The Ultimate Matrix Collection - Blu-ray Review

“There is no spoon.”

The Matrix trilogy finally gets downloaded to Blu-ray. The Matrix films had originally only been available in high definition on the deceased HD DVD format. Our machine masters did away with HD DVD and now they’ve finally put the films out on the winning format. Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) works as a computer programmer by day but by night he’s a hacker with the screen name of Neo. He’s approached by a legendary hacker named Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) who invites him to meet an even more shadowy hacked called Morpheus (Laurence Fishburn).

When Neo meets him he offers him two pills, one red and one blue. If he chooses the blue pill then he’ll return to his hum drum existence but if he chooses the red one he’ll find out all the answers to his questions. I’m pretty sure that if he chose the blue pill that “the end” would’ve flashed on the screen. As it is when he takes the red pill he finds out that his reality isn’t very real after all. Machines took over the world and mankind in an effort to take down the solar powered devices destroyed the atmosphere. The machines were smarter than we and knowing that humanity gives off electrical impulses they’ve enslaved the human race in an effort to survive. They’ve also created a virtual world called the Matrix to keep their batteries docile and this is the truth that Neo learns by taking the red pill. Neo now joins Morpheus and Trinity in trying to bring humanity out of its slavery but are having to face the diabolical Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving), an agent program who has to keep the humans in line within the Matrix. The Matrix went on to make oodles of money so it was a no brainer when Warner produced the Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions. The problem was that the first film worked so well and the next two definitely had their flaws. I could be wrong but I got the impression that the first film could be viewed as a one off and that the sequels were probably manufactured for Warner Brothers. They do have some great moments (a fantastic car chase) but there’s plenty of cheese (the rave watched over by Anthony Zerbe, giving it a “Omega Man” feel) to go round. Now you can digest all three, plus the intriguing Animatrix, in the comfort of your living room on your Blu-ray player. Make sure you get into your comfy chair because there’s a lot of stuff here to go over. The films and Animatrix are presented in 1080p high definition transfers (2.40:1) and all of them look fantastic. The two sequels tend to look better, but the Wachowski Brothers could probably afford better technology since the first film made them a ton of cash. Special features are legion, but also in standard definition.

All of the films feature dueling commentaries with two philosophers (Dr. Cornell West and author Ken Wilber) and critics (Todd McCarthy from Variety, author David Thompson, and John Powers from Vogue) as well as written introductions by the Wachowski Brothers. The Matrix adds cast commentary from Carrie-Anne Moss, Zach Staenberg, and John Gaeta as well as a commentary from composer Don Davis on the music only track. Each of the films also gets an “In-Depth Movie Experience” which puts up interviews, etc. during the film. The Animatrix also gets director’s commentaries on Second Renaissance Parts 1 and 2 (Mahiro Maeda), Program (Yoshiaki Kawajiri), and World Record (Takeshi Koike). The Matrix also features a digital download version for your PC, portable device, or direct entry into your brain (if you’ve got the equipment) on a second disc. However, the other films don’t get the same portable treatment. The Matrix offers a plethora of “Behind the Story” documentaries, the Matrix revisited (2 hours 3 minutes), Behind the Matrix (42 minutes), Follow the White Rabbit (23 minutes), and Take the Red Pill (17 minutes). The “Audio” section contains all the music cues from the film as well as a 3 minute music video, “Rock is dead” by Marilyn Manson. The “Trailers” section has the 1 minute teaser, 2 minute theatrical trailer, and 3 minutes of TV spots. The Matrix Reloaded also gets a “Behind the Story” section, Behind the Matrix (46 minutes), Car Chase (86 minutes), Teahouse Fight (7 minutes), Unplugged (40 minutes), I’ll Handle Them (17 minutes), and The Exiles (17 minutes). The “Additional Footage” section has Enter the Matrix: the game (28 minutes) and Enter the Matrix (42 minutes). The “Audio” section has the 3 minute music video “Sleeping Awake” by P.O.D. “Trailers” has the 1 minute teaser, 2 minute theatrical trailer, and 4 minutes of TV spots. Matrix Revolutions’ “Behind the Story” section gets Behind the Matrix (90 minutes), Crew (25 minutes), Hel (27 minutes), Super Burley Brawl (16 minutes), New Blue World (26 minutes), Siege (40 minutes) and Aftermath (39 minutes). The “Trailers” section has the 2 minute theatrical trailer and 3 minutes of TV spots.

The Animatrix adds 55 minutes of “making of” about each segment, the 22 minute “Scrolls to Screen” about anime, and text bios of the directors and producers. As they say in the carny biz, “but wait folks there’s more!” The two disc “Databank” adds the documentaries the Burly Man Chronicles (94 minutes), Return to the Source: Philosophy of the Matrix (61 minutes), the Hard Problem: the science behind the Matrix (61 minutes) on a dual sided disc one. Disc two has the massive Zion Archives gallery, Media of the Matrix (a repeat of all the trailers), the 9 minute Rave Reel (production art set to techno music), and the 9 minute Matrix Online game preview. Whew, it’s a massive set. I only wish some of the special features were in high definition but since there’s so much of it I’ll not complain too loudly. All of the films do have something to offer, but I’ll always prefer the first one and some missteps will always tarnish the other two just slightly. The Animatrix, which is new to high def as it wasn’t on the HD DVD version, is an interesting exploration of the world of the Matrix. The set is just amazing and there are plenty of special features to fill your weekend with (I know mine was full). Highly recommended, at least before the machines take over.