Friday, Sep 5, 2008
Anime, video games, movies: The synergistic storytelling frenzy of the Wachowski brothers is like nothing we've seen before.
May 12, 2003 | Four years of waiting are finally over for "Matrix" fans. This Thursday will mark the simultaneous release of "The Matrix Reloaded," the first of two sequels set to hit movie screens this year, and "Enter the Matrix," a companion video game. The second wave will arrive on June 3, with the release of a DVD titled "The Animatrix," containing a series of nine animated film shorts set in the world of the Matrix. The DVD of "Reloaded" is expected to follow in late October, clearing the way for the release of "The Matrix Revolutions," the third and final installment of the "Matrix" saga, in early November.
There is little doubt that the two "Matrix" films will top this year's box office charts: Pundits expect the two films to generate more than $1.2 billion in ticket receipts, and according to David Mumpower of Box Office Prophets, "Reloaded" should have no trouble crossing the $100 million line by the fourth day of its release. Back in January, Newsweek declared that 2003 would be the Year of the Matrix; five months in, it is hard to disagree.
But does the yearlong "Matrix" release schedule represent a significant advance in the art of storytelling or merely a new height of promotional franchising and profit-raising spinoff products? Even the most excited fans can't help noticing that the "Matrix" has returned bearing all the trappings of a standard big-budget Hollywood sequel, from an official video game to a reissued "Collector's Edition" DVD. (In a particularly poor move, Warner Bros. seems to have authorized a single promotional tie-in, which has yielded an awkward and slightly creepy "Matrix"-themed campaign for PowerAde.) Even if the new movies, game, and animated shorts live up to the high standards set by the first film, there's still an uneasy feeling that Warner Bros. is taking advantage of "The Matrix's" cult following to cash in while it can.
The hype from producer and "Matrix" mouthpiece Joel Silver is also a little over the top. In one recent interview Silver suggested that the triple-release of "Reloaded," "Enter the Matrix" and "The Animatrix" represents "the first time anyone's told a story in multiple mediums." That statement is highly debatable, but within it lies a nugget worth paying attention to: The entire "Matrix" franchise is under the close supervision of its writer-director-producer duo, the brother-brother team of Larry and Andy Wachowski, who have either directed or approved every product on the list of "Matrix" offerings. As a result, if all goes well, the various products will demonstrate a level of consistency and integration that no previous pop-culture franchise has achieved.
Not every critic agrees. A May 5 article in the San Jose Mercury News described the Wachowskis' approach to cross-marketing as mere "expandability." The author, Mike Antonucci, conceded that the strategy would allow consumers to choose their own level of "Matrix" engagement -- both emotional and financial -- but concluded that the Year of the Matrix would have more to do with the evolution of "smart marketing" than the arrival of "smart storytelling." Antonucci suggested that, "although the Wachowskis have upped the ante by the scope of their involvement, nothing about their strategy is unprecedented." Pointing to the expansive franchise surrounding "Star Wars," Antonucci notes that "over time, 'Star Wars' has developed its 'universe' by extending its history across different media. A character who originated in a video game, for instance, later was included in 'Star Wars' comic books." The Wachowski brothers can be saluted for their "digital-era vision," says Antonucci, but their greatest asset is their ability to "blur the difference between storytelling and merchandising."
Whatever the critical appraisal, the brothers -- both Warner and Wachowski -- stand to profit from their venture into multimedia storytelling. But it would be a mistake to write off the triple threat of "Reloaded," "Enter the Matrix" and "The Animatrix" as no more than supercharged slick cross-promotion. Little is known about the media-shy siblings, who, after the first movie, demanded that a "no press" clause be inserted into their contract before they would sign on for the remaining films, but what details we do have suggest a level of fanaticism and devotion to storytelling that is more usually associated with science fiction fans than Hollywood producers. The Wachowskis are passionate comic book readers, obsessive fans of Japanese anime, and avid video game addicts. In these limited details, we find everything we need to understand the origins -- and to evaluate the significance -- of the Year of the Matrix.
Start with Antonucci's claim that there is nothing unprecedented in the Wachowskis' attempt to deliver a single narrative through an assortment of media platforms. On this point, the "Star Wars" example is perhaps more instructive than it first seems, for while the various product lines in the "Star Wars" franchise have often featured common characters and settings, that has been a gradual development, a slow accretion of content. To equate this franchise to that of the "Matrix" is to obscure the new model of storytelling beginning to emerge: one in which, as Silver notes, a single story is told through multiple media.
Consider the exact nature of the Wachowskis' involvement in the various aspects of the "Matrix" franchise. In the past, film directors have had little interest, and even less participation, in the decisions that expand a particular film into other media. By contrast, the Wachowski brothers themselves conceived of both "The Animatrix" and "Enter the Matrix" as integral components of the "Matrix" narrative, rather than spin-off products to be outsourced to third parties. As a result, the Wachowski brothers wrote four of the nine animated shorts themselves, using them to provide context and explanation for the content of their live-action features. The first and second installments, collectively titled "The Second Renaissance," debuted as free Internet downloads and provided a historical overview explaining the origin of the war between man and machine. A third script, titled "The Kid's Story," introduces a character who will be featured in the remaining feature films, and shows how he came to join the fight against the Matrix.
But the most attention, by far, has been given to "Final Flight of the Osiris," the brothers' fourth script, which was produced by the digital animation team at "FinalFantasy" game studio SquareSoft. It debuted in theaters during March screenings of Lawrence Kasdan's "Dreamcatcher." Also referred to as "The Matrix 1.5," Osiris is intended to provide a bridge between the action of the first and second films.
The same attention to detail is at play in the game "Enter the Matrix." From the beginning, the Wachowskis insisted that the game serve not as an adaptation of the film, but as a distinct and self-supporting narrative. As a result, the game revolves around a concurrent, independent story line that intersects with and informs the action of "Reloaded" at regular intervals. "Enter the Matrix" puts players in control of two supporting characters from the film as they pursue their own missions and objectives and, in the process, sheds light on details of the film plot that are never addressed in the films themselves. Bruno Bonnell, president of game co-developer Infogrames, boasted to the Hollywood Reporter that "'Enter the Matrix' was not an afterthought or a licensing deal; the Wachowskis wanted this game as part of the 'Matrix' universe from day one. When this game ships, people will see what interactive entertainment should be, rather than a subproduct of licensing."
Get Salon in your mailbox!