The Matrix Revolutions (2003) |
|
The Matrix Revolutions (2003) |
|
|
| BUY IT |
| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Science Fiction |
Menu Animation & Audio Scene Selection Anim & Audio Teaser Trailer-The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded, The Animatrix Theatrical Trailer-Revolutions Web Links-Official Site Featurette-Making Of-Revolutions Recalibrated Featurette-CG Revolution Featurette-Super Burly Brawl, With Multiple Video Streams Featurette-Operator: Neo Realism, Super Big Mini Models Featurette-Operator: Double Agent Smith, Mind Over Matter Featurette-Future Gamer: The Matrix Online Notes-Before The Revolution - Matrix Timeline Gallery-3-D Evolution Dolby Digital Trailer |
|
| Rating |
|
||
| Year Of Production | 2003 | ||
| Running Time | 123:56 | ||
| RSDL / Flipper |
RSDL (55:08) Dual Disc Set |
Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Ads Then Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 4 | Directed By |
Andy Wachowski Larry Wachowski |
|
Studio
Distributor |
 Roadshow Home Entertainment |
Starring |
Keanu Reeves Carrie-Anne Moss Laurence Fishburne Hugo Weaving Jada Pinkett Smith Monica Bellucci Rachel Blackman Henry Blasingame Ian Bliss David Bowers Zeke Castelli Sing Ngai Essie Davis |
| Case | Amaray-Transparent-S/C-Dual | ||
| RPI | $49.95 | Music | Don Davis |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None | English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) | |
| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 2.40:1 | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement |
 |
||
| Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 2.35:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | No | ||
| Subtitles |
English English for the Hearing Impaired |
Smoking | Yes |
| Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
| Action In or After Credits | No | ||
Revolutions picks up the storyline from exactly where we left it in Reloaded - the ship Logos has been paralysed and the remaining crew of the Nebuchadnezzar are now aboard the Hammer. Neo has been in a comatose state since his encounter with the sentinels, and appears to be behaving as though he is still connected to the Matrix even though he is not physically jacked in. Laying next to his unconscious form is the body that now houses the real-world personification of Smith.
During an emergency meeting with a visibly different Oracle (actress Gloria Foster sadly passed away during filming), Morpheus and Trinity learn that Neo is being held in a purgatory of sorts between the machine world and the real world. The keeper of this domain is called the Trainman, an individual who deals in the transportation of exiled programs who want to escape deletion. The Trainman happens to be loyal to the Merovingian and is keeping Neo isolated at the Frenchman's request. With Seraph by their side, Trinity and Morpheus set out to confront the Merovingian and gain the release of Neo.
A recent visit to the Oracle has made Neo's path clearer, so after some deep thought he takes the ship Logos to the machine city for a chat with the leader of the machine world. While he and Trinity are making their way into the belly of the beast, the residents of Zion are preparing for an onslaught from the ever-nearing machine army. With limited artillery at their disposal and no EMP for defense, their outlook is bleak to say the least. Morpheus and the crew of the Hammer are all too aware of the impending doom facing the city and rush to their aid via an obscure and difficult to navigate maintenance route, with sentinels hot on their trail.
This final film of the trilogy weaves a number of plot threads through to the conclusion of the series, culminating in the final one-on-one showdown between Smith and Neo: a fight to the death for the survival of Zion. This instalment of the series contains significantly less philosophical meandering than its predecessor, which should please a lot of viewers. While they are obviously content to baffle their audience with preachy sub-text, it seems strange that the Wachowski brothers would opt to rewrite the script so as to explain the absence of Gloria Foster rather than let the audience deal with a different actress. Do they think we've never seen more than one actor in a role before?
Now that the trilogy has reached its conclusion, some are questioning the need for a trilogy at all. Would the first film have stood better on its own, or is three films just too much of a good thing? Whatever your belief, there is no doubt that The Matrix saga is a successful blend of action, kung-fu, sci-fi and romance like no other series of films.
This is an exemplary transfer to DVD, with no major problems to report. The video transfer is slightly overmatted as 2.40:1, however this is relatively close to the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Be aware that the cover falsely lists the transfer as 1.85:1.
The level of sharpness and detail is outstanding in both foreground and background objects, in particular the skin textures of facial close-ups and the weathered pieces of complex machinery. I also felt that the film's rain-drenched climax benefited greatly from the high degree of sharpness - the fine detail and shimmering quality of the heavy rain is impressive. There are a high number of dark to very dark scenes during the feature, each exhibiting very good shadow detail. Black levels appeared to be consistent and solid throughout the film with a deep, jet quality. There was absolutely no low level noise present in the transfer.
There aren't a lot of bright colourings to be found in this film. From the dark depths of Zion to the grey concrete of The Matrix, apart from a few key scenes this is a pretty bland film colour-wise. As such, there were no instances of colour bleeding or oversaturation in the transfer at all. Skin tones appeared true and did not present any issues whatsoever.
Compression artefacting was nowhere to be seen, as it should be. The MPEG video bitrate of this transfer is variable, but maintains a fairly consistent average of 5.58Mb/s which certainly isn't superbit grade, but is fair. An inconsequential degree of film grain is present on a number of occasions, but it is not at all problematic. Film artefacts were also absent thanks to this beautiful, clean print. A couple of very minor instances of aliasing occur in some brief scenes, but as a whole the problem is very well controlled.
Two English subtitle streams are available, one standard stream and a second for the hearing impaired. I alternated between the two for the duration of the film and found them both to be very easy to read and accurate to the spoken word.
Disc one is a dual layered disc (DVD9 format), with the layer transition placed during the first half of the feature at 55:08. The transitional pause noticeably interrupts background noise, but is well placed in a black moment on screen. I could not think of many other convenient places to insert this pause, so it is much more preferable than having it placed during a line of dialogue.
| Sharpness |  |
| Shadow Detail | |
| Colour | |
| Grain/Pixelization | |
| Film-To-Video Artefacts |  |
| Film Artefacts | |
| Overall | |
There is only one audio track on this DVD, an English Dolby Digital 5.1 mix encoded at 448Kb/s. This soundtrack is not surprisingly an improvement on the lower bitrate that was bestowed on Region 4 for the Reloaded DVD.
I didn't encounter any problems understanding dialogue at all. Even in the noisiest, most important scenes there is a good balance between the score, effects and the spoken word. The film's ADR work seems to be similarly spot on and perfectly in sync at all times.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is a cracker - constantly bubbling with activity and enveloping the listener well. Atmospheric effects abound in this soundtrack - from natural effects such as wind, rain and lightning to ricochets and gunfire, the rear channels are used extensively throughout the film. There is a particularly great use of a surrounding wind effect during the confrontation between Smith and The Oracle, swirling around the room in all directions in a most convincing manner. For me personally, the highlight of this soundtrack is the voice of the Deus Ex Machina (God of Machines) who responds to Neo with an almighty voice that encompasses all six channels of the surround system, booming out syllables like claps of thunder. As far as soundtracks go, this is up with some of the best surround mixes I have heard. Yes, a higher bitrate would have been nice - even a beefy dts option would have been great, but this soundtrack has good depth all round and presents a more than acceptable listening experience.
The soundtrack score by Don Davis is quite memorable, accentuating the emotional highs and lows of the film with ease. This time around the composer utilises some very interesting elements within his score to add depth and colour, including some ambitious choral arrangements and percussive layers that give the score an exciting eastern feel at times. Of all three films, I believe this is my favourite score due the various different styles that are at play.
The subwoofer is used for many elements throughout the film. From the trademark opening entrance to the many bursts of active gunfire and explosions, this soundtrack will certainly give your sub a workout. As I already stated, the use of the LFE channel during the voice of Deus Ex Machina is extraordinary and quite exciting.
| Dialogue | |
| Audio Sync | |
| Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
| Surround Channel Use | |
| Subwoofer | |
| Overall | |
This is a good collection of extra features, and very well presented - but there aren't any real surprises to be found here. I found myself wading through these behind the scenes featurettes with the distinct feeling that I'd heard all the same back-patting and techno-babble on the last two releases. No commentaries? No isolated score? No deleted scenes? No dts audio? In my opinion, there is no way that this could be the definitive release of this film on DVD.
All of the content on disc one is 16x9 enhanced.
Each one of these trailers is presented with 16x9 enhancement and Dolby Digital 2.0 audio.
When the disc is inserted into your PC an Interactual Player loads, directing you to the official Matrix website.
The extras disc is single layered (DVD5 formatted) and is comprised predominately of behind the scenes featurettes with cast and crew interviews. Apart from the menus and still galleries, all of the content on this disc is presented in an aspect of 1.33:1 with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio and optional English subtitles.
This is an extremely fast paced featurette that squeezes together some brief pieces of information concerning most aspects of the production, without getting very in-depth.
Starting with the final days of shooting, the first part steps through the many ups and downs experienced by the cast and crew during the production. A lot of mixed emotions are expressed regarding the project reaching its end. Some cast members are glad it's over while others seem apathetic. A number of tragedies struck the cast during production, most of all the passing of Gloria Foster who played the Oracle in the first two films.
Multiple takes of various action sequences are shown along with cast and crew interviews, detailing the day to day physical challenges that were met by the cast. The efficiency and coordination that was required between departments in order to complete the many special effects sequences and fulfil the shooting schedule was amazing. We get to see portions of the pre-visualisation sequences that were made for the major battle scene and countless before and after shots. This making of is presented in an aspect of 1.33:1 with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio and optional English subtitles.
By combining key animator interviews with excerpts from the film and assorted pre-visualisation sequences, this short featurette takes us from the conceptual drawing stage right through to the final stages of CG rendering.
Three alternate angles are offered of the showdown between Neo and Smith, albeit with only one audio stream. Angle one is comprised of the finished product, angle two contains storyboard artwork and the third angle features behind the scenes footage. The layout of this extra is a bit cumbersome, but makes for interesting viewing all the same.
This section includes four short featurettes covering the many different methods used in the special effects realm.
Although it was a little difficult to navigate at first, once I got the hang of its many assorted functions this gallery became interesting. There are fourteen stills from the film, each with corresponding buttons to access both conceptual artwork and storyboard frames relating to that particular scene from the film. There are quite a few stills here to wade through, so it should keep you busy for a while.
When the disc is inserted into your PC an Interactual Player loads, directing you to the official Matrix website.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
The video transfer is an outstanding example of what can be achieved on this format.
The audio transfer is an excellent surround experience.
The extras are good, but definitely won't blow your mind.
| Video | |
| Audio | |
| Extras | |
| Plot | |
| Overall | |
| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | Pioneer DV-525, using Component output |
| Display | Panasonic TX76PW10A 76cm Widescreen 100Hz. Calibrated with Video Essentials/Digital Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable. |
| Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials/Digital Video Essentials. |
| Amplification | Denon AVR-2802 Dolby EX/DTS ES Discrete |
| Speakers | Orpheus Aurora lll Mains (bi-wired), Rears, Centre Rear. Orpheus Centaurus .5 Front Centre. Mirage 10 inch sub. |