The Complete Matrix Trilogy (Warner Bros. HD-DVD)
Picture:
B+ Sound: A- Extras: C+ Films: C+
NOTE: This version and the more expanded Ultimate
HD-DVD have both been discontinued, but the latter has been reissued on
Blu-ray, which you can read more about at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/8087/The+Ultimate+Matrix+Collection
When The Matrix arrived seeming out of
nowhere in 1999, it was not exactly like anything we had not seen before. Many tried to compare it to Film Noir (even
if those observers could not explain what that meant) and others to Ridley
Scott’s Blade Runner or its
imitators. The one thing that did get
people to stop and think was that the action had a new stylization (one that
had really been launched by Stephen Norrington’s key Horror/Superhero/Action
work Blade in 1998, which made the
Marvel Comics film boom we are still in possible) that these films would
eventually claim.
One cycle
this trilogy thankfully killed were that of those silly, annoying “virtual
reality” films that included the odd Strange
Days, started with the likes of Douglas Trumbull’s Brainstorm and even produced the lame Johnny Mnemonic with Keanu Reeves.
When Reeves signed on for The
Matrix and the film’s content summary was roughly revealed, many expected “Johnny Mnemonic II” or worse, but it
obviously did not work out that way.
That is unless you did not like the films.
The Matrix stared innocuously enough with a
chase and a female protagonist who disappears by simply making a phone
call. How did she (Carrie-Ann Moss as
Trinity) do it? What is going on
here? What kind of empty city was she
running around in? We slowly learn that
there are several worlds thanks to the computers who have overtaken the human
race as the dominant force in the world.
In one dimension, the world is the dark, empty one that turns out to be
a middle ground between the “heaven” of a utopia that keeps humans vegetative,
numb, inoculated to reality and in a gilded cage where all that glitters is
cyber gold. In the opposite direction of
that perfect world is the truth where the computer systems and their artificial
intelligence (as if extrapolating on The
Terminator films, which go back to Colossus:
The Forbin Project) are on a fascist annihilation of the human race or
anything else in their way. They even
use human bodies as batteries!
This
first film was a hit when no one was certain (even with Reeves sometimes spotty
box office track record) what the film would do. Then people began talking about it, many of
whom had missed its predecessors and two sequels were on the way. The first film was not as full of itself as
the sequels would be, having a good sense of humor and not afraid to have fun
with various film genres. Many thought
the idea of Reeves character Neo possibly being a savior of any kind was a
joke, but the film was smart enough not to take that too seriously starting
with the training sequences by Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne from Event Horizon) . The film had fun with hardware, martial arts,
reality tricks and had an energy the sequels would lack.
Then
something went wrong. The sequels
arrived and though the trilogy has its fans, there are more than a few who
thought they did not work and went off into directions that had nothing to do
with the first. I agree. Four disconnects between the first and the
sequels are an abandonment of more of that Noir world for more digital effects
than should have ever been created, the sudden serious tone of the follow-up
films, sudden introduction of some human sexuality that seems to come out of
nowhere and a sudden obsession with fantasy elements (including issues of
mortality, as people have different ways they can die and dying is not always
final) and mythology that might have worked better if the sequels also finished
what the first film began.
And they
are all made more obvious by another factor that was beyond the control of the
producers: the events of 9/11. When
people wanted more realism, they received less and felt the trilogy was talking
down to them. Politically, some now
blame the Religious Right for all the chaos that followed from opportunism and
other problems too numerous and really off subject to go into. Needless to say that complicates the
religious theme of the film’s sequels.
The
dichotomy offered is evil computer versus Christian-Judeo fix within the title
locale of seemingly endless cyber-patterns.
Like Tron, such an intent or
point may be sincere, but in both cases fails to address other issues. This is why the Disney film was not a hit and
still has no sequel despite their best efforts, while so many people are
disappointed by the two here. The
cyber/fantasy path alone seems simply anti-climactic and the Wachowski-produced
V For Vendetta (see the HD-DVD
review elsewhere on this site) as remarkable as it is cannot change where the
sequels go.
The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions (both filmed at the same time) in some way
throw out the parts of the first film that got people talking in the first
place in a way that has nothing to do with offering something new. Instead, the Wachowski Brothers seem to try
to be putting Stanley Kubrick back into Ridley Scott by imitating Scott, then
trying to look so much like a Kubrick film that they loose their visual
footing. This might make for some of the
best visual demo moments (the staircase or highway battles), but is more
concerned about looking cool (like the long haired blonde killers from the
highway sequence) that anything that worked gets lost in the shuffle.
Reloaded in particular did not heed the
lessons from The Empire Strikes Back
in how to make a middle chapter work. I
give Hugo Weaving credit for playing a good villain (a color-gutted cyber
version of Jack Kirby’s menacing Marvel Comics classic character(s)/villain (s)
Hydra, i.e. is that a man or army that cannot be stopped?) and he is a really
good, even underrated actor, but even his menace becomes weakened as the sequels
become figuratively and literally repetitious.
I like
the rest of the casting too, so that is never a problem. The later additions of Monica Bellucci and
Nona Gaye are a plus, but never add up as they should, which is the problem all
around when you take this as a trilogy.
However, I was only so impressed with the original to begin with, which
watered down better Science Fiction films before it to be slick product. At least in the beginning, it did not fain
some kind of importance it did not have.
If the
idea was to be like slick, cutting edge action films of the past, the trilogy
fails as compared to the rawest recent expressions of such in Quentin
Tarantino’s Kill Bill films or his Grindhouse
release with Robert Rodriguez.
Tarantino is often accused of pastiche, but he is at least more explicit
about it and the Wachowski’s debut film Bound
was/is often thought of as one of the better Tarantino “imitators” or the like. What is original besides the glowing green
overdose previously associated with Horror genre work is the attempt to deal
with the implications of inhabiting such space and how there can be
consequences. If only it had taken that
route all the way, then this trilogy would have been an inarguable classic.
At the
time of the first film, the reaction on the enthused became so dumb that the
statement was being made that this was the filmmaking of the future that
somehow made directors like (as said by name, believe it or not) Martin
Scorsese, art films and any other important film works obsolete, which is as
absolutely as idiotic a proposition as saying digital and HD imaging somehow
would kill cinematographers and cinematography (note how no one actually has
the guts to take responsibility for such hyperbole by putting their names on
it, showing an obvious cowardice to go with the ignorance) as made by the
ignorant and persons who never liked film (and probably not much of anything
else) to begin with.
One only
needs to think back to the early 1980s when MTV arrived and films like Flashdance and 9 ½ Weeks were being touted as the filmmaking of the future by like
minds then who also never identified themselves. Music Video has changed since then, as have
Video Games. When you look past the hype
and flash, you then begin to realize The
Matrix Trilogy is just an update of the MTV style. Music Video is not dead, though MTV showing
them all the time is, but record labels are pumping big dollars for flash in
their artists’ clips the way Video Game makers are making more advanced games
(adding HD and overproduced digital effects at that) and these films
capitalized on the update unnoticed.
However, by sacrificing substance with flash (despite controversial
political images in the last film which was very welcome), a massive
opportunity was lost for create an enduring classic. Like Tron
before it, expect someone to come along in a few more decades and create a film
to challenge The Matrix Trilogy on
its own terms and maybe they’ll get it all to work.
The 1080p
2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image was shot by Bill Pope, A.S.C., and is consistent
(when the (often dated on arrival) digital effects do not get in the way) and
memorable and dense enough to be recognizable when you see it on site. I am impressed how good this actually looks
considering the lesser DVD-Video transfers I have seen, along with tired
broadcast copies, but I have also seen all three in 35mm and those who enjoyed
it in the theater will start reliving their big screen experiences (IMAX too)
with the films as they watch these solid transfers.
Sound is
always interesting in all Wachowski productions and in this trilogy, that is especially
obvious. Three soundtracks in Dolby
Digital Plus 5.1 are included and they are good, but none (English, French,
Spanish) can match he English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mixes on the three films. Not that the mix always has a deep meaning,
it does give a sense of place the way Alex Proyas’ Dark City (1998, an obvious influence on all aspects of this
trilogy) does between the various worlds, though not always as distinctly in
the sequels. I just wonder if the TrueHD
was at the highest possible bitrates.
There are
25 hours of extras on these HD-DVDs, though if that is not enough for you, the
snazzier Ultimate Matrix Trilogy
HD-DVD box set adds more, but the following for this set are about all most
owners will ever need. Included on all
three sets are the HD-DVD exclusive In-Movie Experience mode that allows for
better navigation and more goodies access, written introductions by the
Wachowski Brothers, TV spots & theatrical trailers for each film
respectively and two commentary tracks.
One is from Dr. Cornel West and Ken Wilber about philosophy, the other
by Todd McCarthy, John Powers and sometimes particularly controversial David
Thomson on the cinematic aspects.
The Matrix also has a Marilyn Manson Music
Video, 41-audio track Music Revisited
isolated score option, seven behind the scenes featurettes and two more audio
commentaries. One is by composer Davis,
the other a cast/crew affair with Moss, Zach Staenberg and John Gaeta. The
Matrix Reloaded also has a P.O.D. Music Video, documentary on the tie-in
videogame, 23 live-action scenes used for the game and four featurettes on the
making of the film. The Matrix Revolutions also has seven behind the scenes
featurettes.
In the
version, the much-discussed Anamatrix
animated shorts series is not included, though it is a downloadable option if
you have an X-BOX 360 and the code included in the case. An interesting side work, it is surprising it
would not just be another extra here in high definition. However, even if you do not have an HD player
or even like the trilogy, we once again want to recommend the hilarious
political send-up called The Meatrix!
Made by
vegetarians, it is a spoof so good that even if you do not agree with the
politics or what is being said, the creators have nailed dead-on the workings
of the trilogy. You can see all about it
at:
www.themeatrix.com
It is
done with much heart, soul and humor. We
dare you to check it out.
As for HD
fans, even if you do not like The
Complete Matrix Trilogy for its content, you really should see the
performance of the picture and sound of these discs just the same. Warner has gone all out and we can only hope
they will aggressively continue on this path for all their HD-DVD and Blu-ray
releases. However, as of this posting,
this trilogy is not out in Blu-ray, so expect this to be a hot exclusive in the
HD-DVD format for a while to come.
- Nicholas Sheffo
