The Ultimate Matrix Collection (The Matrix/ The Matrix Reloaded/ The Matrix Revolutions/ The Animatrix) (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)During the following I will intend to describe as best and briefly as possible this collection. I also will mention some differences between this collection and the original releases. Enjoy.
The difference between the limited and the unlimited editions are: The Limited Edition comes in a plastic box with trays, a Neo bust and an 80 page booklet that lists the extras of the 10 disks (yes, that's all it does). Besides this the sets are the same.
These two sets include all three films, The Animatrix, the film footage shot for Enter the Matrix videogame and 106 documentaries. The bonus disks for Reloaded and Revolutions are different from those included in the versions already released.
REMASTERD: The movies were enhanced so the films look brighter in color and richer in details. Don't worry it was not done by Gorge Lucas. The films are the same.
AUDIO: Also enhanced (not that it was necessary). Voices are stronger, gentle noises stand out more and details were sweetened just a bit. Great work!
DISK 1: The Matrix. The original commentaries, the music only audio track, follow the white rabbit, take the red pills... ALL ARE MISSING in this version. It comes with two commentaries worth listening to, a written intro from the Wachowski bros., and a ROM feature.
DISK 2: The Matrix Revisited. It includes the entire contents of the original disk except the fanboy stuff.
DISK 3: The Matrix Reloaded. Two new commentaries and a ROM feature.
DISK 4: The Matrix Reloaded Revisited. All new stuff such as a 17-min look at the fight in the Merovingian's chateau, 55-min dissection of the car chase, 40-min look at the Neo vs. 100 Smith battle, 7-min segment on Neo vs. Seraph and more.
DISK 5: The Matrix Revolutions. Two new commentaries and a ROM feature.
DISK 6: The Matrix Revolutions Revisited. Includes a tour of the set, 27-min piece on the Club Hel fight (ceiling walkers), segments on the workers and extras, 17-min profile of Neo vs. Smith final battle, 36-min piece covering the soundtrack, film editing, etc. and more.
DISK 7: The Animatrix. Just as we all remember it.
DISK 8: The Roots of the Matrix. Two documentaries: 1-Return to Source: The Philosophy of The Matrix: is an hour long discussion on the philosophical elements of the movie. And 2-The Hard Problem: the Science Behind the Fiction is an hour long discussion of the science of the films and its possibilities for a real life Matrix.
DISK 9: The Burly Man Chronicles. This is a 94-min featurette documenting the whole 276 day shoot for films 2 and 3. Profiles, interviews, a tribute to Alliyah and more are also found on this disk. Although almost nothing is said about Gloria Foster (the original Oracle).
DISK 10: The Zion Archive. Here we find storyboards and concept art for all three films; trailers and music videos for all three films; video effects in various states of completion and a Matrix Online game preview.
Overall: Excellent collection and a must for fans. If you are not a hardcore fan though and you like this collection, you may want to purchase the one without Neo's bust. It's cheaper and the booklet is only a guide to the extras on the 10 disks which are all included in both sets. The Wachowskis DO NOT give any commentaries on these disks which may be disappointing for some fans. But over all this is a great collection. You may add it to the ones you already own with confidence. There are more goodies in these disks not mentioned here so have fun exploring. Just follow the white rabbit and remember... there is no spoon.

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The definitive ten-disc DVD set, The Ultimate Matrix Collection features all three films in the trilogy together for the first time ever with a newly remastered picture and sound for The Matrix. Also included is the companion piece The Matrix Revisited and the best-selling The Animatrix, plus five entirely new DVDs packed solid with brand-new supplemental materials that encompass every aspect of the Matrix universe, including two new audio commentaries on each film, Enter the Matrix video game footage, 106 deep-delving featurettes/ documentaries and much more!DVD Features:Additional Scenes:Filmed for Enter the Matrix video gameAudio Commentary:The Philosophers: Dr. Cornel West and Ken Wilber; The Critics: Todd McCarthy, John Powers and David ThomsonDVD ROM FeaturesDocumentaryEaster EggsFeaturetteIntroduction:by the Wachowski BrothersMusic VideoPhoto galleryStoryboardsTV SpotTheatrical Trailer

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The Matrix (1999) Review

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(More customer reviews)If you've seen The Matrix you know why the film community heralds it as a benchmark achievement in filmmaking. Just as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Wars set the bar for film special effects, The Matrix came along and made us re-examine everything we thought a movie could do. Revolutionary, groundbreaking, mindblowing - these are all terms people use to describe The Matrix. It's certainly all true, but up until now, what I'd appreciated most about The Matrix was this: it packaged a Philosophy 101 course into a digestible Sci-Fi flick with a raging techno/rock/orchestral score and jaw-dropping action sequences. The Blu-ray release of The Matrix turns this scale on its head bringing the action scenes to the level they were always meant to reach - now the film is superb all the way around.
Andy and Larry Wachowski invited us to follow the white rabbit down the hole into an exploration of perception versus reality. If the entire world we live in - the air, the terrain and the other people - is nothing but a computer program, what is our reality? Do we consider the magenta-hued egg which sustains us while sapping our bioelectricity to be our reality? Or is the manufactured existence within a computer the truest one? Neo chooses the red pill and plunges into the terrifying truth of what reality has become. Amidst a group of ragtag survivors in c. 2199, Neo (Keanu Reeves) discovers the truth behind the Matrix under the guidance of Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss).
Despite The Matrix being stuffed with heaping spoonfuls of rudimentary philosophical musings, the plot is remarkably simple in structure. The entire second and third acts stem from Neo's attempting to verify his place in his new reality. He does so by diving back into the fictional world of the Matrix to confront the Oracle and in the process Morpheus is taken captive and the remaining members of the team mount a plan to rescue him. That's The Matrix at its most barebones level. What that description fails to impart are all the aspects that make The Matrix so memorable. Attached to that frame is a traitorous monad who longs to once again lose himself in the Matrix (Joe Pantoliano), a tireless Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) seeking to end Neo and the omnipresent question of whether a true reality or an altered perception thereof is preferable. The latter might make you comfortable, but are you really living?
But I already own The Matrix on DVD, should I double dip? Is it worth the second purchase? There are two types of movies where high-definition makes a difference. The first is animation: the colors are crisper, the edges smoother and everything has vibrancy unparalleled in the DVD format. The second is balls to the wall action films with special effects that break all the rules: like The Matrix. Watching a helicopter spiral out of control and plummet into the side of a skyscraper which then ripples like a puddle is cool. Watching it in high-definition - it's like seeing the face of a special effects god for the first time. Yes, it's worth the second purchase. Buy it on Blu-ray, give your DVD copy to a friend...and just laugh at what they're missing.
Blu-Ray Extra Features:
Normally, I just plow through the trailers and audio commentary section, but in the case of The Matrix on Blu-ray special consideration is deserved. Your first audio commentary choice is a virtual Philosophy 101 lecture about the ideas presented in The Matrix taught by Dr. Cornel West and Ken Wilber - it's really interesting for newcomers but not quite meaty enough for anyone more versed in deep thinking. The second commentary comes from film critics Todd McCarthy, John Powers and David Thomson - this is somewhat obnoxious. It's an audio track of them praising The Matrix with a few snippets of legitimate criticism thrown in as if to validate their presence in commentary form. Thirdly, a cast and crew commentary features Carrie-Anne Moss, Zach Staenberg (editor) and John Gaeta (visual effects supervisor) discussing all the usual facets: working with the big names in the cast, the stunt work, the direction, etc. Finally, not so much a commentary but audio track, there's the option to play the film with no sound (diagetic or non) besides the score. It's a surreal experience and one of my favorite ways to watch the action sequences.
Finally, there's another commentary of sorts which is the "In-Movie Experience" which is really the icing on the commentary cake. Featuring a picture-in-picture box in the lower corners, virtually everyone involved in the film gets their moment in the sun talking about every conceivable part of the film from auditions, to stunt work, to personal relationships and what they took away from the film. Brilliantly laid in, it's worth your time.
As was offered previously, "The Matrix Revisited", a feature-length documentary on the making of the original film, comes with the main feature. Definitely interesting for fans and film geeks who want to understand every technological wonder that made this landmark film possible; but for non-Matrix enthusiasts you'll probably find yourself distracted after 20 to 30 minutes. It's interesting as all get out, but you do need to have the initial level of interest to commit to the two hour duration.
We have a healthy smattering of production diary featurettes chronicling things like the injuries suffered by Hugo Weaving while filming and Keanu's obsession over physical motion in specific scenes. Fun to watch and these are essentially the more palatable versions of "The Matrix Revisited" for the less devoted among us.
The last batch of features is a virtual jukebox of the music from The Matrix and includes a music video of Marilyn Manson's "Rock is Dead". The Music Revisited is a terrific addition and helps track down some of the great tracks from the film that you might not have known the names of.

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Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells of a computer hacker (Reeves) who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth. The computers are powered by human beings...DVD Features:Audio Commentary:Commentary by C. Moss, J. Gaeta, & Z. StaenbergFeaturette:"Bullet Time" Featurette (6:01) "What is the Concept" Featurette (10:50)Music Clips:2.0 Music only with commentaryOther:HBO 1st Look Special: Making the Matrix (25:48) "White Rabbit" Clips (22:22) [4x3]

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The Complete Matrix Trilogy (The Matrix/ The Matrix Reloaded/ The Matrix Revolutions) (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've had this set for a couple days now and have watched all three films. The picture quality is outstanding and the sound is too (though I thought the SD soundtrack was amazing too, not a discriminating ear). There are so many things I never really noticed in the original SD DVD releases. For instance in the second film when Morpheus is giving his speach at Zion. In the HD version you can see him spitting when he talks. I saw a parody of this scene at the MTV movie awards that year and didn't get it. I guess you had to of seen it at the theater.
Some other things is the skin imperfections some of the actors have. I don't care about that sort of thing, but thought it was really cool to see people the way they really are. Also, I think HD and BR are going to change the way makup is applied for films. You can definately see some lipstick and blush on the male actors in a couple scenes. To make a long review shorter, buy the Matrix in High Definition. Even if you have BR it's a matter of time before it's released there too. Pick it up! Don't let this become a format issue, review the quality of the movie. It's a big enough market for mulitple formats these days.
PS. This cheaper set comes with a free download of the Animatrix. So unless you want 10 hours of extras go with this cheaper set. Me, all I care about are the movies. I have the Lord of the Rings collectors sets and have never placed a bonus disc in my DVD player. Not the case for everyone.

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The #1 requested film on HD is now here! The Complete Matrix Trilogy presents the complete adventures of machine battling truth-seekers Neo (Keanu Reeves) Trinity (Cary-Anne Moss) and Morpheus (Lurence Fishburne) in all three of the Wachowski's ground-breaking monumental sci-fi feature films. This collection features all three films in Hi-def and includes exclusive In Movie Experience (IME). These are the ultimate films for the ultimate hi-def format!Running Time: 403 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre:ACTION/ADVENTURE UPC:085391159742 Manufacturer No:115974

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