4 Film Favorites: Matrix Collection (DVD)

Last Christmas, I received a Blu-Ray player and a small set of movies to get started. These films are Toy Story 3, Batman 1989, The Back to the Future 25th Anniversary Trilogy, and last but not least, The Ultimate Matrix Collection. This set includes The Matrix, Reloaded, Revolutions, Animatrix, and the Matrix Experience with an abundance of special features and documentaries, as well as a commemorative booklet describing the features. Unlike the HD-DVD version of this set, it has the 3-part Matrix Trilogy Revisited features and Animatrix in true High Definition, like quality over quantity. The cases are super thin and help save storage space. Here are my personal opinions of the films.The Matrix (1999, 9.4)The one that started it all and indeed the best of the series. It was groundbreaking for the time with state-of-the-art special effects, cool action scenes, top-notch acting, and complex story that would keep you thinking in a computer world where anything goes. It involves computer programmer Thomas Anderson who has a double life as a hacker under the alias of Neo (Keanu Reeves) teaming up with the Nebuchanezzer captain Morpheous (Laurence Fishburne), infamous hacker and Neo's love interest Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), and the rest of the crew trying to learn about the secrets of the Matrix while trying to evade the trio of nefarious agents led by Smith (Hugo Weaving) and crew traitor Cypher (Joe Pantoliano). Behind the cool concept, the plot is kind of like a basic underdog film in lieu of Star Wars, Total Recall, Rocky, The Karate Kid, Terminator series, Slumdog Millionaire, Avatar, some of Disney's animated films, you name it, but still overall enjoyable.The Animatrix (2003, 9.0)A great and informative compilation of animated segments that go deeper into the back-story and mythyos of the series with varying kinds of Japanese and computer animation listed below.*Final Flight of the Osiris - Shown in theaters with Dreamcatcher and involves the Osiris crew discovering that the sentinels have found Zion and are about to launch an attack and one of the members, Jue, sends a message to Zion in the Matrix while the sentinels attack them and destroy the ship. It was made by Squaresoft with excellent and detailed CGI animation from Final Fantasy: the Spirit Within.*The Second Renaissance - A two part back-story of the origins of the human vs. machine feud, when the machines started rebelling against humans and using them for infinite energy after they made a giant black cloud to block the sun, and how the Matrix came to be.*Kid's Story - A segment involving Kid being chased by the Agents at school after receiving an invitation from Neo to leave the Matrix and how he escaped the Matrix by apparently committing suicide without a red pill. Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Clayton Watson are the only three actors from the trilogy to return for this special, let alone the Animatrix compilation in general. The first Matrix movie hints at the rare and nearly impossible self-substantiation and this, along with World Record do more in-dept on how a person can separate from the Matrix safely without a red pill.Program - Involves a trainee named Sis battling a test program called Duo in a training simulation and wins, but was distraught from killing him.World Record - A man named Dan was competing in a track meet to set a world record for fastest time. He succeeds, but accidentally unplugs himself in the process and needed rehabilitation in the real world before he can safely walk again.Beyond - A teenage girl called Yoko looking for her pet cat Yuki in an old abandoned shack with a group of children and discover a glitch in the Matrix and can do anything like stop in midair before hitting the ground and fall slowly with item regeneration. The Agents discover this, evacuate the group, and fix the glitch.A Detective's Story - A down-on-the-dumps detective named Ash takes a case about finding Trinity using plot-lines, quotes, and phrases from the Alice in Wonderland franchise. After finding Trinity on a train, they are ambushed by Agents and Trinity had to shoot Ash on the shoulder to prevent him from transforming into an Agent. After parting ways, the possibly dying Ash stays behind to take them out.Matriculated - A group of scientists on the outside world finding how to turn machines to their side by choice use a Matrix fun-house of various gags and teach them the value of human life like the T-800 from Terminator 2, and anyone who read my review knows my love for it and its predecessor. After the sentinels attack the base and kill the rebels, the reprogrammed machine plugs the dying Alexa to say goodbye.*Co-written by the film's writers and directors, the Wachowski Brothers (Andy and Larry).The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions (2003, 7.9 and 8.6 respectively)The Matrix sequels involve the group trying to fend off a war between Zion and the machines that the Osiris crew warned them about before its destruction, but they realized that Neo accidentally transformed Agent Smith into a dangerous virus in his attempt to destroy him in the first film and is now able to copy himself at will by transforming innocent bystanders, especially the Oracle, and plots to destroy the Matrix and all of mankind. After visiting the Architect and rescuing Trinity from her foreshadowed death, he fends off sentinels using his powers from the Matrix that lingered into the real world and slips into a coma that traps him in a train station between the Matrix and real world being held hostage by the Trainman, awaiting rescue from Morpheous and Trinity, and meets a married couple of programs with a daughter without a purpose while the Matrix begins to fall apart. This is basically one screenplay split into two films and released six months apart on the same year, just like Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic and Knuckles nine years before. Both sequels are like a mixed opinion kind of thing, some people loved them, some others hated them or one of the other. I personally hardly heard people properly criticize the sequels without focusing their attention to occasional confusion in the story, which some excuse for stupidity. I know the sequels are harder to understand than the original, but that doesn't make them suck, but to just need time to grow on you as you begin to understand it. For some reason, some people I know favor Reloaded most of the time. People might make fun of me about this, but I think Revolutions is underrated and better than Reloaded which I still accepted as a guilty pleasure and necessary sequel. Yep, I said it! One of the recurring themes of the series is about the choices we make and how they affect the future and, like the Angry Video Game Nerd said, should I pretend to be confused and go along with the crowd or voice my own honest opinion and point out details that others might have missed?Whether you agree or disagree, here are points that some people prefer Reloaded:-More emphasis on philosophy in the back-story of the series.-The most action scenes in the series that are all over the place with the addition of a cool freeway chase.-Character resurrection plot twist involving Trinity getting shot in mid-air and Neo saving her.-An abundance of officially licensed songs in the credits.However, here are the points on how I agree with PlanetHell on favoring Revolutions:-Returning Agent Smith to his sinister roots after becoming a joke in Reloaded with the overuse of weak clones in battle, especially the Burly Brawl when Neo was able to hold off an entire swarm of them without a scratch, while the real Smith actually put effort into a fight. This is because Neo and Smith would always have equal strength no matter what.-A more prominent and crucial role with the Oracle instead of just a mere cameo in Reloaded with basic information on programs and choices we make in general that Seraph could have spread to speed up the pacing a bit, but I digress.-No pointless filler unlike the overlong dance, the Oracle cameo, and subplots that occasionally go nowhere, thus faster paced and more right-to-the-point.-Action scenes that are more focused, actually have a point to them, and not as over-the-top or excessive.-The darkest score Don Davis ever composed, but that is not saying much, the scores of the franchise are fantastic.-Recaptures the darker and more emotional tone of the first movie and doesn't cram as many questions so the characters can convey more emotion while Reloaded was more lighthearted and glossy as well as relies on a lot of exposition that can slow things down at times.People would have expected the traditional cop-out ending of the main hero defeating the villain once and for all and they all live happily ever after. Woop-de-doodle-do! That is not what the Matrix series is about. Like I said, it is primarily about the choices we make and how it affects the future. After meeting the Deux ex Machina (Latin for God of the Machine) and connecting to the unstable Matrix and challenging Smith to a final showdown with all the clones standing aidely-by, as well as losing the will to live due to Trinity's actual death upon arrival to Machine City and in a last-ditch effort to put an end to Smith's reign of terror, Neo lets Smith transform him into another clone so that Deux ex Machina can bring the Smith code to the source and delete him, sacrificing Neo in the process and making peace with the human race after the big war. The recasting of the Oracle of explaining the change in appearance due to a glitch in the Matrix during a rescue attempt is how you should do a proper transition instead of just leaving it at that. After Gloria Foster fell ill before her scenes for Revolutions and Enter the Matrix were shot and died during production, Mary Alice took over the role of the Oracle and the explanation for the change in looks made the transition easy and unique, kind of like Exorcist 3. By the way, is it just me, or does Alice give more helpful advice in terms of the sequels than Foster? Revolutions also features the train station between two worlds concept from Spirited Away and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. In Reloaded when the beginning foreshadowed Trinity's possible death that nearly happened, showing the bit of her getting shot and falling on an oncoming car (ala Lethal Weapon, bipity-bopity-splat!) that early in the film made it feel a little bit predictable to me. Removing the small bit of the Agent successfully shooting her and only the airborne shootout would have been more effective so that people can keep guessing what the outcome of that free-fall would be. This is all my personal opinion. If someone agrees or disagrees, that's okay. I guess you can say, the Matrix really does have me.Anyway, this is a great collection of the series to own in High Definition if you are a die-hard fan like me. The picture and sound quality is amazing and the special features are great. High Definition is the definitive way to watch these movies.

Item arrived in good condition and on the day that was predicted.

First off, this package is well worth the money. It includes all of the movies, including the animatrix, as well as every piece of dvd extra that came out after each dvd on a bonus dvd. Nothign from the official Matrix catalogue is omitted from this package. It also includes an ingenius set of commentaries done in a way you've never seen before. It actually does a lot to expand on the mystery and philosophy of the series and give your personal viewpoint more fuel to back it up whenever someone next tries to tell you these movies are total crap. It also has a nice, small, but quality package and does the job in terms of design.I also wanted to say that I will never understand the plethora of moviegoers out there that dislike anything past the first movie. The first movie was outstanding and probably the best of the three, without a doubt, but Reloaded is unbelievable in its own right, as is most of Revolutions. People seem to think that the first movie was going to be remade twice and turned into a trilogy. This series was always the Wachowski brothers view on the world, their answer to or further distortion of the question why, and their ultimate vision of so many things human and divine. It was a sci-fi story to begin with and they did their best to make it viable in that genre while keeping to the original idea of the Matrix. Personally, I would agree that Revolutions could have been much less about Zion and the huge mother-of-them-all machine battle, but it still brings to a close the magnificient story and vision of the filmmakers.The one thing I do find among people who usually dislike 2 & 3 is that they usually lack any real knowledge of all the underpinings of the story and where it was going, what it meant, or simply dislike too much philosophy in general. As someone who enjoys philosophical debates and thinking about these topics, I've encountered plenty who think philosophy is a joke. Usually it's those people who simply don't understand any of it.Anyhow, if you're a fan of the series and want to see/hear it in its absolute best form, then go out and get this blu-ray. If the price bothers you then just wait for it to go lower on ebay 2 months from now. Something this good is surely worth the money.

First off, this is the 3rd Matrix collection that I have owned. I purchased the original trilogy individually, then the Ultimate Colection on DVD and now this blu-ray release. I knew eventually that I would need to scale up to blu-ray, but was always worried that I would "lose" some of the special features.The Matrix movies are certainly one of my all time favorites (next to Star Wars and LOTR) so I didn't want to down grade by purchasing the blu-ray set. Let me start off by saying - this is not the case. I don't know that the promotional material has done a good enough job explaining what you get on this release, but there certainly are some differences.The DVD's were on 10 disks- but, the blu-ray set is on 6. You get 4 blu-rays (one for each movie) and then a set of 2 DVD's for the bonus features. The Zion Archive DVD is exactly the same as the one from the Ultimate DVD set - and then the "Burly Man" and "Roots" DVD's are mashed together on either side of a single disk. But here is the break down for the rest of the disks and since I own all of them - let me show you exactly what you get comparing the original DVD release, to the Ultimate DVD release to the now Ultimate Blu-ray release:1.1 Matrix DVD* 2 Commentaries the actor track and the music only commentary with Don Davis* Making the Matrix* Bullet time (as an Easter egg)1.2 Ultimate Matrix DVD* 2 Commentaries "the philosopher" and the "critic"* The music revisited* Behind the matrix* Take the red pill* Follow the white rabbit.1.3 The Matrix blu-ray* All 4 commentaries together. (great feature)* Everything from the Ultimate DVD plus:* The Music Revisited* Rock is Dead Music Video* Trailers and TV spots2.1 Reloaded DVD* The Matrix unfolds* Pre-load* Get me an exit* The MTV movie awards reloaded2.2 Ultimate Reloaded DVD* 2 Commentaries "the philosopher" and the "critic"* Car chase* Teahouse fight* Unplugged* I'll handle them* The exiles* Enter the matrix the game* All 23 live action shots from Enter the Matrix the game2.3 Ultimate Reloaded Blu-Ray* Everything from both previous editions including:* P.O.D. music video* Theatrical and TV Trailers3.1 Revolutions DVD* Revolutions recalibrated* CG revolution* Super Burly Brawl* Future Gamer* Before the Revolution* 3-D evolution* Operator3.2 Ultimate Revolutions DVD* Crew* Hell* Super burly brawl* New blue world* Siege* After math3.3 Ultimate revolutions Blu-Ray* Everything from both previous editions including:* Neo realism - the evolution of bullet time* Super big mini models* Double agent smith* Mind over matterIn addition, each Blu-Ray features an in-Movie experience. The IME is included on all 3 of the Matrix films. The IME is an exclusive interactive feature that allows viewers to enjoy new ways of accessing interviews and other material while the movie is running. For these titles, the IME will let viewers experience via picture in picture the evolution of all The Matrix's ground breaking elements through the recollections of the cast and creative team.So you are not losing anything with this set.The negatives: first the thing that bummed me out the most... no fun menus. Each menu is a static matrix code screen shot (that doesn't even move) it looks like the wallpaper that you had on your desktop back in high school. You'd think on a blu-ray disk, you'd get something fun and awesome, but it's boring, there are not even little transition videos like the other releases had. Oh well.Second, I play my movies on a Playstation 3 and all of my Blu-rays show up with the title, an icon and perhaps even music from the movie. These discs all show up as an unknown file. Not even a title - you can't tell which disk is in the player from the PS3 menu. Kinda lame.Other than that - these movies have never looked or sounded better. Amazing transfer! I watched these on my new HD-TV with my surround sound up and I felt like I was back in the theatre. Definitely pick these up!

I ask the question, which Matrix collection version are you considering because the reviews here are of mixed (different) collections available.I purchased a 6 disc Bluray version (currently listed by Amazon as: The Ultimate Matrix Collection [Blu-ray) for about $25.00. I am very happy with this collection. This set includes the 3 (Bluray) movies, Animatrix (Bluray) shorts and the Matrix Experience (standard DVD) set which is 1 double-sided disc and another single-sided disc. These last (Matrix Experience DVD) discs include The Roots of the Matrix, The Burly Man Chronicles & The Zion Archive. I see these were all separate discs in the older (only DVD) releases of this collection set. Probably, with current technological advancements, they are able to include all this "data" on fewer discs.As for the movies, if you haven't seen any or all of them, where have you been? The original Matrix is an outstanding movie and the Bluray version really enhances it with clarity and full THX theater sound. The second and third movies are also enhanced in picture quality and sound although I didn't find either of their storylines as intriguing and thought-provoking as the original. Still, both worth seeing and hearing again in full Bluray clarity & resonance.I found the last discs to have some pretty interesting production info as well as commentaries and even what the chef would cook for the cast & crew while on location. Also, I laughed when Keanu Reeves was talking about some makeup work for the movie Revolutions and mistakenly said Revelations and kinda asked, what's the name of the movie?I'm not a fan of anime so I won't comment on that disc other than it looks well made (it is Bluray) with a clear picture and good sound. I guess the little stories can get you involved and can be enjoyable.The (cardboard) packaging is pretty cool (Matrix green data) with each disc in it's own DVD case, except for The Matrix Experience which holds the 1 double-sided DVD on one side and the other single-sided DVD on the other side of the DVD case.Overall, this is a really good Matrix movie collection set with just about everything you could want to know about the Matrix movies, sets, and production.

The Matrix (5 stars out of 5)Still one of the most original and difinitive cyberpunk sci-fi films ever made. The story is fresh, stylish, and original. The filming style is great. Action and special effects are completely smashing. Characters are great. Writing is awesome and thought-provoking. Music is good. A definate must-see for everyone.The Matrix Reloaded (4 stars out of 5)This continuation has greater action and special effects, but a weaker and somewhat confusing story (it took me two or three viewings to fully understand). But it still has a good plot, good characters, great settings, cool style, good use of mythology and philosophy, and great writing. But it is weaker.The Matrix Revolutions (5 stars out of 5)Most people hate this one. Although not very big on plot or dialogue, this finale has some of the best fight scenes and battles. Characters are still good, and there's stronger theological themes evident. It's completely exciting from beginning to end (even though the ending is a little anticlimactic; most people find it dissapointing).The Animatrix (5 stars out of 5)A wonderful collection of short stories made by multiple anime directors, all in different styles. Includes a few good tie-ins to the films (most prominently, the movies' prequel). Some parts have great action, other parts are thought-provoking. All episodes are visually awesome. Great soundtrack, too. Not only is it a good addition to the Matrix, it's also a good introduction to anime in general.Altogether, the Matrix saga is one of the best. It ranges from being fantastically exciting to deeply thought-provoking. As complex as the story, writing, and filming is, each new viewing of all films reveals something new. The only real bad thing is that the sequels get a little too incomprehensible, and the action scenes may be too fantastic for some people. Everybody should still check it all out at least once, for it is very excellent film-making.This box set will have loads of special features; pretty much all of the same ones from previous releases of the Ultimate collection. This will include oodles of commentaries, trailers, music videos, featurettes galore, galleries, additional scenes from the "Enter the Matrix" computer game, and the MTV movie awards skit (woohoo!). It amounts to 35 hours of bonus material. They are all presented in standard definition, not HD.Video and sound quality on the movies are splendid. They are clear, sharp, and have vivid colors. Each movie comes in its own thin case, with another case devoted to additional extras (2 discs, one of which is double-sided). The first "Matrix" movie comes with a digital copy. It is all contained in a small sturdy black box with a glossy finish. Also includes a nice little booklet (same design as from the SD Ultimate Collection).

I purchased the Ultimate Matrix Collection on Blu-ray a year ago here on Amazon. I already owned the nice DVD set that came in the large black embossed Warner Brothers box however, since the Matrix is one of my favorite movies it was time to move into 1080p land.I anxiously popped in the Blu-ray when it arrived expecting to see a revelation of sorts and had mixed feelings. At the time I had a Panasonic TH42PZ85 1080p Plasma. I definitely saw an improvement over my PS3's upscaled presentations of the regular DVD versions. I just didn't see a super difference which, rightly or wrongly, is what I expected.Fast forward to this past weekend. Last week I purchased a Samsung UN46D8000 LED and set it up over the course of a few days with a new receiver. I could not believe my eyes when I popped in The Empire Strikes Back Blu-Ray. I meant to just view it for a few minutes for testing purposes but, ended up watching the whole thing. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of the familiar green symbols over black of the Matrix set peering back at me and said to myself, if the Episode V looks this good, what about the Matrix?The revelation I was expecting when this set arrived at my home a year ago happened at last. This blu-ray set truly is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. I just needed a better display unit in order to be able to actually see it. If you were like me and thought this set was only a modest improvement in picture quality over your dvd set, it is time to upgrade your TV! Seriously, my wife and I were glued to the screen and my wife and I were remarking on all different aspects of the movies from the fight sequences to joking about being able to see every flaw on the actor's faces. We truly were blown away and I can't wait for the next Matrix marathon to occur. This blu-ray set is definitely reference quality matierial.Of course the sound this set puts out is just as jaw dropping as the visual aspects. Dolby True HD never failed to impress. The Animatrix is the only disc of the 4 blu-rays where the transfer to blu doesn't increase the visual quality exponentially (well, except for Final Flight of the Osirus) as it does Matrix, Reloaded & Revolutions. But, that is because of the drawing styles of the various anime and not because of a limitation of the blu-ray itself.The only con to this set is that the special features are in standard def. Everything else flat out rocks. I noticed that Amazon has it on sale for 30% less than what I bought it for. This set belongs in your collection at twice the price!

Review of 4 Film Favorites: The Matrix Collection (The Matrix / The Matrix Reloaded / The Matrix Revolutions / The Animatrix)I like to have sets of movie series on hand since Hollywood doesn’t seem to be producing the quality of movies that I desire. I like that this is a good science fiction series. I don’t really care for Anime, but this was part of the set. I’ve no complaints about the quality of these so far, but I have not got to watch all of them yet. The price was reasonable.

The Matrix Ultimate Collection is an ideal addition to your blu-ray collection. This set is essentially the same as the more expensive US version.The Ultimate Matrix Collection [Blu-ray]There is no French language on the packaging, and the 7-disc set is packaged in 5 slim cases.1) The Matrix and digital copy.2) Matrix Reloaded3) Matrix Revolutions4) Animatrix5) The Matrix Experience (2 additional discs of special features)The blu-ray transfer falls just short of reference quality, but it's close. All three parts of the trilogy are currently ranked in Tier 1.75 on the AVS forum. Animatrix is in Tier 2.0.If you like these movies, this set is not to be missed. While $100 is expensive, I was able to pick this up for $51 in a recent Amazon sale. There may be other sales in the future as the three main movies are all due to be released individually.Many people argue that the first installment is the only movie worth watching. If you agree, then you can buy that individually on March 31, 2009. I thoroughly enjoy all three movies and see it as one long story. To see The Matrix and not watch the other parts would be like watching The Fellowship of the Ring and skipping The Two Towers and The Return of the King.Perhaps the novelty of seeing something totally new elevates The Matrix above the other two installments for some people? I see Matrix Reloaded as an excellent sequel with even more action than The Matrix. The conclusion in Matrix Revolutions shows that the lives of an entire community are at stake, rather than those on one ship. It gives us an idea of who these people really are. But each to their own.As well as stunning visuals, the trilogy comes with a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack. This completes the experience and adds so much to scenes such as the car chase in Matrix Reloaded.To sum up, if you like this trilogy, you need this set. If you only want the first movie, that option will be available eight days from now.

10/10 Rotten TomatoesFlawless Victory

Happy to have this. Would buy again

日本版よりもスリムケース、かつBookも付いているうえ、レンタル版よりも画質がいい。もちろん日本語音声、字幕も入っています。買い直して良かったと満足。

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