Review of Matrix, The

Video

As a movie whose whole premise involves a computer simulation this should be ideal DVD fodder, and it does NOT disappoint at all. The picture is sharp. Blacks are black, colours are vibrant. I don`t think I noticed one single artifact throughout the whole film. The quality of the black areas really helps this disc as the lead female spends allot of time in tight black PVC outfits . . . . yummy :)On the PVC note it has to be said that the whole look of the movie is great. The stars dress slick and the villans look cool. The main villan is particularly cool, very deep voice and an inchanging expression. Exactly what a top villan should be :)

Audio

The visuals are accompanied by excellent audio as well. I don`t think it is quite reference quality. When I say not reference quality this is probably more down to the fact that there don`t appear to be any specifically engineered set pieces (such as the opening sequence in Star Trek: First contact for example). The bullets whiz past you convincingly. There is the obligatory Dolby Digital helicopter which never fails to impress on a good amplifier and speaker system. The ambient sounds are also well done and it all hangs together superbly. On the music side again it all hangs together vert well indeed. the score is great, very techy, and the dance tracks suit the movie very well (alwasy nice to hear the prodigy in a movie).

Features

s*** . . . where do I start? This is THE disc to get to show off exactly what DVD has to offer. We have documentaries, commentaries (with the gorgeous Trinity aka Carrie-Anne Moss, she sounds VERY sexy), audio only track, behind the scenes pieces and much more. Also it is packed to the gills with extras specifically included for DVD Rom equipped PCs. This covers such things as scripts, storyboards, the complete web site . . . just tones of stuff! By the way, the commentary is good but Carrie-Ann doesn`t say enough, she has such a sexy voice on the commentary and I wanted to here more :)

The standout extra for me is the "Follow the white rabbit" feature. Set this feature to "on" in the special features menu and then watch the movie. At certain points you will see a white rabbit, select it and you are taken to a behind the scenes section about how they actually did the scene. Absolutely bloody amazing!

Conclusion

When I first saw this movie at the cinema I didn`t know what to expect. It was allot to take in and, to be honest, it wasn`t until I saw it a second time that I fully understood what was going on. It is a very interesting idea, the fact that the world as we know it could be a deception pulled over our eyes to blind us from the truth. Very nice, and were it true how would we know :)

I digress. This movie is great. The special effects are excellent, as you would expect. Lawrence Fishbourne is really slick as Morpheus, he really has a certain something that just commands respect. Carrie-Anne Moss is simply a goddess in PVC and she is great in her action scenes.

Keanu Reeves is ideal for the role of Neo, the young hacker who really needs to get out more :) I must take my hat off to the fight scenes. They are amazing, especially the scene in the underground station, you couldn’t have an action movie without a good ole face off :)

So, can I fault this disc? Nope, this is what DVD was designed for. Get it now or sell your player!