Customer Reviews

The Ultimate Matrix Collection (The Matrix / The Matrix Reloaded / The Matrix Revolutions / The Animatrix)

5 star:		(320)
4 star:		(96)
3 star:		(29)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

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.

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.

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)

Just received my copy today. Great movies however one feature was supposed to be digital copies of the movies for portable playback. Turns out they only put in the first movie and nothing else. Not a deal breaker, but hardly an ultimate collection without digital copies of the last 2 and Animatrix feature.

**Warning: Spoilers ahead**

I bought this Matrix collection back in December of last year. I've watched this collection and thoroughly enjoyed it. So you must be asking yourself, why did I bother writing a review so late after I got this collection? Well, very recently I was watching the entire Matrix Trilogy (as well as several episodes of the Animatrix) in one sitting with a large group of people. After the movies were done with, we broke out into discussion about these movies, specifically as to whether the quality of the movies dropped dramatically after the first movie. Most of the people at this viewing chastised Reloaded and Revolutions, while one lone voice tried to defend these movies. Guess who the lone voice was (I'll give you three guesses). As such, this review is meant primarily as a rebuttal to the various comments I heard about the Matrix Trilogy, as well as my thoughts on the Matrix movies themselves.

First off, let me just say that the following review will primarily consist of a discussion on the Matrix movies themselves, and not the many documentaries that are packaged with this collection. Second, I want to focus on a discussion of the Matrix Trilogy as a whole, and as such I'll say something about all three movies, but Reloaded and Revolutions in particular. Lastly, I realize that different people have different opinions, and everybody is entitled to there own opinions. I only want to present the reasons why I enjoyed all three movies so hopefully you will understand why I think the Matrix Trilogy is good.

Notice how in the last sentence I said "good", not "great". I am going to admit something right now...yes, I will agree with almost everybody who has seen all three movies that the Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions were not as good as the first Matrix. HOWEVER, where I disagree with many people is how far the "quality" dropped after the first Matrix. Some people have even gone as far to say that Reloaded and Revolutions (especially Revolutions) are the worst movies of all time. Please. I've seen the worst movie of all time, and it's called Starship Troopers 2.

When I saw the first Matrix in the theatres so many years ago, I was completely blown away. Not only did it have some of the best action sequences and choreographed fights ever put on film, but it had an intriguing discussion on the nature of reality, and what it means to be human. On the other hand the Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions did not have as much philosophizing, but instead focused more on action. I think that is one of the reasons why people disliked Reloaded and Revolutions, i.e. many people felt that these two movies focused too much on "mindless action." I would argue though that if Reloaded and Revolutions talked more about "what is reality?" like in the first movie, people would get board pretty easily because that idea was already discussed at long length in the first Matrix. In any case the directors needed to move along with the Trilogy's plot.

Ah yes...plot. What is "plot"? Apparently, to the detractors of Reloaded and Revloutions, these two movies had no plot. To them I ask...are you blind, or did you just not bother paying attention? The last human city, Zion, is just hours away from total destruction and there doesn't seem to be a way to stop the Machines. Neo has visions of Trinity's death and has to find a way to save her. Is everything Neo doing predestined, or does he have control over his own destiny? How can Neo stop Agent Smith when he's able to create so many copies of himself? Those are just some of the plotlines in these movies that apparently don't exist. As a counterpoint, let us consider the Lord of the Rings Trilogy (which, in my opinion, are some of the best movies of all time). On the surface, the plot of these three movies appears razor thin, i.e. it's simply all about trying to destroy a powerful ring. But if you look deeper you'll find stories of hope, betrayal, courage, greed, and love. The same applies to the Matrix Trilogy. On the surface, all it seems to be about is Neo trying to stop the Machines, but if you look past that you'll find so much more.

With Reloaded and Revolutions, the Wachowski brothers upped the ante with what could be done with special effects. The fact is I am not a person who thinks special effects can make a movie on their own, but you would have to really hate science-fiction movies to not be at least somewhat enthralled with the action in these movies. Seeing Neo fight dozens of Agent Smiths all on his own in the Matrix Reloaded, and kicking their asses all over the place, was both weird and exciting at the same time. When the forces of Zion had to defend the city against a massive Machine invasion force in the Matrix Revolutions, I was on the edge of my seat! I don't understand how anyone could think that seeing people in giant, gun-toting robot suits, blasting away at hundreds of Machine sentinels was not cool. Yes I know, storyline (which the Trilogy has in spades) is far more important than computer generated effects, but these effects are some of the most groundbreaking ever produced.

To be honest, looking back I think that one of the primary reasons that people disliked Reloaded and Revolutions was because of their expectations. After people were blown away by the first Matrix, everybody was expecting the Wachowski brothers to make movies that would cause our heads to explode in the theatres from their sheer greatness. When that did not happen people became disappointed, even to the level of outrage in some cases. Reloaded and Revolutions were different in terms of plot and tone than the first Matrix, which many viewers did not like. Now, this is not to excuse the fact that Reloaded and Revolutions were not and good as the first Matrix, because they weren't. But our expectations of a movie can definitely have an impact on how we perceive it.

In the end, the Matrix Trilogy is not going to receive the same reverence as the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and the original Star Wars Trilogy. However, I think it should deserve remembrance for the opening our eyes as to the potential of science-fiction. The first Matrix movie is arguably one of the best sci-fi movies of all time, and the Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions are good movies in their own right. Even when I get older, I will still fondly remember all three Matrix movies. If you have never seen the Matrix Trilogy, I urge you to at least see the first one. If you have time, go see Reloaded and Revolutions with an open mind, and I think you will come away pretty satisfied.

My rating on the Matrix Trilogy as a whole: 8/10.

Some people here might be asking themselves "Why in the heck should we buy a 10 disc set of the 4 Matrix movies?" Well, you should not buy this if your not a hardcore fan and you already have the original DVDs. This is being released for the more hardcore fans of the matrix.

First of all, this is being released because of the extra features and not for the movies directly. The new commmentary tracks, the dozens of featurettes, and the marketing materials are for all of us hardcore fans that were dissapointed by the lack of special features on the original DVD releases (no commentary tracks, lack of trailers or TV spots, etc).

So, you might still be asking yourself if this collection is worth the price of $60.00? The answer: Yes! Think about it, if you were to buy all 4 Matrix movies and the Matrix Revisited Documentary in stores you would pay at least $60.00! For the same price you get a slew of extras, most of which have never been seen! Once again, this is mainly for the hardcore fans but if you don't have any of the Matrix movies and are thinking about buying the original versions buy this instead! It has so much more for your money.

This is the kind of box set that they should have released right when Revolutions ended. I'm not complaining though because late is better than never. The hardcore Matrix fans finally get what they have always wanted.

In closing, I would like to repeat that this should probably only be bought by hardcore Matrix fans. Casual fans would probably be bored with all of the featurettes and think that this was a waste of money. Still, if your interested in buying the Matrix films individually get this instead. It will save you money and if you love the Matrix films as much as I do you will be glad that you got this version in the end.

I would listen to Ken Wilber and Cornel West riff on philosophy, mythology, religion, sociology, psychology, biology and the rest if the DVDs were nothing more than watching the kitchen paint dry.

The fact that they have a fantastic story to work with is gravy. It's like sitting on the couch watching great movies with your two best friends who also just happen to be two of the most fascinating minds of the past 50 years.

Next time you are in the mood to take in a mind-blowing lecture, save yourself some time and money and pop one of these puppies in, then hang on for a wild ride. The movies are only part of the adventure!

I give this product 5 stars for one main reason, it is truly the "Ultimate" Matrix collection. I come from the standpoint of being a tremendous fan of the first movie - The Matrix - and somewhat disappointed with the last two with first viewing. In all honesty, the second two movies will never live up to the first, but they are enjoyable on their own merits.

For those wondering about the quality of the Blu-Ray conversion, I can only express complete praise for the picture quality. All three theatrical releases and the Animatrix are now in full 1080p, and if I didn't know better I would swear that the films were all shot using the most advanced technology available today.

The packaging is definitely commensurate with the cost of the product, and the inclusion of the first Matrix in a digital copy is a nice bonus (be aware, however, that it is only the first Matrix you are getting in a digital copy).

Overall the product lives up to its name and I am very satisfied with my purchase.

a few reviews talk about getting a standard DVD player and increasing the resolution to full HD 1080p thus skipping the dvd blue ray version.. thats INCORRECT.. those players just up-converters.. for the less tec heads, it fills in the gap where standard dvds are filmed increasing the resolution on a simulated level never TRUE HD 1080p. its like getting VHS to DVD version slight improvement but not TRUE 1080p.

The blue Ray version is a direct digital film port from the cameras meaning full resolution 1080p no down converting from the port.

when Matrix standard DVD set was made it was digital but not at Full resolution so buying a standard DVD set version and using a up-converter DVd player youll never get the full visual 1080p.

This box set is worth it.. a little expensive but the fact you get all Matrix is worth the money.. plus if your an audio file you will be BLOWN AWAY BY THE SOUND No CUTS, No edits.. Pure uncompressed sound..better than any standard DVD set.

I'll make this quick. It's a great set and the entire discs should be explored except for the commentary by the critics. These morons have no concept what the movie is about or the philosophies behind it. Nothing but a bunch of yes men agreeing with each other and then contradicting with what they talked about earlier. Skip it, and move on to the commentaries by Dr. Cornel West, and Ken WIlber. They not only give insight to the philosophies but enjoy themselves while doing it. Enjoy!