Customer Reviews

The Matrix Collection: 4 Film Favorites

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

There's really no reason to go into describing The Matrix Trilogy. Unless you lived under a rock for the past ten years, The Matrix is one of the most original and influential Science Fiction films of recent memory. Starring Keanu Reeves and directed by The Wachowski Brothers (who recently gave us the live-action Speed Racer film), this tale of computers taking over the reality of the human race and a small group of survivors in constant battle to win back their independence, successfully blasted it's way through theatres between the years of 1999 thru 2003. Complete with two theatrical sequels and one direct-to-video animated film called "The Animatrix", it was THE complete tale to own on DVD. Each film was released separately on the format as two-disc sets complete with somewhat bloated extras (The first and animated releases keep the extras on the film disc). But back in 2004, Warner Bros. released the "Ultimate Matrix Collection", a whopping ten disc collection featuring a brand new transfer of the first film and even more behind-the-scenes footage. But at a steep price of $52.00, for someone that really just wanted the movies, it wasn't all that practical. Now Warner Bros has introduced The Matrix to it's "4 Film Favorites" line, and the result is a great buy for the fan that just wants the films but at a more reasonable price.

Let me explain what you exactly get here. Housed in one original sized keepcase with a leaf in the middle to separate the two discs inside, each disc is a DVD-18, otherwise known as "dual-sided/dual-layed". Imagine if you took say The Matrix DVD and glued/attached it's label side to the label side of the first movie disc of The Matrix Reloaded. Then did the same thing to Disc One of Matrix Revolutions and the single disc of The Animatrix. That's pretty much what this set is. Each side is an EXACT, down to the bitrate quality, copy of the original release as it was when first released. Same menus, video/audio, Disc One extras, and all. Nothing has been changed except there's no picture label side now. Sure, the Disc Two's of Reloaded/Revolutions are absent now, but for under $12, and if you only want the movies that still are presented in their original Anamorphic Widescreen video, this for the tight-walleted film fans out there that never bothered to buy these films in the first place is truly the best way to go.

If the set has any cons, the first film is from 1999 DVD master, and while it's okay, it's still nowhere near the quality of the 2004 remaster that for Standard Definition discs is still exclusive to the Ultimate boxset. The transfers on the other three films here DO match in quality since they all were shot digitally to begin with, so one out of three isn't all that bad. Also, in order to give two full dual-layered presentations on just one disc, they HAVE to be dual-sided, otherwise known as "flippers". With flippers, each side is untouchable so to not get unwanted scratches on either side, you have to be more careful with them than a single-sided disc with it's label side that can be handled much easier.

In conclusion, if you never bothered in buying either the individual releases or the high-priced boxset, this 4 Film Favorites set for the cost and space-saving is an excellent deal. Other than losing a bonus disc of features that you probably would watch just once anyway, you get the whole Matrix for the cost of just one tiny little red pill.
(RedSabbath Rating:8.5/10)

There's no reason to spend more money on the Matrix Box Set unless you want all of the additional footage from behind the scenes ETC. This has ONLY the movies and that was good enough for me. In my opinion though, only the first Matrix is worth watching more than once. The 2nd and 3rd one are flashy with effects but the stories suck. There were no problems with the discs. Buy this if you just want the movies!

I don't notice the transfer things. The movies play as they should , and they look awesome, and they're not scratchy. I don't get what the others are complaining about.

The Matrix- 5/5, best out of the series. Most compelling plot of the 3 (or 4, if you include Animatrix), and is the most interesting.

The Matrix Reloaded- 3/5- The movie had more action than it did substance, and depth stoy-wise. It looked nice, but the movie itself was a little short on story. It's worth watching if you want eye candy. Some things are really unexplained and weird though. About 30 minutes in there's an underground rave in the real world, and it doesn't make sense how they got the instruments, clothes, and technology. The clothes was the weirdest part. They were all modern, and perfect, unshredded. You'd think after thousands of years underground, they'd lose the time to make decent clothing when they're in the middle of a war.

The Matrix Revolutions- 4/5 A pretty good ending to a great story. Makes up for #2, but still not as good as #1

The Animatrix- Not Rating- Some of it was interesting, some of it was dull. The animation is nice I guess. It's nothing amazing like Triplets of Belleville.

Overall this is a great set, because it is cheap, and you get the movies in good standard definition.

The idea is very good--having all four films on two double sided CDs--except that the quality control is very lacking. I got a set of two identical CDs with Matrix 3 and Animatrix. I've emailed the vendor, who wrote back saying they would contact the manufacturer. That was four weeks ago, so I'm beginning to lose hope that this will be resolved.

Well, it is more deceiving than rip-off (can't beat the price even for two movies) but it is also very disappointing to see that one of the discs contains identical movies of the other.
While both are labeled properly (inner circle had the right inscription) the movies are identical so this must be a manufacturing problem - the "first" disc had Matrix 1 on the first side and Matrix 2 on the other side while the second disc was identical to the first even though it was labeled correctly.

I would suggest to stay away from this because you'll never know what you will end up with. Other comments say they got Animatrix and Matrix 3 twice.

Also, there are only two discs so the data is recorded on both sides. This is a big minus for optical media. It stores more data on a physical disc but at a cost of fingerprints and scratches.
I bought this brand new from Walmart and it already had tiny scratches.
I'm going to return this and get a refund!

This omnibus puts all four Matrix movies on two double-sided discs in one snap case, for only the cost of a single DVD at most discount stores. That's at least a couple of evenings' viewing, and is probably good if you and your friends want to have a chat-and-chew film circle. Though the movies could charitably be called hit-or-miss in their consistency and quality, this collection at least makes them all available at low cost.

But this collection is cheaply done, with no special features, and the laminate surface only loosely glued down. Unless you handle the discs with latex gloves and keep them in their case like precious jewels, they will have a short shelf life. Perhaps that's not a problem if you only want to watch the films a time or two, but if you want to add them to your permanent collection, that can be a pretty serious drawback.

These DVDs are best suited for a collection meant for kids' parties, dorm rooms, and private film club viewings. They're not durable enough for your archive, and not broad enough for film buffs who like commentaries and featurettes. If you want to space out in front of a hip sci-fi movie, get this DVD. If you hope to reclaim the grandeur you felt when you first saw The Matrix, get a proper DVD.

RedSabbath (Eric) put it best, read his review...

If you are just looking for the movies, this is for you. It is literally a copy of the movie discs for each respective movie pressed on one side of the dvd. If you are expecting lots of extras buy the more expensive collector's edition or shell out the money for the blu-ray series. I did not have any duplicates as some have complained, and there was not a single scratch on mine. If you really only want the movies this is a great economical choice.

The Matrix franchise is, in retrospect, a fascinating exercise in flawed sci-fi film-making. In 1999, when The Matrix was released, it had the simultaneous advantage and disadvantage of going up against the highly anticipated Star Wars: Episode One. It had the disadvantage in competing with an established sci-fi franchise, but it also had an advantage in riding the wake of backlash against Star Wars, when Episode 1 turned out to be the worst of all 6 Star Wars movies. It wasn't long before disgruntled fanboys would turn from Star Wars, and hail the Matrix as the new savior of sci-fi. It was understandable, having left the theater myself after The Phantom Menace ended, with the distinct thought, "what the hell was that?" Yet, in retrospect, the Matrix franchise can't really be viewed as competing with Star Wars, Star Trek, or the yet-to-be released Lord of the Rings Trilogy, despite the pundits' need to set up some sort of "creative struggle" between the franchises. Unfortunately, a few of the people involved with the Matrix didn't see it that way, especially visual effects chief John Gaeta, who would take multiple opportunities over the years to comment on The Matrix's supposed superiority to its erstwhile competition. Without giving too many points away, The Matrix franchise is better compared to more standard action movies, mixed with an anime sensibility, as opposed to franchises that establish distinct and memorable universes.

At its best, the Matrix franchise offers stylish action, with a slightly intellectual bent, and scenes such as the Morpheus rescue mission, the Burly Brawl, the freeway chase, the chateau fight, and the final battle between Agent Smith and Neo all illustrate how entertaining the action can be. At their worst, the films are loaded down with bad acting, poor dialogue, pretentious "edgy attitude for its own sake", and characters that just aren't that likeable. It's the last problem that, in my opinion, is the biggest offender. Star Wars (well, with a few exceptions), Star Trek and Lord of the Rings have all featured protagonists you can feel for, and get behind. On the other hand, even the original Matrix, which is considered the best and most consistent film of the franchise, loses sight of this important quality by the last third of the movie, when Neo seems to toss aside his humanity, in favor of being an unemotional killing machine. As the franchise progressed, Hugo Weaving's Agent Smith, the principal bad guy, became more likeable than the erstwhile "heroes". Other frustrations include a promising twist at the end of "Reloaded" never really being followed up on, the obvious cribbing of aesthetics from both the Aliens franchise and the Terminator movies, and moments where the Wachowski Brothers feel the need to club the viewer over the head with exposition (e.g. the captain of one ship feeling the need to reiterate how well Niobe can "drive" a ship at least twice.....even though we can see for ourselves at that same time).

That being said, the sum total of the movie's strong points makes it at least worth buying at this price point. While this is a rather bare-bones collection in terms of extras, hearing John Gaeta go on about how awesome his work is isn't something I'll really miss. The "true" bonus here is the inclusion of the Animatrix, a collection of animated shorts in several different styles that explore various "side stories" in the world of the Matrix, including the Second Renaissance, a two-part, anime-style exploration of the rise of the machine AI during the height of mankind's decadence. Overall, it's more consistent than its live-counterparts, if a bit more grim (but this is, after all, a rather bleak franchise in tone). Like most of WB's other "4 Film Favorites" movies, this comes on 2 double-sided DVDs, with one movie per side. For the price, this collection is worth picking up if you aren't a big fan of the Matrix, but find parts of it entertaining nonetheless, or are a complete newcomer; just don't go in expecting anything close to flawless, and you won't be too disappointed.

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### ABOUT THE 4 FILM FAVORITES SERIES ###

Warner Brothers/New Line's "4 Film Favorites" is a line of two-disc sets consisting of four films that are part of a series/franchise or center around a common theme. Each disc is dual-sided, with the contents of each side being a bit-for-bit copy (a "disc image") of a previous DVD release. Usually the very first DVD release of a film is used as the master for each side, which could be either single-layer or dual-layer. If the DVD master that is used first came out at the infancy of DVD production (the late 1990s), there may be little to no extras, and even a poor film transfer when compared to a later re-release. Also, if that original release was a two-disc set, or a dual-sided disc (see: Lethal Weapon 4), only Disc 1 or Side A will be used. The "4 Film Favorites" line is priced with the budget-conscience consumer in mind, with Target having the lowest price at 9.99 each (occasionally on sale for 8.99). Other stores will inevitably be priced higher, though I don't recommend paying more than ten dollars for each two-disc set.

### ABOUT THE MATRIX COLLECTION ###

THE MATRIX
* Year: 1999
* Runtime: 2:16:13
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: August 2, 1999
* Region: 1
* Layers: 2
* Audio Languages: English
* Subtitle Languages: English
* Extras: Commentary by Carrie-Anne Moss and visual effects supervisor John Gaeta and editor Zach Staenberg, Music-Only Track with Commentary by composer Don Davis, "Making The Matrix" Featurette, Cast & Crew Bios & Filmographies (Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Joe Pantoliano, Joel Silver, The Wachowski Brothers), "Follow the White Rabbit" Feature (giving access to 9 behind the scenes featurettes at various points in the movie), DVD-ROM Content.
* Easter Eggs: (1) The Red Pill on the bottom of the Special Features screen leads you to the "What Is Bullet Time?" featurette. (2) In the Wachowski Brothers section of Cast And Crew, there is another Red Pill, taking you to the "What Is The Concept?" featurette.

THE MATRIX RELOADED
* Year: 2003
* Runtime: 2:18:09
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: July 14, 2003
* Region: 1
* Layers: 2
* Audio Languages: English, French
* Subtitle Languages: English, Spanish, French
* Extras: None
* Notes: This is actually Disc 1 from what was originally a two-disc set.

THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS
* Year: 2003
* Runtime: 2:09:06
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: February 2, 2004
* Region: 1
* Layers: 2
* Audio Languages: English, French
* Subtitle Languages: English, Spanish, French
* Extras: Theatrical Trailer, "The Matrix" Teaser Trailer, "The Matrix Reloaded" Teaser Trailer, "The Animatrix" Teaser Trailer, DVD-ROM Content.
* Notes: This is actually Disc 1 from what was originally a two-disc set.

THE ANIMATRIX
* Year: 2003
* Runtime: 1:41:00
* Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen
* DVD Production Date: May 1, 2003
* Region: 1, 2, 3, 4
* Layers: 2
* Audio Languages: English, Japanese
* Subtitle Languages: English, Spanish, French
* Extras: Commentary by director Yoshiaki Kawajiri on "Program" (in Japanese, with English subtitles), Commentary by director Mahiro Maeda on "The Second Renaissance Part 1" (in Japanese, with English subtitles), Commentary by director Mahiro Maeda on "The Second Renaissance Part 2" (in Japanese, with English subtitles), Commentary by director Takeshi Kokie on "World Record" (in Japanese, with English subtitles), "Making Final Flight Of The Osiris" Featurette, "Making The Second Renaissance Parts 1 And 2" Featurette, "Making Kid's Story And Detective Story" Featurette, "Making Program" Featurette, "Making World Record" Featurette, "Making Beyond" Featurette, "Making Matriculated" Featurette, "Scrolls To Screen: The History And Culture Of Anime" Featurette, "Enter The Matrix: In The Making" Video Game Featurette, Directors & Segment Producers Biographies (Peter Chung, Andy Jones, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Takeshi Koike, Mahiro Maeda, Koji Morimoto, Shinichiro Watanabe, Michael Arias, Hiroaki Takeuchi, Eiko Tanaka).

I got the discs shipped pretty fast but the inner flap was broken. It is basically what I ordered and no big deal, I can watch the movies fine. I wish it was 100% though, it's gonna be annoying when handling disc 1