The Worst Film Ever

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

This is the fifth on the disc of Animatrix shorts. It's seven minutes long, and thus shorter than the usual(which is about nine), and every moment is intense. This manages to not slow down for a second without overwhelming the viewer, as well as provide some food for thought, around one of the themes also explored in The Matrix(the first film as well as the franchise). The action is exceptionally well-done, engaging and fun. The animation is impeccable throughout. The visuals are stunning, and the choreography leaves little, if anything, to be desired. The dialog is well-written and also nicely delivered. The plot is well-done and the story-telling is strong, offering so much in this amount of time, and the ending adds a whole additional layer to it. The drama is powerful. The audio is well-done, with great voice-acting and sound effects. There is a six-minute making of, well-done and interesting, on the DVD, as well as a commentary track, not in English but subtitled, and worth it to hear the thoughts of those who made it. I recommend this to any fan of science fiction, Animé and anyone who likes what they watch to give them something to think about. 8/10

The real power of this particular "Animatrix" short is in it's visuals: going directly to the Wachowski's fascination with Japanese culture, the animators create a "program" (like of the title) of the history, architecture, and landscape. The effect decided on is kind of like an Escher drawing or a fractal, which lends a much more dreamlike atmosphere than many of the other shorts.The story is of a woman, Cis, training in the programs who is forced to confront her fear and desire to return to the illusion of the Matrix. It's a somewhat needed psychological aside to the logic of the reality the Wachowskis created, though of course a lot of the issues presented in this short are already succinctly summed up in Cypher's character from the first one. Nonetheless, the story does allow the animators to play with space like no other Animatrix short attempts, and the result is some very fascinating imagery.--PolarisDiB

**Warning! Slight Spoilers Ahead!**The visuals in "The Program" were excellent, as superb as any I have seen in my limited anime exposure. The color contrast stood out, as it underlined the murky battle of good and evil. Also exceptional was the visual scope of the short. Numerous shots, such as the early one that tracked the fiery arrows, spanned great distances. My personal favorite was the dolly back across the tiled roof, revealing both the protagonist and the antagonist.The story, as in most shorts, was simple enough. But it was solid, nicely complementing one story arc from "The Matrix." Even without the twist at the end, the tale of love and betrayal, told through battle, worked quite well. The twist worked, and I was very pleased with the fitting final act by the heroine.Bottom Line: Excluding the computer-generated "Osiris", "The Program" was my favorite anime short on the "Animatrix" DVD. 9 of 10.

A story set in the Matrix world, it shows a soldier of Zion in a samurai training program (like the construct where Morpheus and Neo have a kungfu duel.) She has to choose between her loyalty to her comrades and the cause, and love for her boyfriend who wants to return to the Matrix... The backgrounds and the Japanese temples are very beautifully portrayed and the fight sequences are excellent. The overall look is like any anime action movie.