent and disturbing images, and is not for the faint of heart. This is controversial, just as the one before it. On the DVD, there is a making of that goes over both, and is very informative and well-done, and a commentary track, not in English but with subtitles, and it is definitely worth taking in. I recommend this to any fan of the Matrix franchise, Part I of these(watching it is a must for the experience of this one) and/or science fiction in general. 8/10
A good history lesson
Darth_Vicious25 October 2003
I love history in all its forms, even made up movie history. And this movie was one hell of a history lesson. It displayed suffering like I've never seen before. It gave more meaning to the other movies. And it also made think. Is the human rebellion against the machine slavery just? (Don't want to express further thoughts about that in this comment because it would spoil the movie). And the animations were fantastic. In short: one hell of a movie.
And not quite to finish up with...
Polaris_DiB30 November 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Again, I'm not exactly sure why this one had to be divided from the first part, which was a lot better and more effective in creating a sense of doom. This one also felt a little incomplete because it ended before explaining how the resistance featured in the Matrix trilogy main plot arch even managed to form. If there were two parts, was there supposed to be a third?
The animation in both parts one and two is decent, though the second one stands out more for its expressive use of dissolves and that uncanny image of the (robotic?) horseman falling into flames. I really wish the two parts were one, as I think they'd both be more effective that way.
--PolarisDiB
The animation in both parts one and two is decent, though the second one stands out more for its expressive use of dissolves and that uncanny image of the (robotic?) horseman falling into flames. I really wish the two parts were one, as I think they'd both be more effective that way.
--PolarisDiB
The weaker half of the The Second Renaissance
freemantle_uk14 August 2009
Warning: Spoilers
The Second Renaissance was the best short on the Animatrix DVD. The first half was the stronger, showing the show and political world before the machines took over the Earth. But The Second Reaissiance is still pretty good.
Part II tells the story of the war between humanity and the machines. The human nations attempt to nuke 01 but nuclear weapons have little affect to machines who are not living creatures. The machine quickly conquer the Middle East and Europe, and winning the war. The humans take the drastic action and block out the sun, believing they would take out the machines' energy supply. But humanity is still loosing the war, and soldiers even take solace in religion. There are many brutal battles and the machines force humanity to sign a humiliating peace treaty in the UN in New York before blowing up the city. However, victory seems hollow. The machines in the end have to enslave humanity by making them their power source; thereby forming the Matrix as a system of control.
The plot and narrative is weaker in this short. This short is more about the action, with gory violence, and shows how bleak the world becomes. The style of the animation is beautiful and the action well down. There are also some interesting themes, like humans in their darkest hour look to religion, that victory can be hollow, the link between machines and humans and desperate actions humans may take. The signing of the peace treaty also reminded me of the Armistice between France and Germany during World War 2 where Hitler found the same train carriage where the Germans were forced to sign the armistice in World War 1. Cruel irony. It's only 9 minutes, it's worth watching.
Part II tells the story of the war between humanity and the machines. The human nations attempt to nuke 01 but nuclear weapons have little affect to machines who are not living creatures. The machine quickly conquer the Middle East and Europe, and winning the war. The humans take the drastic action and block out the sun, believing they would take out the machines' energy supply. But humanity is still loosing the war, and soldiers even take solace in religion. There are many brutal battles and the machines force humanity to sign a humiliating peace treaty in the UN in New York before blowing up the city. However, victory seems hollow. The machines in the end have to enslave humanity by making them their power source; thereby forming the Matrix as a system of control.
The plot and narrative is weaker in this short. This short is more about the action, with gory violence, and shows how bleak the world becomes. The style of the animation is beautiful and the action well down. There are also some interesting themes, like humans in their darkest hour look to religion, that victory can be hollow, the link between machines and humans and desperate actions humans may take. The signing of the peace treaty also reminded me of the Armistice between France and Germany during World War 2 where Hitler found the same train carriage where the Germans were forced to sign the armistice in World War 1. Cruel irony. It's only 9 minutes, it's worth watching.
Again pretty good
rbverhoef25 October 2003
This is the third part of 'The Animatrix', a collection of animated short movies that tell us a little more about the world of 'The Matrix'. It is part 2 of 'The Second Renaissance' and this part tells us how men tried to wipe out the machines but were wiped out themselves. We see how the machines use the energy from the human bodies in their own benefit. We see what was told in 'The Matrix'. Again a little history from the world of 'The Matrix'.
A weak prelude to a great series
eqrunnerguy13 November 2004
Warning: Spoilers
TSR parts 1 and 2 are probably the most important shorts on the Animatrix, being the story of how humanity ended up being slaves to the machines. Despite that, it is over-the-top in it's delivery, but none of the story seems to make sense unless you think humanity is an utterly incomprehensible monster with no common sense, ethics or sense of perspective.
***SPOILERS***
A robot kills his master, precipitating a worldwide destruction of robots, adapting footage from riots and insurrections the world overt, including a particularly disturbing scene of the rape of a robot woman. Throughout this series, humans are depicted as a race of Nazis on steroids.Their mindset seems to be "if you accidentally bumped into me on the street, I will shoot you and kill your entire family". Berserk animals so unrealistic it would almost hurt my love for the Matrix movies if this was the first thing I were to be exposed to. It's as thought the Wachowskis couldn't think of a reason why the war started, or perhaps they wanted to avoid a story too similar to The Terminator, so they settled on an idiotic parody of mankind as being the aggressors. In a series with people flying, turning into ghosts, and stopping bullets with their mind, it is The Second Renaissance that is the most unrealistic.
3/10
***SPOILERS***
A robot kills his master, precipitating a worldwide destruction of robots, adapting footage from riots and insurrections the world overt, including a particularly disturbing scene of the rape of a robot woman. Throughout this series, humans are depicted as a race of Nazis on steroids.Their mindset seems to be "if you accidentally bumped into me on the street, I will shoot you and kill your entire family". Berserk animals so unrealistic it would almost hurt my love for the Matrix movies if this was the first thing I were to be exposed to. It's as thought the Wachowskis couldn't think of a reason why the war started, or perhaps they wanted to avoid a story too similar to The Terminator, so they settled on an idiotic parody of mankind as being the aggressors. In a series with people flying, turning into ghosts, and stopping bullets with their mind, it is The Second Renaissance that is the most unrealistic.
3/10
A serious dose of the Red Pill that hits close to reality
BushidoHacks17 April 2004
Who is the lesser of two evils?
I think the hook in this film was how the machines located their city, 01, in an area of great turmoil: The Middle East.
When the peaceful robots offer recognition, the world reacted negatively. When the world fell, 01 tortured the world that abused and refused them.
Is it really justice for the machines to enslave humanity? Is it really the best interest for the world to destroy itself to destroy its enemy through private agendas and contractors, likewise, is it really the best interest for the enemy to the world through terrorism and fear that the world will continue to use them for what they can only provide?
The terror does not come from 01 or the world, it comes from people with personal interest, great influence, and strong ideology.
Like all good films, they are the red pill stories. This is one of them.
Wake up, it's not a dream! IT IS REAL! An inevitable end...WAKE UP! Delay the apocalypse by taking action and responsibility for ones own mistakes.
I think the hook in this film was how the machines located their city, 01, in an area of great turmoil: The Middle East.
When the peaceful robots offer recognition, the world reacted negatively. When the world fell, 01 tortured the world that abused and refused them.
Is it really justice for the machines to enslave humanity? Is it really the best interest for the world to destroy itself to destroy its enemy through private agendas and contractors, likewise, is it really the best interest for the enemy to the world through terrorism and fear that the world will continue to use them for what they can only provide?
The terror does not come from 01 or the world, it comes from people with personal interest, great influence, and strong ideology.
Like all good films, they are the red pill stories. This is one of them.
Wake up, it's not a dream! IT IS REAL! An inevitable end...WAKE UP! Delay the apocalypse by taking action and responsibility for ones own mistakes.
The religiousness of war
mickeythechamp19 November 2023
In no way as strong as part one, but still has some breathtaking moments. The second renaissance part 2 has its moments and concludes what you need to know before the Matrix. It presents itself with great action, interesting lore and a clashing art style that doesn't always work here. While this is still a good short it doesn't hold a candle to part 1 in my opinion, nevertheless you are still having a fun time.
The second half of the second renaissance explained! After the machines take over huge parts of the world, the humans plan to fight back.
What I like about this short is its explanation, to most of, why the machines are doing what they are doing in the Matrix movies. We are told a lot of interesting lore and shown how mankind was more or less their own killers from the get go. The idea that humans come up with seem smart, but it is also to show the hubris of humans by us thinking well always get the upper hand.
Like the short before it, this short has a lot of real world parallels, this time with focus on the near religiousness of war. It is a sad statement that rings true even to this day.
The animation is pretty good here but uses a lot of different styles. The previous part did that too, but here it feels more noticeable and distracting. It doesn't change some of the iconic imagery spawned from this short, such as the machine riding on the machine horse or the closing frames. Very strong visuals there
The action is pretty good here but take up too much of the short. This makes part 2 seem less impactful than part 1, and it doesn't have as much to say, sadly.
While I still like this short, it seems a bit too numbing compared to the predecessor. While it has some really strong parts, it just left me a bit more emotionless.
The second half of the second renaissance explained! After the machines take over huge parts of the world, the humans plan to fight back.
What I like about this short is its explanation, to most of, why the machines are doing what they are doing in the Matrix movies. We are told a lot of interesting lore and shown how mankind was more or less their own killers from the get go. The idea that humans come up with seem smart, but it is also to show the hubris of humans by us thinking well always get the upper hand.
Like the short before it, this short has a lot of real world parallels, this time with focus on the near religiousness of war. It is a sad statement that rings true even to this day.
The animation is pretty good here but uses a lot of different styles. The previous part did that too, but here it feels more noticeable and distracting. It doesn't change some of the iconic imagery spawned from this short, such as the machine riding on the machine horse or the closing frames. Very strong visuals there
The action is pretty good here but take up too much of the short. This makes part 2 seem less impactful than part 1, and it doesn't have as much to say, sadly.
While I still like this short, it seems a bit too numbing compared to the predecessor. While it has some really strong parts, it just left me a bit more emotionless.
Monsters vs. Men the second
Horst_In_Translation14 July 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Well.. actually the second of the second of the second, looking at the film's title. These 9 minutes continue where "The Second Renaissance Part 1" left off. Unfortunately it is equally forgettable just like the first part. Men rejected machines' peaceful attempt to return, so a war is unavoidable. And of course there can only be one possible outcome to that. Stupid men. So they want to destroy the sky? Another brilliant idea. NOT. The director is Mahiro Maeda again, who already worked with Tarantino and the script comes from the Wachowskis just like the script for the famous live action movies. I have to say I was never too big on "The Matrix", but these animated short films are even worse. And also, they almost have no reference to the films anymore at all. Not recommended.
Part 1, part 2, whatever
TheOtherFool4 August 2004
Part 2 goes on where part 1 stopped (such a surprise!), as the machines feel they don't belong to the humans any longer and start their own country, zero-one. Their economy is growing and they become a threat to all mankind, so they bomb them with everything they got... but fail (as you would expect since otherwise there wouldn't have been a matrix).
Part 2 is a bit more gripping than part 1, although I keep on wondering: is it really important for us to 'know' this? The animatrix series should be an extra for the matrix movies, and for instance 'Osiris' is just that... but Renaissance, whether it's part one or two, feels silly more than intense and pointless more than important... 5/10.
Part 2 is a bit more gripping than part 1, although I keep on wondering: is it really important for us to 'know' this? The animatrix series should be an extra for the matrix movies, and for instance 'Osiris' is just that... but Renaissance, whether it's part one or two, feels silly more than intense and pointless more than important... 5/10.
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