Part 4: Re-arranging the plot

A major block of the film has been edited: Concentrating on the transition between the events of the first & second films forced me to make several early choices that will impact the film’s structure. I believe that by focusing on the transitions and blending of the films first, the essential material will stand out & opportunities to introduce snazzy moments will appear.

So far, I’ve shortened the final action sequence from the first film while also combining it with an animated action bit from “The Kid’s Story” in THE ANIMATRIX [note: “The Kid” appears in the 2nd & 3rd films as a secondary character that is a bit annoying on the face. By introducing him in snippets throughout the first film it gives the story some depth & enhances the parallels to Neo’s storyline.] This seemed to work out so well that I’m going back through and adding more of his story to the first film wherever fitting…

The beginning of the second film involves Neo’s premonition of Trinity’s death, & then the introduction of a couple other crews as they meet to discuss a message from the lost ship OSIRIS (that the machines are digging down toward the city) before they return to Zion.

I chopped all of that exposition out & inserted the actual fate of the OSIRIS (from THE ANIMATRIX episode) as the vision Neo has as the ship is headed for Zion. We see the machines digging, the OSIRIS destroyed, & Morpheus & the gang arriving in Zion. Since I’d already planned to seriously alter the “Trinity killed/revived” storyline there was no need to keep his vision here.

As a result, the action ends with a bang…we catch our breath for a moment…then the story picks up right away again with the introduction of Zion.*

*Note from future me....I spent quite a bit of time editing "Final Flight of the Osiris" into a blitz-quick chase sequence that Neo would see in a 'vision' just prior to his arrival in Zion. This is how we learn that the machines are tunneling down to the city. Later, I cut the whole thing in favor of a 'flashback' of Neo being plucked from his pod (which I had cut from the first section of the story.