THE ULTIMATE MATRIX COLLECTION
Directed by the Wachowski Brothers
On DVD
(*****)
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Written By: John H. Foote
     Not being a huge fan of the films I approached this massive collection with a tinge of dread, however, after one viewing of The Matrix (1999; ****) the first fabulous film in the series, I was won over.
 
  This ten disc collection contains all three of the Matrix films, The Matrix (1999), The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003), one Revisited disc for each film, the Animatrix, the Roots of the Matrix, the Burly Man Chronicles, and the Zion Archive. There are documentaries galore, so much information about each film it becomes dizzying, commentary from critics and philosophers, interviews with the stars of the films, and reaction from fans of the cult classic. There are music videos, storyboards, concept artwork, TV trailers, and hours and hours of behind the scenes footage that will leave any matrix drooling when they get the box and overwhelmed after viewing everything contained on the platters.
  
The Matrix (1999; ***) was a reasonably low budget science fiction film released in early 1999 with little expectation from the studio. It was hoped that the film would attract some computer geek fans and make its money back, but there was nobody predicting the film would become the blockbuster it became. At years’ end the film was on many ten best lists, easily surpassing that other science fiction film of the same year Star Wars – The Phantom Menace (1999) and collected three Academy Awards for sound editing, visual effects and film editing. The picture was copied to death in films that followed, and the makers announced there would be not one but two sequels filmed at the same time, released just a few months apart.
 
  The basic premise is that humans are being used as batteries by machines which are slowly trying to overtake humanity. In order to keep the humans happy and believing they are living in a world of their own making, the machines have created a world within the matrix that is sort of a parallel existence. When a young computer programmer who calls himself Neo (Keanu Reeves) who hacks at night is approached by Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne) and told he might be the one, he is a non-believer. Morpheus and his crew can enter the matrix to do battle against the machines and gradually they teach Neo to do the same, proving himself to be a great warrior.

   The visual effects within the film are simply breathtaking, from the extraordinary martial arts battles to the dodging of bullets that approach in slow motion, the viewer will be quite literally blown away.
  
The sequels offer essentially more of the same, as the machines expand their power and hammer away at the human race closing in onZionfor the final battle that will finally wipe out the human race. Neo is now a fierce and brilliant warrior, usually battling Mr. Smith (Hugo Weaving) a nasty villain who can recreate himself thousands of times and fight Neo with an army of himself.
  
The Matrix Reloaded (2003; **) suffers from being a straight up action film with so little in the way of plot development that I wondered if the same men were directing the picture. There was obviously pressure put on the Brothers to go further than they did with the first film, and they certainly achieve that with some stunning set pieces including a lengthy truck chase that quite dominates the film. Reeves does not give us anything new as Neo other than to appear tortured with the burden of being “the one”. If the film has a saving grace it is clearly Hugo Weaving who is simply superb as Mr. Smith, the villain of the year.
 
  The Matrix Revolutions (2003; ***) the finale of the trilogy is marginally stronger than the second but in no way competes with the first which was bold and innovative. One would hope that the trilogy would end with a bang not a whimper, but not so. The film is exciting, as the machines move to wipe outZion, but there is so little involvement with the characters it becomes all about action and visuals. The dialogue is often brutal reminding me of the cheesy words spoken by Charlton Heston as Moses in The Ten Commandments (1956). It is one thing to give actors awful words to speak it is quite another to find strong actors to speak it. Hugo Weaving can get away with pretty much anything in these films, he is simply that fine an actor, and Lawrence Fishburne brings a sense of quiet strength to Morpheus, but Reeves, is well, Reeves. The man has never been a strong actor, but obviously hits his marks and delivers the lines well. I had a hard time believing him to be the one…the one of anything for that matter, but the saviour of the human race?In that lies the central problem with all three films, as stunning as they are does anyone really place the hope of humanity on Reeves?
  
Overall the second and third films were not as strong as the first, neither in content or execution. Despite having lavish budgets for the second and third pictures, the Wachowski Brothers could not repeat the sense of mystery and awe of the first film. True the effects were bigger and more plentiful, but partly because of being imitated to death, not nearly as interesting.
 
  The three films are presented in beautiful anamorphic widescreen with remastered sound, and remain the best reason to buy the collection. They look superb with their dark cinematography and nourish presentation. The extras pound us with information, perhaps too much because I began to feel like a Trekkie overdosing on Matrix info…get a life.  
  
One of the best DVD collections of the year.










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