Product Description
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Ten-disc set includes "The Matrix," "The Matrix Reloaded," "The
Matrix Revolutions," the documentary "The Matrix Revisited," and
"The Animatrix". Standard and Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks:
English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital
5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital stereo, Italian
Dolby Digital 5.1, Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital
stereo; Subtitles: English (SDH), French, Spanish, Dutch,
Italian, Portuguese; audio commentary; "making of" documentaries;
photo gallery; storyboards; music video; TV spots; theatrical
trailers; more.
.com
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The Matrix
By following up their debut thriller Bound with the 1999
box-office smash The Matrix, the codirecting Wachowski
brothers--Andy and Larry--annihilated any suggestion of a
sopre jinx, crafting one of the most exhilarating
sci-fi/action movies of the 1990s. Set in the not too distant
future in an insipid, characterless city, we find a young man
named Neo (Keanu Reeves). A software techie by day and a computer
hacker by night, he sits alone at home by his monitor, waiting
for a sign, a signal--from what or whom he doesn't know--until
one night, a mysterious woman named Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss)
seeks him out and introduces him to that faceless character he
has been waiting for: Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne). A messiah of
sorts, Morpheus presents Neo with the truth about his world by
shedding light on the dark secrets that have troubled him for so
long: "You've felt it your entire life, that there's something
wrong with the world. You don't know what it is, but it's there,
like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad." Ultimately,
Morpheus illustrates to Neo what the Matrix is--a reality beyond
reality that controls all of their lives, in a way that Neo can
barely comprehend.
Neo thus embarks on an adventure that is both terrifying and
enthralling. Pitted against an enemy that transcends human
concepts of evil, Morpheus and his team must train Neo to believe
that he is the chosen champion of their fight. With
mind-boggling, technically innovative special effects and a
thought-provoking script that owes a debt of inspiration to the
legacy of cyberpunk fiction, this is much more than an
out-and-out action yarn; it's a thinking man's journey into the
realm of futuristic fantasy, a dreamscape full of eye candy that
will satisfy sci-fi, kung fu, action, and adventure fans alike.
Although the film is headlined by Reeves and Fishburne--who both
turn in fine performances--much of the fun and excitement should
be attributed to Moss, who flawlessly mixes vulnerability with
immense strength, making other contemporary female heroines look
timid by comparison. And if we were going to cast a vote for most
dastardly movie villain of 1999, it would have to go to Hugo
Weaving, who plays the feckless, semipsychotic Agent Smith with
panache and edginess. As the film's box-office profits soared,
the Wachowski brothers announced that The Matrix is merely the
first chapter in a cinematically dazzling franchise--a chapter
that is arguably superior to the other sci-fi smash of 1999 (you
know... the one starring Jar Jar Binks). --Jeremy Storey
The Matrix Reloaded
Considering the lofty expectations that preceded it, The Matrix
Reloaded triumphs where most sequels fail. It would be impossible
to match the fresh audacity that made The Matrix a global
phenomenon in 1999, but in continuing the exploits of rebellious
Neo (Keanu Reeves), Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), and Trinity
(Carrie-Anne Moss) as they struggle to save the human sanctuary
of Zion from invading machines, the codirecting Wachowski
brothers have their priorities well in order. They offer the
obligatory bigger and better highlights (including the impressive
"Burly Brawl" and freeway chase sequences) while remaining
focused on cleverly plotting the middle of a brain-teasing
trilogy that ends with The Matrix Revolutions. The metaphysical
underpinnings can be dismissed or scrutinized, and choosing the
latter course (this is, after all, an epic about choice and free
will) leads to astonishing repercussions that made Reloaded an
explosive hit with critics and hardcore fans alike. As the
centerpiece of a multimedia franchise, this dynamic sequel ends
with a cliffhanger that virtually guarantees a mind-blowing
conclusion. --Jeff Shannon
The Matrix Revolutions
Despite the inevitable law of diminishing returns, The Matrix
Revolutions is quite satisfying as an adrenalized action epic,
marking yet another milestone in the exponential evolution of
computer-generated special effects. That may not be enough to
satisfy hardcore Matrix fans who turned the Wachowski Brothers'
hacker mythology into a quasi-religious pop-cultural phenomenon,
but there's no denying that the trilogy goes out with a cosmic
bang instead of the whimper that many expected. Picking up
precisely where The Matrix Reloaded left off, this 130-minute
finale finds Neo (Keanu Reeves) at a virtual junction, defending
the besieged human enclave of Zion by confronting the attacking
machines on their home turf, while humans combat swarms of
tentacled mechanical sentinels as Zion's e lies in the
balance. It all as to a blaze of CGI glory, devoid of all
but the shallowest emotions, and so full of metaphysical hokum
that the trilogy's detractors can gloat with I-told-you-so
sarcasm. And yet, Revolutions still succeeds as a slick, exciting
hybrid of cinema and video game, operating by its own internal
logic with enough forward momentum to make the whole trilogy seem
like a thrilling, magnificent dream. -- Jeff Shannon