Product Details

• Actors: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Gloria Foster
• Directors: Andrew R. Jones, Andy Wachowski, Josh Oreck, Kôji Morimoto, Lana Wachowski
• Format: Widescreen, Closed-captioned, NTSC
• Language: English, Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 10
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: December 7, 2004
• Run Time: 618 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (774 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0002Y69NG
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,007 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "The Ultimate Matrix Collection (The Matrix / The Matrix Reloaded / The Matrix Revolutions / The Animatrix)" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The Matrix
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

The Matrix Reloaded
Considering the lofty expectations that preceded it, The Matrix Reloaded triumphs where most sequels fail. It would be impossible to match the fresh audacity that made The Matrix a global phenomenon in 1999, but in continuing the exploits of rebellious Neo (Keanu Reeves), Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) as they struggle to save the human sanctuary of Zion from invading machines, the codirecting Wachowski brothers have their priorities well in order. They offer the obligatory bigger and better highlights (including the impressive "Burly Brawl" and freeway chase sequences) while remaining focused on cleverly plotting the middle of a brain-teasing trilogy that ends with The Matrix Revolutions. The metaphysical underpinnings can be dismissed or scrutinized, and choosing the latter course (this is, after all, an epic about choice and free will) leads to astonishing repercussions that made Reloaded an explosive hit with critics and hardcore fans alike. As the centerpiece of a multimedia franchise, this dynamic sequel ends with a cliffhanger that virtually guarantees a mind-blowing conclusion. --Jeff Shannon

The Matrix Revolutions
Despite the inevitable law of diminishing returns, The Matrix Revolutions is quite satisfying as an adrenalized action epic, marking yet another milestone in the exponential evolution of computer-generated special effects. That may not be enough to satisfy hardcore Matrix fans who turned the Wachowski Brothers' hacker mythology into a quasi-religious pop-cultural phenomenon, but there's no denying that the trilogy goes out with a cosmic bang instead of the whimper that many expected. Picking up precisely where The Matrix Reloaded left off, this 130-minute finale finds Neo (Keanu Reeves) at a virtual junction, defending the besieged human enclave of Zion by confronting the attacking machines on their home turf, while humans combat swarms of tentacled mechanical sentinels as Zion's fate lies in the balance. It all amounts to a blaze of CGI glory, devoid of all but the shallowest emotions, and so full of metaphysical hokum that the trilogy's detractors can gloat with I-told-you-so sarcasm. And yet, Revolutions still succeeds as a slick, exciting hybrid of cinema and video game, operating by its own internal logic with enough forward momentum to make the whole trilogy seem like a thrilling, magnificent dream. -- Jeff Shannon

Product Description

The definitive ten-disc DVD set, The Ultimate Matrix Collection features all three films in the trilogy together for the first time ever with a newly remastered picture and sound for The Matrix. Also included is the companion piece The Matrix Revisited and the best-selling The Animatrix, plus five entirely new DVDs packed solid with brand-new supplemental materials that encompass every aspect of the Matrix universe, including two new audio commentaries on each film, Enter the Matrix video game footage, 106 deep-delving featurettes/ documentaries and much more!

DVD Features:
Additional Scenes:Filmed for Enter the Matrix video game
Audio Commentary:The Philosophers: Dr. Cornel West and Ken Wilber; The Critics: Todd McCarthy, John Powers and David Thomson
DVD ROM Features
Documentary
Easter Eggs
Featurette
Introduction:by the Wachowski Brothers
Music Video
Photo gallery
Storyboards
TV Spot
Theatrical Trailer

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

613 of 644 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Collection For The Hardcore Fans November 24, 2004

By Efrain Rivera Jr.

Format:DVD

During the following I will intend to describe as best and briefly as possible this collection. I also will mention some differences between this collection and the original releases. Enjoy.

The difference between the limited and the unlimited editions are: The Limited Edition comes in a plastic box with trays, a Neo bust and an 80 page booklet that lists the extras of the 10 disks (yes, that's all it does). Besides this the sets are the same.

These two sets include all three films, The Animatrix, the film footage shot for Enter the Matrix videogame and 106 documentaries. The bonus disks for Reloaded and Revolutions are different from those included in the versions already released.

REMASTERD: The movies were enhanced so the films look brighter in color and richer in details. Don't worry it was not done by Gorge Lucas. The films are the same.

AUDIO: Also enhanced (not that it was necessary). Voices are stronger, gentle noises stand out more and details were sweetened just a bit. Great work!

DISK 1: The Matrix. The original commentaries, the music only audio track, follow the white rabbit, take the red pills... ALL ARE MISSING in this version. It comes with two commentaries worth listening to, a written intro from the Wachowski bros., and a ROM feature.

DISK 2: The Matrix Revisited. It includes the entire contents of the original disk except the fanboy stuff.

DISK 3: The Matrix Reloaded. Two new commentaries and a ROM feature.

DISK 4: The Matrix Reloaded Revisited. All new stuff such as a 17-min look at the fight in the Merovingian's chateau, 55-min dissection of the car chase, 40-min look at the Neo vs. 100 Smith battle, 7-min segment on Neo vs. Seraph and more.

DISK 5: The Matrix Revolutions.... Two new commentaries and a ROM feature.

DISK 6: The Matrix Revolutions Revisited. Includes a tour of the set, 27-min piece on the Club Hel fight (ceiling walkers), segments on the workers and extras, 17-min profile of Neo vs. Smith final battle, 36-min piece covering the soundtrack, film editing, etc. and more.

DISK 7: The Animatrix. Just as we all remember it.

DISK 8: The Roots of the Matrix. Two documentaries: 1-Return to Source: The Philosophy of The Matrix: is an hour long discussion on the philosophical elements of the movie. And 2-The Hard Problem: the Science Behind the Fiction is an hour long discussion of the science of the films and its possibilities for a real life Matrix.

DISK 9: The Burly Man Chronicles. This is a 94-min featurette documenting the whole 276 day shoot for films 2 and 3. Profiles, interviews, a tribute to Alliyah and more are also found on this disk. Although almost nothing is said about Gloria Foster (the original Oracle).

DISK 10: The Zion Archive. Here we find storyboards and concept art for all three films; trailers and music videos for all three films; video effects in various states of completion and a Matrix Online game preview.

Overall: Excellent collection and a must for fans. If you are not a hardcore fan though and you like this collection, you may want to purchase the one without Neo's bust. It's cheaper and the booklet is only a guide to the extras on the 10 disks which are all included in both sets. The Wachowskis DO NOT give any commentaries on these disks which may be disappointing for some fans. But over all this is a great collection. You may add it to the ones you already own with confidence. There are more goodies in these disks not mentioned here so have fun exploring. Just follow the white rabbit and remember... there is no spoon. Read more ›

227 of 237 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Enter The Matrix All Within Your Budget With This Great Set! November 15, 2008

By Eric Ericson

Format:DVD

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) Read more ›

258 of 275 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally the BD version! October 14, 2008

By Creepy Gnome

Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase

Been waiting for this BD version for a while. I have the HD-DVD trilogy which was awesome. Before that had the 10 disc DVD version of the Ultimate Matrix Collection which was awesome.

The Blu-ray version is the best of them (except that it doesn't come with a Neo bust like the DVD edition did).

At the time of purchase and of writing this review the product info was wrong on the Blu-ray version. It claims it is a 10 disc set, when it actually is a 6 disc set, 4 Blu-ray's and 2 DVD's. I notified Amazon.com of this, but who knows when they will get around to fixing it.

Also it was said that this is a waste of money in another review because newer DVD players upscale. However this person must have never seen an upscaled movie compared against a Blu-ray or HD-DVD version of the same. There is a BIG BIG difference, I watch a lot of movies "upscaled" but all that does is allow you to watch a DVD movie on a HD TV, it improves the quality a little but not enough to say it is as good as Blu-ray or HD-DVD.

It is worth the extra bucks to buy one of greatest movies in the last 20 years in beautiful Blu-ray.

93 of 101 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Blu-ray Review November 24, 2008

By Ray M.

Format:Blu-ray

Well I thought I would repeat what others have said in case someone is still having doubts about it. If you are a fan of the Matrix there's no reason not to buy this one.

Video - 4.9/5 The quality is just great, and it looks impressive and far superior to any other format, period. The only reason I'm not giving it 5/5 is because there are some points where you can notice some insignificant details due to the source material, not the transfer itself.

Audio - 5/5 True HD audio is beyond amazing, if you had this on DVD you'll be blown away even if you are listening to it using headphones. And if you have a decent sound system you'll simply toss your DVDs to the recycle bin and never look back faster than you can say "I know Kung Fu".

Aditional Features - 4.5/5 Many people don't like digital copy only for the first movie, and while they have a point you wont really notice the loss once you watch the Blu-ray movies. Besides, that's just icing to the cake, so you'll probably be better off with a portable DVD player/laptop (and your old movies if you didn't toss them to the trash by then)for those cases anyway.

And the rest of the features is very complete with the only "complain" being about the 480p DVD format content. Which anyone who has watched it will probably agree that isn't even a loss considering you'll only watch them once or twice (specially compared to the 100 times you'll watch the BD movies.)

Long story short it's worth it, big time. Just make sure you have a display that makes these movies justice and at least a decent sound system.

You'll thank yourself. d(^^d)