All Rise...

Judge Ryan Keefer has subjected himself to so much alternate reality, he wonders who really wrote this review.

Editor's Note

Our reviews of The Animatrix (published June 17th, 2003), The Matrix (published October 18th, 1999), The Matrix: 10th Anniversary (Blu-Ray) (published April 17th, 2009), The Matrix Reloaded (published October 20th, 2003), The Matrix Reloaded (Blu-Ray) (published September 13th, 2010), The Matrix Revolutions (published March 23rd, 2004), The Ultimate Matrix Collection (published January 17th, 2005), and The Ultimate Matrix Collection (HD DVD) (published May 30th, 2007) are also available.

The Charge

What is the matrix?

Opening Statement

At the risk of sounding a little bit glib about such a highly regarded series of films, The Matrix is starting to become the new Army of Darkness for the new decade. By my count, it has individual catalog releases, along with a separate boxed set of all the films, with or without your choice of a collectible figurine. Then you had the boxed set released for the first time last year in high definition on HD DVD. So it's here on Blu-ray, after technical delays with the format, so what's it like?

Facts of the Case

You still don't know what happens in The Matrix trilogy? I'm sorry, but The Matrix is one of the more heavily talked-about reviews within our offices at DVD Verdict. No less than 11 reviewers have contributed individually or in group to six reviews of the films, including the straight to video Animatrix series. Nearly 30,000 words have been put down on virtual wax, so to speak. Suffice to say that Johnny Utah from Point Break (Keanu Reeves) isn't sure what the real reality is in the world, so he's a little intrigued when Tre's dad from Boyz in the Hood (Laurence Fishburne) shows him how things REALLY look, and what he's able to do within this world called "the Matrix," include leap really really high from building to building and kick the crap out of many people simultaneously. The bad guy per se is the guy who voiced Megatron in the Transformers movie (Hugo Weaving), looking real cool in a black suit and sunglasses, but able to transform himself into virtually anyone, just so Johnny Utah can be stopped from becoming Jesus Christ and the machines can keep the humans down on the farm.

At least, that's how I think it goes.

The Evidence

The trilogy of Matrix films is notable for a couple of different things. First, it showed us the possibility of filmmaking using visual effects many of us had not seen before. Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss, Memento) didn't just leap up and pause in mid air, you circled around her to see that yes, this wasn't just some goofy computer generated likeness of her doing this. Similar revolutions around a shot occur several times through the first Matrix film, with the help of wire work that has been prominent in a lot of films since then. Many other mind-bending shots were the reason why The Matrix was so popular, that and a semi-decent story about breaking through the wall of technology.

The second thing is that apparently Andy and Larry Wachowski (Speed Racer) had an itch for the first film and wanted to scratch it, in the form of two sequels shot back to back. What was it about Neo from film one to film two that he could fly all of a sudden? Knowing that the middle parts of films are always problematic, Reloaded came in and didn't really elevate the bar. In fact some of the same elements from the first film (the Neo-Trinity flirting/relationship/whatever it was) seem to carry over a little more obviously here than before. There are more moments that include tangents which are a little strange, and as far as the visuals and stunts go, you don't feel that same degree of awe that you did the first time. In fact, a lot of the stunts seem, well, ordinary. That might not be a good word for them, but there's a little more down to earth this time, even the stuff that people still pimp as being jaw-dropping. I'm sorry, but the car chase scene doesn't hold up for me, and when I saw it in the theaters, the only thing that impressed me then, as it does now, is how long is it. Even though both Reloaded and Revolutions have visuals that are shot exceptionally well, but there's enough cutting and techno music going on that you're liable to get ADD from watching either film, which will hopefully make you forget about the sappy nature of the lead character and his love interest, which would have been better left out of a science fiction film to begin with.

Technically, all three films are in 2.40:1 widescreen with the same VC-1 encoded presentations and all with the same Dolby TrueHD soundtracks, and they all look fantastic. Blacks are inky and as deep as they come, detail is excellent both in close up shots and in the background, where the dimensionality of the shots helps show off the composition. The TrueHD soundtracks get better with each film, as the sound in the first film is a little inconsistent to me, resulting in frequent adjustment. It was annoying but past that, you get great directional effects and speaker panning, and subwoofer activity in spades. These films were demo material on HD DVD, that's not changed here.

All the extras are brought over from the Ultimate Collection standard and HD DVD versions. Another difference between is that The Animatrix has been brought into its widescreen 1.78:1 glory. The colors on each feature look real good, and while there's a TrueHD soundtrack option listed on the back of the case, I couldn't find it on the disc. You also get a digital copy of The Matrix for your troubles.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

There's no denying the enthusiasm and energy that the Wachowskis infused in the sci-fi genre with the Matrix trilogy. The first film crossed over from goofy future film into technological breakthroughs, and won four Oscars—all in the technical areas. Everything since then has paled in comparison, including the story quality…but I digress.

Closing Statement

Well, if you waited to buy The Matrix until the format wars were solved, you're in luck, because you can go in several directions. If you have the HD DVD, I'd probably not worry about it, unless getting The Animatrix in high definition is really that important to you. That's the only real change from the HD DVD set, since the audio and video is the same. For those who waited, boom goes the dynamite! Go grab this sucker! In the interest of disclosure, there are rumors of The Matrix as a standalone title in 2009, so approach with caution.

The Verdict

Warner Bros. is acquitted for at least trying to make a double-dip slightly worthwhile for consumers, but it only results in a reduced sentence. Next time you want to release a catalog jewel in a video format, how about ultimately waiting?

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