First and foremost, thank you to Warner Bros. Home Entertainment for allowing me to review THE MATRIX 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack that includes 4K Ultra HD/Blu-Ray/Digital HD)!
What can I say, I’ve been waiting for The Matrix to come to 4K Ultra HD and also get remade for the big screen! I opened the mail envelope and saw The Matrix cover and the first thing that I did was show my 19-year old son, who made me buy all the DVD’s, Blu-Ray’s and even the game for PlayStation 2. Needless to say, he was GEEKED! I was already impressed with the Blu-Ray, the 4K restoration is mind blowing! This might be one of, if not THE favorite re-release on the 4K Ultra HD front from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.
The HDR makes the 4K Ultra HD worth picking up. The blacks are DEEP but making everything stand out when there are darker colors. The other parts where the HDR stands out are where the “Matrix code” is shown, you know, the neon green numbers and letters that fall like rain drops/water.
The picture quality itself, is top notch. The movie was taken from the original 35mm print and transferred to 4K. There’s not much, if any at all graininess in the picture quality, looking at faces. The only parts that do make you blink a little bit, is the special effects/CGI. There are times when you can tell this was shot over 20 years ago. YES, it was originally released on March 31st of 1999.
The Dolby Atmos Surround Sound is AMAZING! It engulfs you in the movie once you turn the movie on. You can hear where certain things are in the room.
There are PLENTY of BONUS FEATURES! So much so, that there is almost 3 hours, if not more! You get an intro from the Wachowskis.
GRADE: A++
The Matrix Home Release Info:
Written and directed by the Wachowskis and produced by Joel Silver, The Matrix won four Academy Awards* and revolutionized the sci-fi action film genre. The Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures film was the first to sell more than one million DVDs, is included on multiple lists of the top sci-fi films of all time, and in 2012 was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant.
The Matrix 4K UHD release is from a new scan of the original camera negative and is the first remaster of the film in nearly 15 years. The 4K UHD remaster was supervised by the film’s director of photography, Bill Pope (The Matrix Trilogy, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3, Baby Driver). A remastered Blu-ray disc from the new 4K scan is also included.
Ultra HD** showcases 4K resolution with High Dynamic Range (HDR) and a wider color spectrum, offering consumers brighter, deeper, more lifelike colors for a home entertainment viewing experience like never before.
The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray disc of The Matrix will feature Dolby VisionTM HDR that dramatically expands the color palette and contrast range and uses dynamic metadata to automatically optimize the picture for every screen — frame by frame.
Also, the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and Blu-ray discs of The Matrix will feature a Dolby Atmos® soundtrack remixed specifically for the home theater environment to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead. To experience Dolby Atmos at home, a Dolby Atmos enabled AV receiver and additional speakers are required, or a Dolby Atmos enabled sound bar. Dolby Atmos soundtracks are also fully backward compatible with traditional audio configurations and legacy home entertainment equipment.
Cast:
Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Gloria Foster, Joe Pantoliano, Marcus Chong, Julian Arahanga, Matt Doran, Belinda McClory, Anthony Ray Parker, Paul Goddard, Robert Taylor David Aston, Marc Aden Gray
Synopsis:
Perception: Our day-in, day-out world is real.
Reality: That world is a hoax, an elaborate deception spun by all-powerful machines of artificial intelligence that control us.
Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne lead the fight to free humankind in the see-and-see-again cyberthriller written and directed by the Wachowskis, and winner of four Academy Awards.
Bonus Features:
The Matrix Ultra HD Blu-ray contains the following previously released special features:
- Written Introduction by the Wachowskis
- “Philosopher” Commentary by Dr. Cornel West and Ken Wilbur
- “Critics” Commentary by Todd McCarthy, John Powers and David Thomson
- “Cast & Crew” Commentary by Carrie-Anne Moss, Zach Staenberg and John Gaeta
- “Composer” Commentary by Don Davis with Music Only Track
The Matrix Blu-ray contains the following previously released special features:
- The Matrix Revisited
- Follow the White Rabbit
- Take the Red Pill
- Marilyn Manson “Rock is Dead” Music Video
- Teaser Trailer
- Theatrical Trailer
- TV Spots
