Tuesday, August 2, 2011

The Ultimate Matrix Collection

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 watch the vampire diaries online 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.

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 nikon d3100 review 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.vizio xvt373sv 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. garmin nuvi 1350lmt 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.