The Ultimate Matrix Collection – Blu-ray Disc Review

October 6, 2008 – 6:18 PM - Posted by: Brendan Surpless

Tags: Andy Wachowski, Carrie Ann Moss, Hugo Weaving, Jada Pinkett Smith, Joe Pantoliano, Keanu Reeves, Larry Wachowski, Laurence Fishburne, Monica Bellucci, Warner

EDITORIAL NOTE: It has been brought to our attention that there is an apparent glitch on “The Matrix Revolutions” disc. For more information on this, feel free to head over to this site for more information and for screenshots of the issue. Thanks to John over at AVS for pointing this out.

has average ratings of 8.6 / 7.0 / 6.4 on IMDb
1080p in VC-1 on FOUR 50gb discs
Dolby TrueHD 5.1
include over 35 HOURS of features
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– 1999, 2003, 2003
– 136, 138 and 129 minutes (respectively)
– Warner
Street Date : October 14th 2008
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Overall Verdict – Highly Recommended

Buy it for $89.95 @ Amazon.com

— Review written by: Brendan Surpless —
( with updates from Justin Sluss )

A film clip (provided by Warner) :

The Movies Themselves were both Written and Directed by The Wachowski Brothers, Andy and Larry. The original “Matrix” arrived with such a ferocious force that every man, regardless of age, came out of the theater and immediately called their nearest friend simply to exclaim about what they had just seen. That is what brought myself into the theater to see the film. I hadn’t seen a trailer (luckily I hadn’t because viewing the trailer now shows so much of the film!) and didn’t even know what the film was about. All I know was that it contained (quote) ‘a lot of cool effects and tons of guns’. I figured the film couldn’t be that bad with a statement like that coming from a 14yr old (that was my age in 99’). Getting up after finishing the film, I didn’t see what the big to do was about the film. Sure the film was entertaining, but the film was ripping off a lot from other science fiction films like “Dark City“. People were acting like the film was the second coming for science fiction, even though it wasn’t. Yes the ideas the film presented were intriguing as the idea that we would become so dependent on machines in our everyday lives that we would eventually succumb to them, doesn’t sound that odd does it? If you thought the first film had a large reaction, we only had to wait 4 years until “The Matrix: Reloaded” arrived in theaters.

Coming out in May of 2003, “The Matrix: Reloaded” is easily the best of the series (*takes a breath and prepares for the backlash that sentence will receive*). Now that I got that off my chest, the film is simply the best of the three for a number of reasons. “Reloaded” did everything the first film failed to do. Yes I did write above that the first film ended with a solid conclusion and it did if you were to think that there would only be one film in the series. Now that we know of the two sequels, watching all three films back to back reveals the middle being the best. “Reloaded” expanded on the world “The Matrix” briefly touched upon. The film concludes with an excellent speech by The Architect of The Matrix. Many were perhaps confused and certainly dumb-founded by this speech. I’m sure many disliked the film not because the film was bad, but rather because they were confused by this speech. I don’t ever go around claiming to be the smartest man, but a careful analysis of the speech reveals that the speech wasn’t that mind-boggling but rather that the speech explained a lot of what The Matrix was, what exactly the machines were, and why The One is so important.

As the film ended, we were meant to leave the theater with all these questions in our head simply so we could ponder about the third film, entitled “The Matrix: Revolutions“. Unfortunately, while “Reloaded” presented these questions of real, genuine interest, “Revolutions” failed to answer a lot of these questions. When “The Matrix: Revolutions” was announced for release in November of that same year, fans and industry analysts started to move around in their chairs. The film would have to succeed both physically and monetarily if it didn’t want the label of disappointment slapped on its behind.

In November of 2003, the third and very highly anticipated film of the “Matrix” Trilogy was released. Interest was lessened for some due to the less than satisfactory second film, “Reloaded“. When it comes to the 2nd film, expectations were so high that it was practically impossible for everyone to be satisfied with it. To me, the 2nd film built on the strengths of the first and expounded them to result in an intelligent and fast paced sci-fi movie. Given “Reloaded” and its cliffhanger ending, “Revolutions” promised to solve the unanswered questions and resolve the Machine War. Instead of this, the film felt like one of those huge build-ups that promise so much and deliver so little. The film is given so many opportunities to shine, but decides to take the fork in the road to failure. Since the film was a big disappointment for myself, I will spend a bit more time on it than the previous two films.

The movie begins right when “Reloaded” left off, with Neo in a coma, after being able to mysteriously stop 4 Sentinels just from thinking about it. The Merovingian (a delightful character in “Reloaded“, a bit wasted here) is holding Neo prisoner in an artificial construct called Mobil Station Avenue as punishment for the rebels’ effrontery against him in Reloaded. A scene soon occurs that is literally the most disappointing scene in the entire film. After the rebels failed to capture the Trainman and visit the Oracle to receive new instructions, they go to Club Hel to bargain with the Merovingian for Neo’s freedom. After a rather ordinary and mercifully brief action sequence, they met with Merv. He demands the eyes of the Oracle in exchange for Neo. This is the worst part of the movie. Instead of the interesting possibilities that such a request entails as well as its deeper meanings for both villain and hero, the potential is wasted, resulting a Mexican standoff and Neo being quickly freed. An extra 10-15 minutes on the possibility here would have strengthened the film greatly, especially if it came at the expense of the later overlong action sequences.

Neo is returned to the Matrix and goes to the Oracle, looking for many answers. The film again wastes its potential with simple explanations and short answers whereas the more thoughtful audience members hoped for a more intriguing connection. Neo was able to stop the Sentinels simply because he is still connected to the Source of the Matrix. This scene felt like a slap in the face. Instead of diving deeper into why Neo was able to stop the Sentinels (literally 5 minutes more could have satisfied anyone), we’re given a lame answer that he was connected to the Source. We know Neo is connected and we realized that at the end of “Reloaded“. I’m not really going to go into much more of the film here as I’ve gone off on far enough of a tangent ranting about this film. The film isn’t necessarily bad per-say, but just was so disappointing especially when one considers what the film before it had it built on.

Regardless of opinion, “The Matrix” films have a place in the heart of every movie fan. The films had an overall positive impact on film as a whole, only if you view the advancement the films had for sound and visual effects. While the whole trilogy would rate as a ‘7’ out of 10 (mostly because of the weaker third part), the whole trilogy is still enjoyable as a whole. My best advice is for you to shut off your brain during the last 30-40 minutes of the first film, open your mind for the entire 2nd film, and somewhat keep your brain on for the 3rd film.

Video Quality for this release is in 1080p using the VC-1 codec on FOUR BD-50′s (50 gigabyte Blu-ray Discs). All three (four including “The Animatrix“) films have been re-mastered into a 1080p, VC-1 Encoded, 2:40:1 Widescreen Aspect Ratio that looks absolutely stunning. Even though the 2nd and 3rd films do present a better looking image that the 1st, the overall video experience here is something that fans will NEED in their collections regardless if you love these films. “The Animatrix” looks the most stunning you will have ever seen it on home video as this is the first time it’s been released in High Definition.

The biggest obvious upgrade here is the use of colors and the film’s attention detail. Obviously the films have a very dark, almost drab look to them, typically containing darker colors like greens, blacks and blues. If you really want evidence of improvement, watch the 2nd and 3rd film and TRY to find an error. Unless you literally pause the films and try to look for errors, you won’t find any while watching the two films. The black leather that our heroes wear was so shiny and bright that I had to look away at some points. Speaking of brights, during the sequence where the agents break into the hotel after being tipped off by Cypher as to where Neo and Morpheus are, the lights off the S.W.A.T. teams weapons was so bright that my brothers and myself had to turn away from the screen for a second.

Grain is present here and there throughout the three films, but never does it become a real cumbersome issue. The film’s print has really been improved, as I didn’t notice a bit of dirt or any blemishes on the screen. A fantastic all around effort from the folks over at Warner. 5 Star Rating all the way!

Audio Quality on this release is presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround. “The Matrix” Collection has been one of the most requested Blu-ray titles ever since Warner released the set exclusive to the now dead HD DVD format last year, so the audio better be on par with the video quality. Warner has delivered the goods here by providing us with a Dolby TrueHD (48khz/16-bit) audio track on each of the included films. Say hello to your new demo disc.

Dialogue is crystal clear throughout every film, never becoming an issue where the viewer would have to throw on the provided subtitles. Dynamic Range was perfect as the surrounds worked in tandem with the rest of my speakers to provide the quintessential audio experience. Since I loved the provided audio tracks so much, I’m going to outline a few demo-worthy sequences from each film.

Obviously everyone (myself included) will pick the lobby fight from the first “Matrix” film. As Neo and Trinity infiltrate the office building to rescue Morpheus, bullets zip and fly by us in such a powerful manner that I, for fear of waking the neighbors calling the police, had to lower the volume. I’ve since watched the same sequence with a higher volume rate and have come away with such a smile that this sequence is one of my new demo sequences with the next sequences slightly beating it (only because of the music).

For the second film, “The Matrix: Reloaded“, my scene of choice is the extended highway chase sequence. This scene boasts some of the best music the series has to offer via the ‘Mona Lisa Overdrive’ from Juno Reactor. The aural effects and experience during this scene is absolutely breathtaking. Bass is active and powerful while treble is kept in check via solid mid and high range that help to bring home a really convincing audio treat.

The final film, “The Matrix Revolutions“, boasts an excellent sequence toward the ending of the film with Neo and the Machines. The use of bass here is, literally, the most powerful sequence out of the three films. The booming lighting and creepy sound design creates a top-notch audio experience that anyone, regardless if you like the film will be sure to demo off for quite some time.

So there you have it folks. Warner has done everything right here with “The Matrix” on Blu-ray. The provided audio is perfect with convincing, clear dialogue, effective dynamic range, powerful bass, exceptionally well placed discrete effects (that shows that the films do deserve the acclaim they receive) and great, enjoyable music by Don Davis. I’m sure if Neo was around, he would simply exclaim ‘WOAH’ after hearing this.

Bonus Materials are presented in Standard Definition video (using the VC-1 codec) and Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo sound @192kbps.

• Written Introduction by the Wachowski Brothers: This serves as a basic appetizer of what’s to come on the disc. This also happens to be included in the booklet with the boxset for those who like to read the old-fashioned way.
• Philospher’s Commentary with Dr. Cornel West and Ken Wilber: This was a fantastic listen for fans of the inner qualities of the first film. Both West and Wilber offer a lot of quality comments that a true fan of the film will definitely appreciate.
• Critic’s Commentary with cinema journalists Todd McCarthy, John Powers and David Thomson: I looked at the Critics Commentary as something I could just listen to in the background as I was doing other things. While the comments made by the participants were great, this commentary paled in comparison to the Philosopher’s Commentary.
• Audio Commentary from effects personnel Zach Staenberg and John Gaeta and actress Carrie-Anne Moss: This one was definitely informative, but seemed rather dull at points as the two above commentaries cover pretty much any aspect of the film I really cared to know about.
• Music Commentary by composer Don Davis: Since I’ve always enjoyed the music to the film, I found this one a real treat. We continue on with a 41 different audio-only music cues taken from the film.
• Trailers, etc: Here we get various trailers and teasers for the first movie as well as eight TV Spots. A music video from Manson for the track ‘Rock is Dead’ is shown.
• Making of: Running a staggering 122 minutes, this documentary chronicles literally every aspect of the film from the original production in 1997 to the 2000 when talks of “Reloaded” began.
• Features: Also included is the fun features Take the Red Pill and Follow the White Rabbit. Both serve as extended making of features that look at different action sequences from the Lobby sequence to the final Subway fight.

• 2 Commentaries: As I mentioned above, the standard Introduction is included as well as the two Philosopher’s and Critics Commentaries. Since I enjoy Reloaded the most out of all the film, I loved both of these tracks as each brought, obviously, a different feel to the film. The Philosopher’s track, which is a plus for those who were a bit confused by the ending, approaches the ending with an interesting feel that I’m sure true fans will find interesting. The Critics track, like above, was a kind of a light-hearted affair mostly focusing on what critics disliked and liked about the film.
• Enter The Matrix: Here we find a 42 minute feature that was shot for the “Enter the Matrix” videogame. We all know how horrible the game was, so the two or three fans of the game will enjoy the various aspects that are dealt with from the production to the various effects that were used.
• Trailers, etc: Also included is the film’s Trailer, eight TV Spots and the video for P.O.D.’s ‘Sleeping Awake’.
• Car Chase: This runs 55 minutes and covers the entire highway car chase from the Merovinigian’s Garage to the ending sword slice by Morpheus.
• Teahouse Fight: This runs 7 minutes and briefly deals with the fight Neo has with Seraph before meeting the Oracle.
• Unplugged: This runs 40 minutes and covers the film’s most impressive sequence. The sequence in question is the Smith 1000 vs. Neo. I remember watching this in theaters and being amazed at how they were able to do this. Luckily for myself, we get to find out how this sequence was accomplished.
• I’ll Handle Them: This runs 17 minutes and deals with the Merovingian Chateau sequence.
• Exiles: Lastly we come to find an 18 minute montage, which deals with the various minor characters in the film
• Big Brother is Watching: The Architect’s Office: This covers the final dialogue sequence where The Architect explains The Matrix to Neo.

• 2 Commentaries: Since “Revolutions” is the weakest film in the series, I didn’t go into these commentaries with much interest. I will say that I came out with a greater appreciation for the film and I now understand what was trying to be accomplished.
• Behind the Matrix: Running a total of 24 minutes in length, we get a bit of information of the Bullet Time (4 min), the film’s CG (2 min), a few models (1 min), the ending brawl between Neo and Smith (2 min), the two Agent Smith’s (3 min), the Physicality of the film (3 min), the Matrix Online (2 min), and a brief look into the whole film in Revolutions Recalibrated (6 min).
• Trailers, etc: Here we get a few trailers and TV spots.
• Features: Here we get six more features that focus on everything from the cast and crew (25 minutes) to the big Club Hel sequence (28 minutes). While these technical features were interesting enough to watch, I couldn’t help but feel that I had seen these before courtesy of the first two films.
• Machine Attack: Running 40 minutes in length, this feature breaks down the various models used and the different camera angels and building processes that went into the sequence.
• Super Burly Brawl: This focuses (in 17 minutes) on the final fight sequence between Neo and Smith. One interesting aspect was how visual effects allowed the faces of Weaving and Reeves to appear all distorted.
• Aftermath: This deals with the post-production (in 40 minutes) dilemmas the crew faced. Subjects like music, promotion and editing are dealt with.
• New Blue World: This runs 26 minutes and basically features all the different aspects of the film that hadn’t yet been touched upon.
• The Animatrix: The series contains nine different shorts, each dealing with a various aspect of the series. The included extras are very interesting as they focused on the history of anime (in 22 minutes) via Scrolls to Screen: The History and Culture of Anime and a seven part documentary entitled Execution that deals with the making of the entire series. We also get a few commentaries from creators Mahiro Maeda on both parts of ‘The Second Renaissance’, from Yoshiaki Kawhiri on ‘Program’, and Takeshi Koike on ‘World Record’. Since I love “The Animatrix” series, I found this disc to be highly entertaining. On an excellent side note, Warner has remastered “The Animatrix” giving us FULL 1080p video!!.
• Return to the Source: Philosophy & The Matrix: Here we get to hear from a wild variety of professors and historians as they comment on the significance of the World according to Neo. Common names like Rene Descartes, Frederick Nietzsche and Plato are brought up as these gentlemen share their beliefs. Obviously this one will appeal to those who have religious backgrounds, but if you have an open mind, you’ll probably find something to ponder over here.
• The Hard Problem: The Science Behind the Fiction: This deals with the topic of the man vs. the machine throughout the whole entire trilogy. I viewed this one as a basic documentary instead of a real in-depth look into the topic.
• The Burly Man Chronicles: This runs a staggering 95 minutes and covers every little aspect of the four-year shoot of the two sequels. Production, casting, conceiving and commercial expectations are dealt with here. We also get three bonus segments that can be accessed via the ‘White Rabbit’ icon that appears on the screen. The three bonuses are; Pre-Production (31 min), Alameda Shoot (16 min) and Australia Shoot (34 min).
• The Zion Archive: This is a huge still gallery of nearly over 1000 (yes you read right 1000) still images. While this may seem worthwhile in print, going through all of these images with the difficult menu system (owners of the Collection on DVD can testify) make this quite frustrating to get through.
• Rave Reel: This is a 9 minute montage of clips from the entire trilogy (look at it as a basic youtube fan video).
• The Matrix Online Preview: This is a 10 minute preview of the online version of “Enter the Matrix”
• Trailers, etc: Lastly we get all the trailers, tv spots, videos and the like that were shown earlier all in one convenient area.

“In-Movie-Experience” clip :

• In-Movie-Experience: The only other extras found on each film is Warner‘s Picture-In-Picture feature IME. The basic way to look at these is for yourself take a look at all the features on the discs. Don’t feel like getting through them all and want a basic Cliff-Notes version? Watch the video-IME commentary that runs via a small box during the film. Not sure if this is a burnt-in PIP track or is taking advantage of “Bonus View” (which would require you to be on a “Profile 1.1” capable Blu-ray Player) but we’ll update this soon.

Blu-ray Disc packaging:

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