The Matrix
by Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski
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DVD details
Actor: Carrie-Anne Moss, Gloria Foster, Hugo Weaving, Keanu Reeves, Laurence FishburneDirector: Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski
Brand: Warner Brothers
Producer: Andy Wachowski
Writer: Andy Wachowski
Writer: Larry Wachowski
Producer: Andrew Mason
Producer: Barrie M. Osborne
Producer: Bruce Berman
DVD: 2 Layers, Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled)
Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Special Edition, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 2.35:1
Running Time: 136 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-09-21
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Warner Home Video
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DVD Reviews of The Matrix
DVD Review: Great Blu-Ray, Great Movie!
Summary: 5 Stars
I won't go into detail in regards to the movie plot, as we all know just what the Matrix is all about. I will say this, though, The Matrix is an instant classic, which will be looked upon for many years to come. It brought not only a sense of "cool" and "style" to the action genre, but it bended the very though of cinema with "bullet time." Great movie.
Now, unto the Blu-Ray.
The video is wonderful. Though you will mainly be seeing many shades of green and earthy colors on your display, the BD still strikes as demo-worthy. Color representation is great, with those greens looking very vivid, the blacks are just wonderful, very bold and inky. Detail is also top-notch, making sure you get ingest every single pixel in the Matrix. Great transfer, WB.
The audio is another great TrueHD track by WB. Bass is wonderfully strong, dynamics are strong throughout, and the clarity of the dialogue is on target. Pans are seamless, and even though the mix is 10 years old, it will still impress. Jump to the chapter where Morpheus is being held by the agents, and you will hear some great HD sound.
Overall, a package that is worth the money, specially if one disliked the other two dissapointing sequels. Take the red pill, and see the Matrix in HD.
5 out of 5.
DVD Review: Great movie. Too bad they couldn't sustain it...
Summary: 4 Stars
This was a great movie. Yeah, it has plot holes, but as you can see from the legions of fans, almost nobody noticed them. (In case you're one of those and your head just blew up: we blocked out the sun and the robots never thought of the vast energy resources of nuclear power? Instead, they used humans for power, even though it was obviously inconvenient to them, and even though the heat we give off as waste consumes more energy than it provides... obviously. We're energy CONSUMING creatures). The action is top notch and very innovative. The special effects was one of the most copied in decades. Too bad the W-brothers didn't have anything left. The sequels were pretty embarrassing, each worse than the last. I've seen several people comparing Star Wars unfavorably to the Matrix. Really, though, if you think about the Matrix, it ought to give you MORE respect for Lucas. It's not easy to sustain a storyline. The W-brothers couldn't do it past #1. Lucas has done six plus cartoons. He no longer adheres to the "immaculate reality" so stringently as he did in the beginning, but they're still good films (none of the six being worse than M3 Revolutions). It does bother me that so few people credit William Gibson with having been the father of the genre. If you'd ever read his cyberpunk works, you'd understand that Matrix isn't quite as innovative as you think (but then, he wasn't able to translate his edgy writing style into film, so oh well). As anyone who has seen Matrix knows, though, these are minor criticisms. Matrix was a great film. Watch it.DVD Review: This is what Hi-Def systems were made for...
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
DVD Review: Open your eyes
Summary: 4 Stars
After the death of good science fiction movies in 1994, the genre made a strong comeback with the release of the highly publicized "The Matrix". Since then, the film has become a common cultural reference, and copied in the stylization and use of slow motion.
It was only recently, on a boring friday, alone in my room with my Xbox, that I finally decided to view "The Matrix". I rented it off of Xbox Live, and immediately became sucked in by action sequences I recognized from more recent films, films which no doubt had used the Matrix as a large source of inspiration.
The films main strength lies in it's visual appeal. consistently switching between the gritty harshness of the real, machine-ruled world, and the slick, sterilized feel inside the Matrix and other computer programs. The film impliments visual styles never before seen in any film, and created a world, streching the limits of the human imagination.
The films second strength, is in it's mind-bending philosophies. What is the true state of existance? Is what you know reality, or simply a veil to a bigger picture. Questions such as these that go wild within the human mind but are never able to be truly communicated with others. The film draws heavily on Christian and Bhuddist philosophies and concepts.
Very few times has such a mix of both action and philosophy been but together in film form. Thus creating such an automatic appeal to the viewers.
But as with most films, "The Matrix" does come with its own flaws. As with many science fiction and action films. These biggest flaws lie in the ending. As with films such as "Terminator 2" or "Iron Man" the film succumbs to typical "Spiderman-ish" cornyness toward its ending, that does not seem fitting with the mature vision the rest of the film contained.
Although sequels offer logical reasoning for the over-played sequences toward the end, it still feels as if to little explaination is left to be fully satisfying.
One thing that has to be fully understood with the Matrix, is that it is almost completely dependant on its sequels to be complete. Not all is resolved in the end (in fact, not even the main conflict is resolved). It is truly a three-part saga, and is what it should really be viewed as.
Science fiction lovers will (and have) found this film to put a fresh perspective on the genre and will love this movie for years to come. Non-geek people will probably enjoy most of it, particularly the concepts which are introduced in the movie.
8/10 stars
DVD Review: Blu-Ray Version of matrix :-)
Summary: 5 Stars
Just purchased this blu-Ray today and I am happy with it. 1080p Picture, DDTrueHD (I only have a 5.1 system) sound a bonus Digital Copy of the Matrix for you home PC. only paid 24.99 at Fry's Electronics for it. Good deal.
This is the fourth film I've purchase this year (one each month) and I am slowly growing my collection, this is definitely a movie that should be in most peoples movie collections.
I'm using my PC to play these blu-rays and they look and sound great :-)
Description of The Matrix
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. Staenberg
Featurette:"Bullet Time" Featurette (6:01) "What is the Concept" Featurette (10:50)
Music Clips:2.0 Music only with commentary
Other:HBO 1st Look Special: Making the Matrix (25:48) "White Rabbit" Clips (22:22) [4x3]
By following up their debut thriller Bound with the 1999 box-office smash The Matrix, the codirecting Wachowski brothers--Andy and Larry--annihilated any suggestion of a sophomore jinx, crafting one of the most exhilarating sci-fi/action movies of the 1990s. Set in the not too distant future in an insipid, characterless city, we find a young man named Neo (Keanu Reeves). A software techie by day and a computer hacker by night, he sits alone at home by his monitor, waiting for a sign, a signal--from what or whom he doesn't know--until one night, a mysterious woman named Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) seeks him out and introduces him to that faceless character he has been waiting for: Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne). A messiah of sorts, Morpheus presents Neo with the truth about his world by shedding light on the dark secrets that have troubled him for so long: "You've felt it your entire life, that there's something wrong with the world. You don't know what it is, but it's there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad." Ultimately, Morpheus illustrates to Neo what the Matrix is--a reality beyond reality that controls all of their lives, in a way that Neo can barely comprehend.
Neo thus embarks on an adventure that is both terrifying and enthralling. Pitted against an enemy that transcends human concepts of evil, Morpheus and his team must train Neo to believe that he is the chosen champion of their fight. With mind-boggling, technically innovative special effects and a thought-provoking script that owes a debt of inspiration to the legacy of cyberpunk fiction, this is much more than an out-and-out action yarn; it's a thinking man's journey into the realm of futuristic fantasy, a dreamscape full of eye candy that will satisfy sci-fi, kung fu, action, and adventure fans alike. Although the film is headlined by Reeves and Fishburne--who both turn in fine performances--much of the fun and excitement should be attributed to Moss, who flawlessly mixes vulnerability with immense strength, making other contemporary female heroines look timid by comparison. And if we were going to cast a vote for most dastardly movie villain of 1999, it would have to go to Hugo Weaving, who plays the feckless, semipsychotic Agent Smith with panache and edginess. As the film's box-office profits soared, the Wachowski brothers announced that The Matrix is merely the first chapter in a cinematically dazzling franchise--a chapter that is arguably superior to the other sci-fi smash of 1999 (you know... the one starring Jar Jar Binks). --Jeremy Storey
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