The Matrix Trilogy [Blu-ray] [1999]

This is "The Matrix" trilogy on Blu-ray. It consists of three films: 'The Matrix' (1999), 'The Matrix Reloaded' (2003) and 'The Matrix Revolutions' (2003), starring Keanu Reeves as Neo, Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus, Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity, and Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith. This trilogy is a popular contemporary sci-fi film series, known for its 'bullet time' special effects and philosophically derived story elements. All three films were directed by the Wachowskis, and all three were financial successes. However, the first instalment in the saga is typically regarded as a far superior film - as compared to its sequels. Indeed, 'The Matrix' won four Academy awards (as well as two BAFTA's and two Saturn awards). The first film can be watched and enjoyed as a standalone movie ... while the sequels really only make sense as part of the overall saga. The Matrix franchise does include additional components, such as the collection of animated short films - The Animatrix [Blu-ray] [2003] [Region Free ] - and various videogames (e.g. The Matrix: Path of Neo (Xbox) ). This 3 disc Blu-ray collection is available at a reasonable price - just £10 as I review - but it presents only a few extras. There are other options available, such as Matrix - Ultimate Collection (Ltd) (4 Blu-Ray+3 Dvd) . The 'Ultimate Collection' presents 7 discs, with a huge amount of bonus features ... but I'd recommend that only to enthusiastic fans. The Matrix saga is about a dystopian future, in which the bulk of humankind have been reduced to little more than fodder for a race of intelligent machines. These machines rule the Earth, and use humans as a power source. These humans are trapped in pods, and know nothing of their real existence. Each person is connected to a complex computer programme - a virtual reality - called the Matrix, and (nearly) everyone thinks that this is reality ... As such, people live out their whole lives inside this virtual world. Yet a few people, living deep underground, have made it their mission to free the enslaved humans. These freedom fighters enter the Matrix and try to persuade individuals that the world they know is fake. Of course, the machines don't like this - and so they use super-powered 'agents' to defend and maintain the Matrix. To greatly simplify, the main story of the films concerns one man who is born into the Matrix is destined to be able to manipulate the code of the programme and free others ... This is Neo. In the first movie, Neo is located by the freedom fighters and trained. He experiences an existential crisis of sorts, recognising that he is 'the One' - capable of doing virtually anything (and becoming akin to a super-hero). In the sequels, Neo uses his amazing powers to prevent the machines from destroying all of humankind. The first film is excellent. It's one of the defining sci-fi movies of all time. It's unfortunate that the sequels don't live up to the quality of the original. Yet all are packed full of amazing special effects and action sequences. If you haven't seen these films, I do recommend them. I suggest watching the first - and, only if you really enjoyed it, do I then suggest watching the sequels.

I bought this 1080p Bluray because it has the green tint that I like, the green indicating the artificial nature of the matrix world (some decades old computers and digital devices eg watches or alarm clocks used to display in green font). The 4K Bluray got rid of the green tint and is a lot more inconsistent colour wise with it's blue, teal and yellow tint. The box set itself was packed roughly in cardboard with no cushioning, but it thankfully came in new condition as described. As for the film, though it's ideas are derivative, it's still ahead of it's time. The film still holds ups all these decades later, with a captivating story, action and music, making it truly amidst the best films of all time, leaving such a huge philosophical and cultural impact on everything and everyone, including children as it did to me when I watched it all those years ago at age 8 in 2003 🤯😄. Give it a watch if you haven't already seen it! Don't be fooled by its 'oldness/date', the quality of the image and the story it tells still holds up well today, like it was filmed today. Its one of those films that's inimitable! No really it is, it's that good! From 1999 yet timeless! It can't be remade! It seems surreal writing this amidst living in a time where AI is increasingly and worryingly replacing humans everywhere (including in media) and people are too caught up in the matrix of the internet and social media, which is all often very deceptive, toxic, stressful and unhealthy, but alas this is how life is now. Looking back to the 90s can't say it was a good time for everyone or most, but for sure people lived in the real world and were a lot more confident in their social skills with actual physical friends and activities to do. All the more important today to value time offline from the matrix so you can be healthy and happy and get a good night's sleep 😴, remember that? How that used to feel? Felt refreshing? Felt good didn't it? You miss it! 😢 You can still get it! 🙂

A word about the Blu-Ray quality first. There are some very strange rumours on these pages such as saying that these films are just upscaled DVDs. I don't know where people get these ideas from, but it is simply not true. For a 10 year old film "The Matrix" is very close to the top of the Blu-Ray tree. The close-ups, particularly of Neo and Morpheus, are stunning reference level examples of depth and plasticity. I watched this projected c. 3m wide, and just gawped at the detail in Fishburne's pock-marked face: it was more like having a giant statue of his head on the wall than looking at a flat TV-like image. What some people are looking at and not liking is probably either (a) the occasional use of green colour filtration which is a clever cinematic trick conveying the irreality of The Matrix or (b) the crushed blacks which are a stylistic choice by the film's makers. Yes, the black levels on "The Spirit" make a mockery of these, but that's the look they've gone with. It is also true that not all scenes have reference level sharpness and HD image quality. But very few films 'pop' constantly as it gets boring, and with the aesthetic choices made the film has a very good share of stupendous image quality Audio quality is very good (5.1 True HD) with dialogue and effects well balanced, although some late scenes are significantly louder than earlier ones (and I mean comparing action scenes with action scenes); again, a directorial choice no doubt. In "The Matrix Reloaded" the picture quality is maybe slightly better, the audio a touch more forceful (although the actual music is not as good as in "The Matrix". For me, "Revolutions" is on the same BD level as Part II. But on balance, the boxset is a very good HD release at a crazily cheap price, and it does not deserve the false criticism of its supposedly sub BD-level standard. The films themselves were interesting to see again after what, for me, was quite a long term. The original is magnificent as ever, and I found the second installment much less disappointing than back at the time of release. If you mentally prepare in advance for the wilfully tedious scenes with "The Merovingian" and "The Architect" then you realise that the film is actually a pretty good sequel, and not the disaster it seemed back then. The party scene in Zion is also fairly dull and overlong, but otherwise much better than I remembered. And even if the ending of "Revolutions" is not very satisfying, it remains my second favourite Matrix film, and as Mr Anderson loved to say, perhaps the way it is was "inevitable". For just over a fiver a disc, you cannot go wrong. These are not upscaled DVDs, they are very good BD transfers. Free your mind!

Great film trilogy. Well worth watching

The Matrix Trilogy Blu-ray collection is an excellent choice for fans of the groundbreaking science fiction film series. The collection includes all three Matrix movies - The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded, and The Matrix Revolutions - in stunning high definition, along with a host of bonus features and behind-the-scenes content. We all know what the movies are like so instead let's focus on the disc. One of the main strengths of this Blu-ray collection is the exceptional picture and sound quality. The movies are presented in crystal-clear high definition, with vibrant colors and crisp, detailed images that bring the world of the Matrix to life like never before. The sound quality is also top-notch, with immersive surround sound that makes the action scenes even more thrilling. In addition to the movies themselves, the Blu-ray collection also includes a wealth of bonus features and behind-the-scenes content. Fans can enjoy commentary from the filmmakers, featurettes on the making of the movies, and even a documentary on the philosophy behind the Matrix universe. However, some fans may be disappointed by the lack of additional content or special features beyond what was originally released on DVD. Additionally, the collection may not be suitable for younger audiences due to the films' mature themes and intense action sequences. Overall, The Matrix Trilogy Blu-ray collection is an excellent choice for fans of the series who want to experience the movies in the best possible quality. With its stunning picture and sound, as well as the bonus features and behind-the-scenes content, it is a must-have for any fan of science fiction and action cinema.

Good quality.

With the constant barrage of advertising for The Matrix Resurrections, I decided to re-visit an old classic that I haven't seen in twenty years. I tried to dust off my old leather coat and flip phone, but realised just how fat and old I have become. Ha! In reality, I discovered that The Matrix has held up rather well and the sequels (which I had never seen) weren't all that bad at all. The Matrix Trilogy started off in 1999 with the Wachowski brothers making one of the finest scifi action films of our time. The film had a great cast including Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Hugo Weaving. The premise was so unique and cool that the film blew up on release. It was so huge that you just couldn't escape it. It naturally spawned two sequels in 2003, The Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions. Both films have been panned by fans for years and because of the over exposure, I never got round to watching them. On returning to The Matrix, I found that it was still a great film and hadn't aged a day since I last saw it. Possibly the year after it was released. There's a lot of brilliant action sequences backed up by some excellent music, direction and cinematography. Keanu's acting is as wooden as always but it fit the role perfectly and he was a perfect lead next to Fishburne and Weaving. That scene where he goes through the security barrier all guns blazing still looks incredible. The two sequels Reloaded and Revolutions was honestly not as bad I thought they were going to be. I felt the story was a little convoluted but it was quite serviceable and had lots of good moments that I really enjoyed. I did feel they were a little unnecessary but I loved the way that it opened up the world of The Matrix and we got to see the human world as well as the city of the machines, which was visually stunning. All three films look great on bluray. I believe the colours are a little off from the original print but it doesn't detract from the experience at all. I love the contrast in colour etc from the Matrix and the real world. The upgrade to bluray has certainly done it a lot of good. There are moments where the CGI is a little questionable but I can imagine they didn't look too good back then either. But the heart of the creators were in the right place, making things like that quite forgivable. For something I haven't seen since I was my son's age, I was very impressed. The Matrix Trilogy cost me ten pounds was an absolute steal at that price. I'm so glad I went back to it after so long and I hope others do too. Though, I imagine most people already have it in their collections.

The Matrix classic films, your mind wonders if you are in the real world