n 1999, Andy and Larry Wachowski introduced the world to The Matrix. In 2003, two sequels hit screens in rapid succession: The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, completing a film trilogy that captured the imaginations of fans more than any series of films since Star Wars or the Alien series.
Computer hacker Thomas Anderson has never felt the world is right. In his angst, he searches for a fellow hacker named Morpheus, who may have the answers he seeks. Known in the computer underworld as Neo, Anderson makes contact with Trinity, a woman who would lead Neo to Morpheus and turn his life upside down.
Neo discovers that the world is not what it seems, not what he sees or feels, but is in fact the Matrix, an elaborate computer simulation designed to keep humans from discovering the awful truth—that they are actually nothing more than part of a massive organic power supply for machines who long ago won a war against life on the planet.
When Neo is awakened from the Matrix, he joins the crew of a hovership named the Nebuchadnezzar, which is crewed by Morpheus, Trinity and a small band of dedicated warriors out to free the humans and fight the machines in the real world.
The machines have a first line of defense against ships like the Nebuchadnezzar—the Sentinels—metallic pods covered in spider-eye-like lenses, crablike manipulator arms and, most prominently, octopuslike control tentacles capped with gripping claws. Alone or in swarms, these Sentinels attack anything that threatens the autocracy of the machines. These vicious assault bots not only resemble octopi, but at times even move like them. Using intense laser beams, tearing manipulator arms and long clawed arms, they can tear apart a ship's outer defenses and infiltrate the hull, completely destroying the crew within minutes.
McFarlane Toys, which brought you Mifune's Last Stand and other action figures from the Matrix films, now brings you a large deluxe boxed set of the Sentinel.
Packaged in a large, square window box, the Sentinel's body has about two dozen painted red lenses all over the surface. On the underbelly are 10 small manipulator arms in ball sockets. Next to these arms are smaller tendrils seen in the film as constantly vibrating, looking creepily like the mouth of a feeding crab. These are not movable, but their presence is an extra level of detail that adds to the overall look.
The toy's main feature is a cluster of 15 wire-centered rubber tentacle arms, each around 20 inches long and tipped with a claw.
Completing the boxed set is a small display stand, over which the Sentinel "hovers" with the aid of a metal rod.
Multiarmed and dangerous
The Sentinel's central pod is highly detailed and accurately portrays the killing machine as seen in all three Matrix films. The lenses mimic the glowing laser-red eyes of the film's Sentinels by using red paint over black plastic.
Attached to the underbelly are 10 cutting, tearing arms that fit into ball sockets, allowing for a wide range of movement. The small arms themselves are not otherwise jointed, and they pop out of their ball sockets all too easily. So while they can be rotated and angled, this should be done carefully.
Most impressively, this Sentinel has 15 long, hefty, bendy tentacles, which can be twisted and bent into any angle. Each tentacle is capped with one of three different types of claw, each with four fingerlike cutters/grippers. The first four are non-articulated, fixed in an open position with the claws' knuckles bent as if about to rip into a sheet of metal. The second type has the four fingers closed to form a point that looks quite capable of puncturing heavy steel. There are seven of these. The third type has four articulated fingerlike clippers capable of being posed in any position from open to closed. There are four of these, each with eight joints.
However, as this figure is boxed up with all 15 tentacles coiled into a spiral, these articulated claws tend to be bent pretty badly. The angles are fairly well confirmed and hard to fix.
The display base depicts a piece of curved piping with two segments of Sentinel tentacle rising up from it. A small hole in the base snugly accommodates a black metal rod that fits into the central pod of the Sentinel. However, the base is fairly small for the Sentinel to balance well, as the gangly Sentinel with its articulated tentacles has an easily shiftable center of gravity.
The only obvious way to use the display base is to splay all 15 tentacles outward and forward so the claws are facing front almost like the head of a mechanical Medusa about to pounce. In this way—and with a lot of work—you can achieve a balanced display position. If you wish to display the Sentinel with tentacles streaming back as if in full motion, the stand is inadequate. I recommend ceiling mounting with strong string.
To most Matrix fans, this is the holy grail of merchandising. The Sentinel was perhaps one of the most impressive characters in the films, and having one this large, hefty and articulated is a bit of a Matrix collector's dream come true.
Those collectors will easily ignore this figure's shortcomings. Some other collectors, however, may not be able to overlook the smaller hands popping out of joint or the easily broken articulated claws (in our review copy, the joint of one claw had sheared off due to pressure caused by the 15 tentacles' constant jostling.)
If placed on proper display, though, McFarlane's Sentinel makes for an amazing feature for any room.
