Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) leads a double life. During the day, he is a computer drone for a big corporation; by night, he's Neo, hacker extraordinaire. Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne) opens Neo's eyes to the real world, a vast wasteland where most of humanity has been enslaved by machines that use our bodies as a power source. Neo must reenter The Matrix in order to overthrow the machines and reclaim the Earth.

The Matrix was a huge theatrical hit in 1999 and is widely considered to be the movie that helped launch DVD into the mainstream when it sold over 1 million copies in its first week. A sequel was bound to be released, and in 2003, the Wachowski brothers came out with The Matrix Reloaded followed by The Matrix Revolutions six months later.

A year and a half after its debut on HD DVD, The Matrix trilogy has been reissued on Blu-ray with the exact same VC-1 encodes, which are fantastic. Depth is outstanding with rich detail in both the foregrounds and backgrounds. Colors intentionally have a green cast due to cinematographer Bill Pope's desire to create a world harkening back to the days of monotone computer monitors. Despite the pervasive darkness throughout the trilogy, shadow detail is breathtaking and free of any criticism.

The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtracks are loaded with demo material. In The Matrix, the lobby scene is filled with depth and impact as bullets fly around the room. In The Matrix Reloaded, the highway chase scene places you right in the middle of the action with vehicles careening all over the road. Bass enthusiasts will relish the most intensive room-shaking bass imaginable as the third film draws to its sub-par conclusion. Demo scenes aside, the soundtracks are an aural enjoyment with clear dialog, rich ambience, and a full 360-degree soundfield.

As with the HD DVD release in 2007, the set features an abundance of supplements highlighted by a 1080p/TrueHD 5.1 presentation of The Animatrix, a collection of nine short films exploring the incredible world of The Matrix. The HD DVD presented this feature in standard definition. Each film has an IME (In-Movie Experience)—a PIP commentary delving into the production with cast and crew interviews. In total, there are over 35 hours of bonus features included in the six-disc set.

With a first-rate audio and video presentation, it's hard not to recommend this set. Unfortunately, the discs aren't available on an individual basis, and there are many who will want to sit on the sidelines until The Matrix is available as a single SKU. Even with their flaws, the two follow-ups have their moments, although they still confound me with their bizarre screenplays.

Release Date: October 14, 2008

The Matrix Movie: 9 out of 10
Picture: 10 out of 10
Sound: 10 out of 10

The Matrix Reloaded Movie: 7 out of 10
Picture: 10 out of 10
Sound: 10 out of 10

The Matrix Revolutions Movie: 4 out of 10
Picture: 10 out of 10
Sound: 10 out of 10

Review System

Source
Panasonic DMP-BD30

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 Amplifier
Belkin PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector