The Ultimate Matrix Collection (2003)

Finally....

I just discovered they released the first film remastered, and in a keepcase to boot in 2007
I wouldnt call it a killer transfer-and the movie seems less solid than when I first viewed August 21, 2008

No offense but...

Those of you saying the 2nd and 3rd movies are horrible maybe just didn't understand them. Someone actually said the cake scene was bad! I wonder if they just didn't understand the deeper meaning behind that scene and the others. The writers just continued the analogies in the 2nd and 3rd movies and I found the ideas and philosophies to be very deep and thought provoking. I do however agree that the ending could have been better. But alas, we all have opinions and mine is certainly no more authoritative than any of these others. I however don't claim that my opinion is the truth. Those of you claiming these movies were crap should temper that with a little humility. August 14, 2008

WHY CAN'T WE JUST BUY THE FIRST MOVIE IN BLU-RAY?!

I would give the Matrix 5 stars, Matrix Reloaded 3 and Matrix Revolutions 1 or 0 if it were a choice. I can't possibly stomach spending $90 to purchase the first movie. IMO, the only one worth buying on blu-ray (since I already own it and "Reloaded" on DVD). The first film was a pioneer and was awesome in its storyline, suspense, action sequences, and special effects! Also, the original marketing campaign for this movie was one of the best I've ever seen (or not seen ;-) ) Everything was hush hush and there weren't any spoilers in the original trailers. I went into this movie the first weekend it was out with "What is the Matrix?" as my only knowledge of the film. Unfortunately, the franchise was all down hill after the first installment. The second movie was good in that it had some interesting foreshadowing, great action sequences and the Merovingian was an interesting character. Unfortunately, there wasn't even near the suspense and discovery of the first movie. It had an Empire Strikes Back sense to it, but Neo was basically already a master of his powers so his "hero's journey" didn't have much arc to it. The whole situation with "the architect" at the end was so confusing (which it was meant to be) that it had everyone shaking their heads in bewilderment. Matrix Revolutions was by far the most disappointing installment of a trilogy movie franchise that I've ever seen! The final movie was absolutely absurd liberal nonsense. "The war is over! The War is over!" Yeah, the machines aren't defeated, they just have agreed (for now) not to wipe every unassimilated human off the face of the earth (what's left of it). So Trinity and Neo had to die for this!??? No victor, no right and wrong, just coexistence? WHAT A BUNCH OF LIBERAL CRAPPOLA!!! Then the Wachowski brothers follow this up with an even worse movie ~ "Speed Racer". BUT, thats another review for another time. August 14, 2008

Pathetic - Dream on Warner Brothers

The original Matrix movie was fantastic! The second and third movies were an embrassing waste of time, effort and money.

The second and third sequels were so bad, they make "Howard the Duck" look like an Oscar winner.

It's a shame a person has to buy this "Ultimate Matrix" Garbage Collection just to get the first good Matrix movie. The original Matrix movie should be released by itself on Blu-ray. If Warner Brothers decides to demonstate wisdom by releasing the original movie on Blu-ray, I will retract this gleefully negative review.

I went to see "Matrix II" in a movie theater in Miami at an 8 PM Saturday showing one week after the movie opened. The theater was EMPTY. I honestly thought there was a bomb scare I was unaware of. At the time, I did not realize the bomb was the movie. I laughed through most of the movie. Not the good kind of laughter, but laughter due to how bad the movie was, the cake scene and Neo's stupidity.

Long story short, do yourself a favor and wait for the original Matrix to be released by itself on Blu-ray. There is no excuse to throw money away by buying this collection. August 8, 2008

Living in a Dream World

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.

The Matrix Revolutions (5 stars out of 5)
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).

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' prequil). 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!). They won't all be in HD, however (I personally don't care, so long as the movies themselves are HD).

It may be too early to tell what quality the Blu-Ray discs will have, but if earlier editions (and the HD-DVD version) are any indication, they should be good. The directors seem to put a lot of attention to detail and technical quality into their work. All films will be 1080p HD. Altogether, I can't imagine it being shoddy at all.

Paying $90.00 may be expensive, but you pay for quality. The choice is yours.

I realize that reviewing this product prior to its release date is premature. Still, if this review hasn't been helpful, feel free to leave a comment, telling me how I can improve. July 30, 2008

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