Review of Matrix, The / The Matrix Revisited (Deluxe Box Set)

Introduction

Ah, this takes me back. The Matrix was the film that sold a massive number of DVD players in the run up to Christmas 1999 (the original disc is the most reviewed on this site if you count all of the different regions together). And it`s also the film that caused many of those DVD players to be returned early in the new year due to "incompatibilities". The disc producers blamed the hardware producers and the hardware producers blamed the disc producers. And little did we know that this sort of thing would keep happening with DVD. Although we probably could have guessed that it would! And it`s still happening today, although probably to a lesser extent.

Two years later The Matrix Revisited was released. That disc could be seen as the extras that were missing from the original disc, but it also covers the forthcoming sequels, although not in much depth. The content is basically a 2 hour documentary which features footage from some of the extras on the original release of The Matrix, mixed with new interviews and behind the scenes footage.

The second disc could be seen as a cynical cash-in, and you wouldn`t really be wrong in taking that view! Let`s face it, when the trilogy is complete, you just know there`ll be a box set release of all the films with more extras etc.

But in the meantime, we have this deluxe box set from CDA, who have been in the deluxe box set game for a while now. This one comes in a massive A4 box file, and as well as the two discs you get 8 lobby card prints, a Senitype image from the film with 35mm film frame, a one sheet movie poster (27"x40") , and 6 black and white photograph stills.

I don`t really need to talk about the film itself do I? It`s been discussed and debated endlessly for over 3 years now!

Video

The Matrix was also the film that caused loads of people to return the disc to the shops because there was "something wrong with the picture". During certain scenes there`s a green tinge to the image. And it`s intentional so there`s nothing wrong with the disc, your DVD player, or your television. The tinge represents being in the Matrix, whereas the real world has a more blue tinge to it.

The anamorphic 2.35:1 transfer on The Matrix really helps to showcase some of the excellent visuals on offer in this film. This is a film that needs to dazzle you with visual tricks in order to work. And it just keeps on dazzling. Add to this Hong Kong legend Yuen Woo Ping`s fantastic fight choreography (as ever it`s amazing wire work all over the place), "Bullet Time" which was invented during filming and has been used numerous times since, and an orgy of on-screen violence and you have a lovely piece of eye candy.

The Matrix Revisited features a full frame transfer, as it is basically a documentary. There`s nothing wrong with it, and it all looks fine. Can`t find much more to say about it.

Audio

The Matrix features a DD5.1 soundtrack which many people will have used to show their sound system off to their friends over the years. Bullets are flying everywhere (and there`s a *lot* of gunfire), explosions are happening all around you and it`s just one big wall of sound. Booms, bangs and crashes mean that you should turn this one up loud to enjoy it fully. The score also helps the film along and the song selection is well suited to the slick visuals.

The Matrix Revisited also features a DD5.1 soundtrack that is clear and crisp. Although it`s nice to see the effort of a studio making a documentary with DD5.1 sound, it isn`t used to its full potential (not much rear action), and just a standard surround track would probably have worked just as well. Don`t let that stop you trying though studios!

Features

A reasonable number of extras on The Matrix (although some of the good stuff is only for DVD-ROM owners), but it must be noted that there are less than the region 1 and region 4 versions. Due to small cuts to the film itself, the commentary track is *still* ditched from the region 2 release. If you`re buying this film for the first time, both of these facts may be important.

I can`t believe that after all this time they couldn`t either re-submit the film, or just make edits to the commentary track in order to fit it in. This is still a major annoyance in my book.

The most talked about feature is probably "Follow the white rabbit". If you watch the film with this switched on you can jump to behind the scenes features on key scenes when the rabbit appears. This is a good feature that we`ve seen more and more of in recent times, and it`s the thing that caused problems for certain players. You could always be lazy and just jump to those sections using the title selection option on your DVD player.

You`ll also find a reasonable "HBO First Look Special", the odd Easter Egg and your standard filmographies.

The Matrix Revisited is one giant extra, but there are also some more small featurettes that you can access (why some of them didn`t go in the main feature is a bit of a puzzler). There`s also another Easter Egg for you.

Conclusion

The Matrix : plenty of action, lots of great stunts, top class special effects, lots of guns, martial arts, PVC, sunglasses. An orgy of violence and noise. What more could you want?

Well, how about a bit of a better plot, and a film which didn`t leave me with the over-riding feeling that everything was nicely set up for The Matrix 2 : Revenge of the Killer Agents. This film is supposed to be the first in a trilogy, so that`s perhaps slightly unavoidable, but the thought still lingers. This is certainly an enjoyable way to spend a few hours if you disengage your brain and engulf yourself in the visual and sonic feast. But it`s not "the greatest sci-fi movie of all time" as some have described it.

The Matrix Revisited is the disc that should have been part of a 2-disc original release, although that wasn`t really the done thing at the time. Watching them back to back I did find a bit too much repetition between the discs, but there`s still plenty of new stuff. The documentary covers just about everything from the initial training sessions (where the stars learned how to fight and inflict pain on each other), through principal photography to the release and reaction to the film. There`s a lot packed in to two hours, but it is worth watching all of it.

Now here`s the tricky part. This box set is quite lavish, it looks impressive on the shelf (if you have room for it), and the poster, lobby cards and photographs are great for mega-fans. But once again it all boils down to this - if you want to own this film then region 4 is really the only way to go, as it is identical in content to the region 1 version, uncut (unlike region 2), yet PAL (like region 2). Crucially it also has the audio commentary, which is a massive extra to miss out on in my opinion. And you can often import the region 4 version for a lot less than you`ll find the region 2 version on the high street or at most online retailers.

So if you want a slightly cut film with no commentary, but in a nice box with a poster and other goodies, then this box set is for you (if you`ve got £40 going spare). You could however buy both discs for half of that amount from another region. You wouldn`t get the cuts to the film, you would get the commentary, but you wouldn`t get all this nice packaging and other goodies. Are they worth £20 though?

The choice is yours!