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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
The Matrix Revolutions Revisited (2004)

The Matrix Revolutions Revisited (2004)

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Released 6-Dec-2004
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Details At A Glance

General		Extras
Category	Documentary	Main Menu Audio & Animation Featurette-Owen's Army: The Australian Art Dept, Featurette-2nd Unit: A World Of Their Own Featurette-Bill Pope: Cinematographer Of The Matrix Featurette-Masters Of Light And Shadow Featurette-Coat Check, Upsidedown Under, Fast Break Featurette-Exploding Man, Gun Club. The Extras Of Club Hel Featurette-Dig This, The Siege Action Match, Featurette-Anatomy Of A Shot: Mifune's Last Stand Featurette-Building An Apu, Product Of Zion Featurette-The Skybarn, The Crater, The Egg Featurette-Anatomy Of The Superpunch Featurette-Revolutionary Composition Featurette-The Glue Featurette-Dane Tracks Featurette-Cause And Effects DVD-ROM Extras
Rating	?
Year Of Production	2004
Running Time	175:20 (Case: 189)
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu	Cast & Crew
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Josh Orech
Studio Distributor	Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	Owen Paterson Kimble Rendall Bill Pope James McTeigue R.A. Rondell Steve Courtley Leo Henry Kym Barett John Gaeta Chad Strahelski Jules Cook Don Davis Zach Staenberg
Case	?	Starring
RPI	Box	Music	Various

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	Full Frame	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	None
16x9 Enhancement	No
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.33:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No	Miscellaneous
Subtitles	English	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

Here we have the 6th disc in this 10 disc collection. The Matrix Revolutions was one of the most anticipated trilogy endings in many years. Many wanted to see the final showdown between Neo and Smith. Others wanted to see if The Wachowski Bros. could write themselves out of the corner that they had written themselves into in the second film, The Matrix Reloaded. When the dust finally settled, the reviews were mixed, but mostly they fell against the directing brothers. The final film was thought to lack direction and convolute rather than resolve the loose ends of the story. Perhaps they had an idea in their head(s) that was fine in thought but impossible to carry out in the real world. All that said, you have to at least give them credit for trying.

Whatever your opinion of this film, one must recognize the mammoth task that was creating it. The sheer man-hours and creative expertise that went into the creation of this and The Matrix Reloaded that was shot at the same time was a huge job; on a par with that done by Peter Jackson on the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. The technology that went into the making of this film didn't exist just a few years ago, and several advancements in digital character creation were created by the teams making this film. This extras disc is as much a tribute to those creative souls that designed this movie as it is to the actors who brought the characters in this film to life. For every Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss and Hugo Weaving there is a Owen Paterson, R.A. Rondell and Steve Courtley. Who are they? This disc is a dedication to them and their vision in making this film.

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Transfer Quality

Video

The video here is good, mostly full frame and in the documentary style that we've seen in The Matrix Revisited and The Matrix Reloaded Revisited.

The video is presented full frame (1.33:1), although there is some 2.35:1 material that isn't 16x9 enhanced.

We get the same level of sharpness and detail that we've seen with The Matrix Revisited and The Matrix Reloaded Revisited. As we've seen on the last extras discs, there are some issues dependant on the equipment that was used to capture the footage used here. I still wish that the filmmakers had filmed in 16x9, but I can't really complain about the overall quality of the footage presented here as it is quite watchable. Shadow detail is workable and completely acceptable in the context of the material. Low level noise is noticeable on a couple of occasions, but not a problem within the context of the programme.

Colour's use in this supplementary material is very natural and suitable for the programme. Its commitment to disc is good.

The compression rate here is good at around 5.00 Mb/s, which is enough to keep MPEG nasties at bay. There is some level of shimmer from aliasing, but not to a distracting extent. Edge enhancement is also present, but it doesn't make the programme unwatchable.

There is only one subtitle option available, that being an English one. It is reasonable enough to show the general gist of the film, but it isn't word for word.

This disc is formatted dual layer with the change taking place between the extras.

*Video Ratings Summary*
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

The audio here is reasonable and serves the material well.

There is only one audio option here, that being an English Dolby Digital 2.0 mix running at 192 Kb/s.

The dialogue quality here is fine and I at no stage had any problems understanding the spoken word from the numerous persons that are in the programme. Audio sync is also reasonable.

There are various musical portions in this set of extras, with some of the contributors being Out of Body, Frozen Light, Droptest, Angels in Bondage, Omar Torres, Paul Cooper and Freak Control among others. Some of the musical score from Don Davis also features.

As this is a basic 2.0 audio track running at the most basic 192 Kb/s, you'll have to rely on your surround sound amplifier to derive any action from the soundtrack. The LFE is also mostly non-existent.

*Audio Ratings Summary*
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

This disc is 100% extras.

Crew

Owen's Army: The Australian Art Department - 4:22

This focuses on the making of the various sets for the films with Production Designer Owen Paterson, Supervising Art Director Hugh Bateup, Art Director Jules Cook and Props Department Leading Hand Kevin McManus.

2nd Unit: A World of Their Own - 5:58

2nd Unit Director Kimble Rendall, 2nd Unit Director of Photography Ross Emery and 2nd Unit Dolly Grip Matt Coping talk about their contribution to the making of the film.

Bill Pope: Cinematographer of the Matrix - 7:48

Director of Photography Bill Pope, cinematographer for films such as Darkman, Army of Darkness and Spider-Man 2, talks about his work on the films and his collective vision with the Wachowski Bros.

Masters of Light and Shadow - 6:51

Supervising Key Grip Ray 'Brownie' Brown and First Assistant Director James McTeigue talk about how important lighting was to the films. Bill Pope also compliments the lighting crew for their vision and creativity.

Hel

Coat Check - 4:40

Supervising Stunt Co-ordinator R.A. Rondell and Camera Operator Andrew Rowlands S.O.C. talk about the Club Hel coat check sequence.

Upsidedown Under - 5:11

Stunt Co-ordinator Glenn Boswell and Stunt Players Bobby Bowles, Keir Beck and Alex Kuzelicki explain how the running on the ceiling effects were done in the coat check sequence.

Fast Break - 5:46

Special Effects Supervisor Steve Courtley, Main Unit Supervisor Robert Heggie and Pyro Head Technician Leo Henry explain some of the break-away props and sets that were used in the films.

Exploding Man - 4:34

Head Pyro Technician Leo Henry talks about the various pyrotechnic effects that were used in the films.

Gun Club - 2:26

Armourer John Bowring and 'The Armorer Doc' talk about the different guns that were used in the films.

The Extras of Club Hel - 4:55

Costume Designer Kym Barett and Sydney Choreographer Cha Cha show us how the extras were dressed and choreographed for the Club Hel sequence. Various extras also tell of their time on the set.

Siege

Dig This - 9:55

Visual Effects Supervisor John Gaeta talks about the Attack of Zion sequence. Actor Rachel Blackman (Charra) recounts her time working on the Zion set. Producer Joel Silver also explains how it all came together. Also in this section, numerous behind the scenes contributors including Lead Animator for the 'Enter the Matrix' game, Gabe Rountree, and Art Director Nanci Noblett talk about the different elements that went into making a film where you shouldn't be able to tell where the reality ends and the effects begin. There is also some interesting footage of the MoCap (motion capture) effects unit filming actors to get the CG characters to move in a natural fashion.

The Siege Action Match - 10:03

A collection of storyboards, animatics and behind the scenes footage shown simultaneously with the finished version of the Siege of Zion.

Anatomy of a Shot: Mifune's Last Stand - 5:07

John Gaeta talks about how the Mifune's Last Stand scene was conceived and filmed.

Building an APU - 5:07

Property Manufacture Supervisor Peter Wyborn talks about how the APU was made and brought to life

Product of Zion - 9:58

Some of the actors, including Harold Perrineau (Link), Nona Gaye (Zee), Rachel Blackman (Charra), Harry Lennix (Commander Jason Lock), and Nathaniel Lees (Mifune) talk about working on the film and what it meant to them. Nona Gaye talks about walking into the role of Zee after the actor originally cast, the singer Aaliyah, was killed in a plane crash before principal photography started.

Super Burley Brawl

The Sky Barn - 4:49

Details the fight between Smith and Neo in the 'Sky Barn' near the end of the film. Stunt Players Darko Tuskan, Chad Strahelski and David Leitch take us through some of the action.

The Crater - 4:55

Art Director Jules Cook and Set Technicians Jason Grant and Rodney Burke talk about the crater battle between Smith and Neo. Actors Mary Alice and Hugo Weaving also discuss how hard it was to film in the rough conditions.

The Egg - 2:42

This segment is about Smith and Neo's fight in the sky. The 'Egg' is the blue screen (not green as it would conflict with the green of the Matrix whereas blue isn't seen in the Matrix) background where the flying portions of the final battle were filmed.

Anatomy of the Superpunch - 4:24

John Gaeta talks about Neo's 'Superpunch' on Smith in the crater fight. Features storyboards, animatics and behind the scenes footage.

New Blue World

Geography of Zion - 8:45

The look of the last human city is discussed by the actors and filmmakers.

The Ships - 5:43

First Assistant Director James McTeigue talks about the various ships in the films.

Tour of the Neb - 3:15

Prop Designer Owen Paterson takes us through the Nebuchadnezzar including how it works and how it was designed.

Matrix TV - 5:13

Screen Graphics Technical Supervisors Tim Richer and Tim Ahern talk about how they made the computer screens look and act real.

Logos Flight Expansion - 3:07

Actor Ian Bliss (Bane, Bane/Smith) talks about the old style fist fight between Bane/Smith and Neo.

Aftermath

Revolutionary Composition - 8:45

Film Score Composer Don Davis talks about the score of the film as well as the scores for the Animatrix films.

The Glue - 7:30

Editor Zach Staenberg, A.C.E. talks about how the film was edited together. Assistant Editor Allison Gibbons discusses her contribution, as does Visual Effects Editor Jody Rogers.

Dane Tracks - 7:21

Sound Designer Dane Davis talks about how different sounds were designed for the film.

Cause and Effects - 16:10

The Special Effects Crews from ESC Entertainment, Giant Killer Robots, and Tippet Studios discuss their companys' contribution to the effects of the films. This section also includes the credits for the disc.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

Other than language and subtitle options, we get the same package as afforded our Region 1 cousins.

Summary

No matter what you may think of this film and its storyline, one must acknowledge that it is a real achievement in cinema history. There were a multitude of CG elements integrated into the film and this was done in a more seamless fashion that has been seen of late. A feast for the eyes, if not for the mind (the opinion of many, but my jury's still out). Another interesting part of The Matrix Saga and its creation.

The video is reasonable.

The audio is adequate.