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Following is review from DVDFile.com
We now come to the third act of one of filmdom's most financially
successful franchises. It continues the saga of mankind's folly
in creating subservient machines that ultimately gain self-awareness
and rebel against their creators. And again, the filmmakers expect
the viewer to have seen the previous chapters to fully comprehend
the evolution of the plotline. It is time for mankind, too long
trapped in the artificial deception of the matrix, to rise up
against the machines; it's time for The Matrix Revolutions.
We lie coma-like in our technological cocoons, providing a renewable
power source to the machines that have occupied the surface of
an Earth caught in perpetual nuclear winter. Our minds are artificially
stimulated by vast and complex computers, deceiving us, causing
us to believe that we're living our familiar lives in the twenty-first
century. Some have escaped that fate, freedom fighters working
on our behalf. Their numbers have grown and the machines feel
threatened.
During the abrupt climax of The Matrix Reloaded, Neo (Keanu Reeves)
and Bane (Ian Bliss) survived a confrontation with sentinels.
As The Matrix Revolutions opens, both are unconscious. Neo had
stopped the machines with powers that should have been available
to him only in the matrix. We learn that Neo's effort has left
him in a coma, an odd coma that manifests brainwave patterns of
someone who is jacked in. From Neo's point of view, he's in a
Purgatory, an irrationally dimensioned place between reality and
matrix. It resembles a train station from which program constructs
escape their cybernetic servitude to escape into the matrix for
a more pleasant, if not completely artificial, existence. The
station is controlled by Merovingian (Lambert Wilson) - the Frenchman
- through his minion, the Trainman (Bruce Spence). It will fall
to Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne),
guided by the Oracle (Mary Alice), to rescue Neo. And rescue him
they must, for the machines are drilling down through the Earth's
crust to reach humankind's last refuge, the subterranean city
of Zion. A quarter of a million sentinels are poised to swarm
through huge boreholes to destroy the rebellious people who've
escaped captivity.
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The defenders of Zion have not been idle. They prepare for the
invasion, arming their fighting machines and setting up a primary
line of defense within the point of entry, the vast dock that
accepts the city's hoverships. What the city needs is an EMP (electromagnetic
pulse) device to fry the machine invaders' circuits, but all EMPs
are out on the hoverships. Captain Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith)
with Morpheus at her side races back to Zion, hundreds of sentinels
closing on her fast, in a frantic bid to save the city. Neo has
decided that he must undertake an even more desperate voyage,
one that he believes is the only hope for the survival of humankind.
What no one has yet to realize is that - as we saw in the previous
film - Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) has infiltrated reality and
now controls Bane's conscious actions.
Smith is the wildcard. The agent's ability to transform any construct
within the artificial reality of the matrix isn't the only "upgrade"
it's achieved. Smith has become independent of the machines, able
to transform the fabric of the false reality of the matrix and
influence events within the true reality of Neo's world. He's
become an independent sentient program, more powerful than its
machine creators ever intended. Smith's unbridled hatred of Neo
drives the construct onward, as unrelenting as the original Terminator,
but with much more malevolent intent. Not only is it obsessed
with Neo's destruction, it is transforming the matrix into an
Earthly hell.
When the drilling machines break through into the docking area,
we experience one of the most complex and visually stunning battles
yet caught on film. Dozens of combat machines pour thousands of
rounds into the holes created by the boring machines. But no amount
of firepower can stop the uncountable sentinels. They swarm into
the dock like schools of fish, unleashing death with mindless
abandon. Writers-directors Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski
have created a very dark world in every sense of the words. It
isn't clear whether mankind can survive, so the story is compelling,
and yet...
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The underlying elaborate structure has become inconsistent. How
does a computer program, an artificial construct of the matrix
world manifest itself in the real world? How does a human who's
learned to enhance his powers in the artificial matrix world manifest
some of those powers in the real world? And what of Matrix Reloaded's
tantalizing questions left unanswered? Did Neo's choice condemn
mankind to annihilation? Was the Architect lying? Perhaps. The
Architect is a sentient that claims to be incapable of lying,
which itself then must be considered a lie. And what is the significance
of the Oracle's habit of snacking little red pills? We now know
from Matrix Reloaded that the Oracle is a computer program. Another
independent sentient? The architect of revolution? Or just a facilitator?
I can accept those open plot points and the negligence of the
Wachowski Brothers' letting them slide, but I'm still left a bit
dissatisfied. The first film is an ingenious concept of an alternate
reality. It offered remarkable visions of unexpected creativity.
The fusion of martial arts, Eastern philosophies, science fiction,
and social commentary was executed with fascinating skill. But
with each succeeding film, action assumed an increasing priority.
I was looking forward to ingeniously unpredictable resolutions
to my questions. Instead, The Matrix Revolutions is a series of
action set pieces and a distinct geographical shift away from
Eastern mystical philosophy, evoking with little subtlety a Western
religious icon.
That isn't to say that this film should be avoided; it is the
culmination of a long journey that must be seen. I had to learn
of the ultimate fates of Neo, Trinity, Morpheus, Smith, and mankind.
As escapist entertainment that overloads the senses, it can't
be beat.
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Video: How Does The Disc Look?
The film's theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 is presented in
anamorphic video. When I reviewed The Matrix Reloaded, I commented
that, "The images are razor sharp without a hint of edge
halos. Nothing but the feature film is present on disc one of
this two-disc set, so the bit budget had to have been dedicated
exclusively to the presentation - a Superbit-like philosophy.
Having given up my Sony DVP-S7000 for a Denon DVD-9000 [over]
a year ago, I no longer have the means to display the bit rate,
but judging by the quality of the images, I'd guess that it's
well above the average DVD. Fine-grained textures and small object
detail are outstanding. In fact, all the attributes worth mentioning
are exceptional on this disc: shadow detail, color accuracy, chroma
saturation, the lack of smearing, and the absence of both mosquito
noise and macro-blocking. Watching it projected onto an eight-foot
wide screen was truly a pleasure. This DVD earns a rare top rating
for video quality." Warner has duplicated the effort
it made on Reloaded; The Matrix Revolutions is a reference quality
transfer.
Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?
The DVD's audio track is a superb Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. Surround
channels are extremely active and benefit wonderfully from EX
decoding. During the battle in the dock, the viewer is completely
and convincingly submerged in an enveloping sound field. When
I had a similar reaction to Reloaded, I visited the Dolby website
to confirm whether or not Reloaded and Revolutions were official
EX mixes; I found that neither was on Dolby's list of upcoming
or previously released EX-mixed films. Regardless, if you have
EX decoding available, please enable the mode. As with Reloaded,
I could once again feel extremely deep bass. The fabric of my
pants legs move from the pressure waves. Explosions thwack the
pit of my stomach. Very impressive. Sound effects and gunfire
are conveyed with brisk attack times, a visceral experience. The
driving orchestral score by Don Davis is presented with very pleasing
fidelity within a convincing acoustic space. The dialog runs distortion-free
throughout. This excellent track is a perfect accompaniment to
the exceptional transfer.
The alternate language is in French, presented in Dolby Digital
5.1. Optional subtitles are offered in Spanish, French, and English,
for which Closed Captions are also included.
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Supplements: What Goodies Are There?
Very few supplements are included on disc one; the bits were
dedicated to the presentation. All you will find is a collection
of related trailers: The Matrix Teaser (0:54);
The Matrix Reloaded Teaser (1:13); Animatrix Teaser (0:59); and,
The Matrix Revolutions theatrical trailer (2:20). All other supplements
are found on the second disc, where you will find a fine collection
of full screen and non-anamorphic widescreen documentaries.
Revolutions Recalibrated (27:00) takes us on
a personal journey with the featured players and the filmmakers
as they describe the experience of making the Matrix series. We
gain significant insight into how specific sequences and effects
were done. Included are entirely too many spoilers that will impact
the viewer who has not yet seen the film, so as I always recommend,
save the supplements until after you've enjoyed the main event.
During this short, watch for a white rabbit to
appear in the lower right of the screen. Press enter while it's
visible and you'll be diverted to another great little featurette
(12:22) that discusses the evolution of the highly sophisticated
cinematic techniques that had their Genesis in bullet time.
What hath George Lucas wrought? In CG Revolution
(15:23), we're guided through the myriad of computer generated
or computer supplemented special effect techniques that run through
the film. We learn about the miniatures, the full size set elements,
sophisticated motion capture, and the hydraulic gimbal mechanisms
that create the preprogrammed motions that correspond to the CGI
ballet. This is an absorbing glimpse into the evolution of imaging
technology.
Super Burly Brawl (6:17) is a familiar feature
that allows the viewer to compare storyboards, raw footage, and
final composite in three windows. By using either the angle button
or by making a selection from the view numbers in the upper left
of the screen, the viewer may select which images occupy the largest
window. I favor the raw footage view. What sets this supplement
apart from similar comparison features found on other DVDs is
the inclusion of the white rabbit, twice. Press enter with the
rabbit visible and you'll be transported to a featurette
(7:11) about reproducing a multiplicity of Smiths. A bit later,
the rabbit will appear again to invite you to another featurette
(8:04) that shows us the interaction between the actors and the
fight choreographers as they and their stunt doubles perform wire
and rig work.
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Future Gamer: The Matrix Online (10:59) in an
introduction to the massive multiplayer online game that will
continue the epic beyond the events in this third film. The game's
plotline is intended to evolve organically as the players interact,
but there still remains a significant influence by the creators
as they establish the environment and provide significant events.
The hardware and software approaches are described for this very
ambitious effort.
Before the Revolution is a text-based supplement
that traces the history of the Matrix timeline. Navigation though
a series of screens is accomplished with the cursor and enter
buttons. Some screens have stills; others have full motion illustrations
that repeat when the sequence completes. Those familiar with Animatrix
will recognize images from that source in several sections, more
clearly tying together those animated shorts and the feature films;
the rest of the images are taken from the motion pictures. From
time to time, you may think that you're experiencing some navigation
glitches as you move through the images and text. Onscreen control
prompts in the form of short vertical lines in what appears to
be a horizontal bar graph are usually highlighted properly, but
sometimes the highlighting moves to what seems to be a wrong icon,
an arrow bracket. Select it for another screen of information,
then maneuver back. This odd navigation felt like the DVD producers
added extra timeline events as an afterthought without modifying
the original graphics and routing.
3-D Evolution is a photo gallery with an ingenious
and almost gratuitously complex user interface. Here you'll find
concept art, storyboards, and final scenes. A Play All option
skips that user interface and slowly works its way through all
of the materials, automatically sequencing from one image to another.
The next chapter button will speed you on your way.
This leaves the last significant supplement, which is called
Operator. Missed the white rabbit during any
of the other extras? Not to worry. Here you will find direct access
to those embedded featurettes. And it's here that we learn that
they have specific titles: Neo Realism (12:22); Super Big Mini
Models (8:47); Double Agent Smith (7:11); and, Mind Over Matter
(8:04).
You'll find some abbreviated DVD credits on both discs. The
129-minute feature film is organized into thirty-three chapters.
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DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc
in your PC?
There are several DVD-ROM features on this DVD; they're presented
on a main screen after your InterActual Player loads with a new
Matrix skin. Tunnel Recon Flash Game is very
retro, harking back to Pac-Man. Maneuver through a maze of tunnels
to collect four EMPs before sentinels can attack and destroy you.
The firing controls that allow you to defend yourself are cumbersome,
but many will find the game nostalgic.
If you have Adobe Reader installed on your computer (and you
should), clicking on The Matrix Comics opens
a large PDF file that contains a promotional preview of tales
from The Matrix in graphic novel form. This full color PDF file
also contains a fully illustrated sample story and synopses of
upcoming tales. This pleasant surprise is another example of how
The Matrix has invaded many media forms.
TheMatrix.com Preview Player is an interactive
feature that allows a glimpse into the new Matrix website. A few
still images and videos hot links are available on the disc. But
why watch a preview when you can visit the real thing? Click on
TheMatrix.com in the Links section and if you
have active Internet access, you'll be transported to the portal.
Specify the bandwidth of your connection and enjoy. I particularly
liked the graphical representation of the site that featured hot
links. Very handy. The Matrix Online Game does
not seem to be active yet; clicking on that link brought me to
the same website as TheMatrix.com. DVD Events
unsurprisingly takes you to the Warner DVD Events page for everything
you wanted to know about Warner DVDs.
Parting Thoughts
This $110 million film earned $412 million worldwide, a remarkable
success. Highly entertaining and compelling, The Matrix Revolutions
is a must-see for anyone who enjoyed the previous films. The transfer
is superb; the supplements are generous, comprehensive, and involving.
My nitpicks and frustrations aside, this DVD two-disc set is highly
recommended.
[Edited on 5-4-2004 by nasif]