Director:
Josh Oreck
Feature
lengths: 122 minutes/177 minutes/45 minutes
Extras:
“Return To The Source: Philosophy & The Matrix” Documentary, “The Hard
Problem: The Science Behind The Fiction” Documentary, Follow The White Rabbit
Featurettes, Production Assets, Trailers, TV Spots, Music Videos, Rave Reel, The
Matrix Online Featurette
Languages:
English Stereo Sound
Subtitles:
French Language Subtitles
Packaging:
Three-Disc Digipack Gatefold Within A Deluxe Cardboard Slipcase
Sound:
Stereo Sound
Year
of DVD Release: 2004
Home
Video Distributor: Warner Home Video
MPAA
Rating: Not Rated
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
“Everything
That Has A Beginning Has An End.”
It
has taken me two weeks to get through the entire ten-disc set, but I have now
seen the most comprehensive science fiction DVD box set of the year that is
every bit as interesting as Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment’s
“Alien Quadrilogy” DVD box set and this even beats it that nine-disc
collection by one disc. Though released by two different studios, I feel
“Alien Quadrilogy” set the bar last year for this sort of thing and now I
feel that this year Warner Home Video has stepped up to the plate and raised the
bar again by creating what has to be the most-own DVD collection of 2004
especially for fans of The Matrix Trilogy. From the dual commentaries for
all three films, the stunning new transfer for the original film “The
Matrix,” and the tons of extra value materials, this is a DVD set delivers
just about everything consumers have been asking for related to the films since
the first movie debuted on DVD-Video and set records as well as arguable become
the title that help make DVD the preferred home video format it now is worldwide
at the time of this writing.
It
is important to note however that not all of the extra value features found on
the original separate DVD releases of each film have been carried over. So much
like the case with mega franchise genre film DVD titles like The Lord Of The
Rings Trilogy and Fox’s “Alien” films, if you are a collector and
absolutely want everything commercially available to NTSC Region One North
American users on DVD related to The Matrix Trilogy, you are going to
have to hold on to those original DVD releases of the three films in addition to
purchasing “The Ultimate Matrix Collection” DVD box set, which is now
available at retailers on and offline courtesy of Warner Home Video.
“The
First Aliens We Meet Will Be The Ones We Make.”
Within the deluxe cardboard slipcase is a three-disc Digipack gatefold entitled “The Matrix Experience.” In form and function the materials on these discs complement the materials found on the first seven discs and even add a little icing to the cake by presenting the trailers, TV spots, concept art, and more that up until now had not been previously released on DVD-Video. “The Roots Of The Matrix” contains two excellent documentaries that in some ways converge upon the films in a way that the Philosopher’s and Critic’s audio commentaries for all three films in the box set offer different perspectives that help to enlighten the viewer’s own perceptions of the films and hopefully find their own meaning therein.
“Return
To The Source: Philosophy & The Matrix” (61:01) features filmed interviews
with various scholars, philosophers and theorists that deconstruct the trilogy
as well as “The Animatrix” and in an entertaining way give the viewer a
brief overview or educational understanding on the schools of thought interwoven
throughout the series. “The Hard Problem” The Science Behind The Fiction”
(61:01) brings together various computer scientists, anthropologists, science
fiction writers and so on to discuss the possibilities of a true matrix and how
these schools of scientific thought can be found in The Matrix Trilogy as
well. One might take for granted much of what they see onscreen when they watch
these films, but it is amazing how much scientific thought went into the
creation of the series because it is definitely easier to get caught up in the
philosophical questions the trilogy poses, which ironically begin to blur more
and more into the science as one watches the second documentary.
The
evolution of humanity and the interdependence that humanity shares with machines
is made so clear that it is easy to forget the plausibility and implausibility
expounded upon by the various speakers with regard to the films because so much
compelling food for thought is offered that as a film critic I found myself
marveling at the Wachowski Brothers’ mammoth achievement and realizing now
more than ever that for a new generation, The Matrix Trilogy is what the
original Star Wars Trilogy was for me when I was growing up. An epic
fantasy that set the standards for all that followed it and an archetypal human
story that I wonder for the young teenagers who are watching these movies at
home, if they can in some ways empathize with Neo’s journey the way I still
feel today the great sense of emotion in “Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope”
when we see young Luke Skywalker watching the twin suns set on Tatooine and we
get this simple, but truly dramatic moment of Luke’s yearning to see the stars
and the personal hurdles and challenges that he must face. Haven’t we all at
various points of our lives looked upon a character in a movie and feel empathy
because the emotion being expressed was truly universal in nature? The best part
of that scene I just mentioned above is that it is simply minimal action and
music that conveys everything that needs to be said without dialogue. A true
cinematic moment that I wonder for some 15 year old kicking back on the family
couch watching The Matrix Trilogy exists for him or her.
Both
documentaries are presented in a (1.78:1) anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio
with English Stereo Sound and French Language Subtitles encoded as options.
“The Burly Man Chronicles” (94:33) covers everything related to the
behind-the-scenes action that was not necessarily touched upon in the three
respective “Revisited” documentary discs complete with the “Follow The
White Rabbit” feature that enables the option of branching off to see
additional featurettes while watching the main title or one can view these
featurettes individually or in collections covering “Pre-Production”
(32:23), “Alameda Shoot” (15:30), and “Australia Shoot” (33:49). These
extra value features are all presented in a full screen (1.33:1) aspect ratio.
English Stereo Sound and optional French Language Subtitles are provided here as
well and the same holds true for the tenth and final disc in the set, “The
Zion Archive.”
In
addition to the detailed concept artwork, storyboards, drawing, and model
images, both the theatrical teaser (1:01) and trailer (2:33) and eight TV spots
(3:53) are presented for “The Matrix.” The theatrical teaser (1:20) and
trailer (2:27) is presented for “The Matrix Reloaded” as well as eight TV
spots (4:40) and the trailer (2:24) for “The Matrix Revolutions” along with
six TV spots (2:48) are presented in a mix for four by three letterboxed and
anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio presentations. Music videos for Marylyn
Manson’s “Rock Is Dead” (3:20) and P.O.D.’s “Sleeping Awake” (3:44)
are also included along with a rave reel (9:34) and a featurette on “The
Matrix Online,” which continues the story where the movies left off and
explores at least in part the theme of peace and the things people do to wreck
it.
The
main interactive menus on all three discs are easy to navigate and well
rendered. This is without a doubt one of the best DVD releases of 2004 and a
must purchase holiday gift for sci-fi fans everywhere. “The Ultimate Matrix
Collection” DVD box set is available now at retailers on and offline courtesy
of Warner Home Video.
©
Copyright 2004 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
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