The Zion Archive (2004) |
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The Zion Archive (2004) |
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| BUY IT |
| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Documentary |
Main Menu Introduction Storyboards Gallery-Concept Artwork-Characters, Ships, Machines, Sets Theatrical Trailer Teaser Trailer TV Spots Music Video Gallery-Montage-Rave Reel Trailer-Game: The Matrix OnLine DVD-ROM Extras-Web Links |
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| Rating | ? | ||
| Year Of Production | 2004 | ||
| Running Time | 42:08 (Case: 45) | ||
| RSDL / Flipper | Dual Layered | Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 4 | Directed By | The Wachoski Bros. |
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Studio
Distributor |
 Roadshow Home Entertainment |
Starring |
Keanu Reeves Lawrence Fishburn Carrie-Anne Moss |
| Case | ? | ||
| RPI | Box | Music | Don Davis |
| 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 | Varies | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | No | ||
| Subtitles | English | Smoking | No |
| Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
| Action In or After Credits | No | ||
Much of the material is presented full frame, but some of the trailers and music videos are presented in 1.85:1 and 2.35:1 with 16x9 enhancement.
The image is quite sharp throughout. The level of shadow detail is adequate though not of reference quality. There is the occasional issue of low level noise, but this is due to some of the source material and not a fault of the transfer.
I didn't have any real issues with MPEG artefacts and the disc is able to present the programme in a decent manner without pixelization or macroblocking issues. The main issues with image faults is that much of what's seen is archive material and not ready for public presentation or broadcast, so one cannot reasonably complain about the occasional artefact or transfer nasty.
English subtitles are provided and are enough to give the viewer a basic insight into what is taking place.
This disc is formatted dual layer, with the layer change taking place between the numerous extras.
| Sharpness |   |
| Shadow Detail | |
| Colour | |
| Grain/Pixelization | |
| Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
| Film Artefacts | |
| Overall | |
There is only one audio option here, that being an English Dolby Digital track running at a basic 192 Kb/s.
The quality of the spoken word here is fine with no issues of note. I had no problems with audio sync.
Music heard on this disc is not credited, but comes from film composer Don Davis as well as many of the artists heard throughout this package.
As this is a 2.0 mix at the basic rate of 192 Kb/s, we don't get any real audio pyrotechnics here. The only issue that I have with the lack of dynamics in terms of sound is for the feature Rave Reel, which I would have liked to have heard in 5.1 at 448 Kb/s (and 16x9 enhancement wouldn't have gone astray for the video, either). Still, what we do get is okay.
| Dialogue | |
| Audio Sync | |
| Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
| Surround Channel Use |  |
| Subwoofer | |
| Overall | |
Selecting the Zion Archive presents a series of icons without text. These are simple outlines of things that indicate what each section is about. In text terms, our options are:
Architect Intro 36 images
Chateau Melee 64 images
City Chase 70 images
Code Orgasm 12 images
Code Vision 17 images
Flaming Tsunami 17 images
Industrial Smiths 29 images
Neb Reveal 12 images
Power Outage 15 images
Sentinel Reveal 8 images
Tower Vision 13 images
Trinity Assault 19 images
Trinity Falls 43 images
Trinity Saved 38 images
Upgrade Fight 17 images
Vigilant Destruction 22 images
Virtual Control 7 images
Deus Ex Machina 51 images
Hel Coat Check 62 images
Lock Seals Dock 12 images
Logos Final Fall 59 images
Logos Finds Path 22 images
Machines End Siege 7 images
Neo Vision Quest 7 images
Super Burley Brawl 248 images
Zion Under Siege 16 images
Bug Extraction 14 images
Construct Kung Fu 36 images
Elevator Shaft 10 images
Spoon Boy 6 images
Characters
A look at the original designs and final versions of many of the characters in the films.
Ghost 10 images
Hamman 5 images
Hel Nightclub Patrons 8 images
Keymaster 8 images
Kid 2 images
Link 3 images
Lock 2 images
Merovingian 11 images
Military 25 images
Morpheus 34 images
Neo 27 images
Niobe 32 images
Oracle 8 images
Persephone 19 images
Seraph 15 images
Smith 7 images
Trinity 25 images
Twins 22 images
Ships
A collection of design drawings and animations of the ships in the films.
Avatar 6 images and animation
Brahma 9 images and animation
Ganesha 13 images
Gnosis 8 images and animation
Icharus 3 images and animation
Logos 15 images and animation
Mjolnir 10 images and animation
Nebuchadnezzar 13 images and animation
Novalis 3 images and animation
Osiris 14 images and animation
Shiva 3 images and animation
Vigilant 9 images and animation
Vishnu 5 images and animation
Machines
A look at the design of some of the hardware in the films, the machine world and the machines themselves.
APU 12 images and animation
Armada 7 images and animation
Deus Ex Machina 27 images and animation
Digger 32 images and animation
Doc Bot 8 images and animation
Garbage Truck 7 images and animation
Harvester 1 image and animation
Machine City Bugs 25 images and animation
Sentinels 23 images
The Keep 6 images
Tow Bomb 18 images and animation
Sets
A collection of images from the various sets used in the films.
Abandoned Apartment 3 images
Architects Office 3 images and animation
Chinatown 4 images
Chinatown Teahouse 6 images and animation
Freeway 6 images
Hel Nightclub 17 images and animation
Hel Coat Check 8 images
Industrial Hallway 5 images
Industrial Loft 5 images
Logos Cockpit 7 images
Logos Engineering 2 images
Machine City Tower 4 images and animation
Mobil Avenue 6 images
Mjolnir Bedroom 6 images
Mjolnir Cockpit 5 images
Mjolnir Infirmary 9 images
Mjolnir Main Deck 11 images
Mjolnir Gunnery 10 images
Merovingian Basement Keymaker 9 images
Merovingian Garage 2 images
Merovingian Library 6 images
Merovingian Lower Hall 4 images
Neb Cockpit 4 images
Neb Main Deck 5 images
Neb Mess Hall 4 images
Neb Neo's Room 4 images
Power Station video of security camera images
Rerouting Facility 6 images
Stock Exchange 7 images
Sub Metro Access 4 images
Sub Metro 7 images and video footage
Sub Station One 6 images
Sub Station Two 2 images
Tenement Park 6 images
Trinity's Room 7 images
Vigilant Cockpit 3 images and animation
Vigilant Main Deck 6 images and animation
Virtual Control 7 images
Zion Command Center 10 images and animation
Zion Council Chamber 7 images
Zion Dock Area 17 images and animation
Zion Dock Bunker 7 images
Zion Dock Deconstruction 19 images and animation
Zion Defence Duct 15 images
Zion Engineering Level 11 images and animation
Zion Gate Control 9 images and animation
Zion Gate Three 7 images and animation
Zion Hamman's Office 7 images
Zion Link's Home computer screen animation
Zion Lock's Home 6 images and animation
Zion Map animation
Help
A guide to all the icons and their meanings.
The Media of the Matrix
This is a collection of the trailers, TV spots and music videos connected to the series. Selecting the Media option presents the following:
Here you pick from:
Teaser Trailer - :59
The first look that some of us had at this exciting new film.
Theatrical Trailer - 2:32
That missing trailer from the first film that wasn't on the original release (never could figure that one out). We finally got it on the Matrix Revisited disc and here it is again.
TV Spots
Marilyn Manson's musical contribution to the film presented full frame.
The Matrix Reloaded
On offer here is:
Teaser Trailer - 1:17
The first look at one of the most highly anticipated sequels in history. Presented here in 2.35:1 with 16x9 enhancement.
Theatrical Trailer - 2:24
And if we couldn't think that the wait could be any worse, this trailer came along and made the wait even harder than before. Imagine if the film equalled the anticipation. Presented here in 2.35:1 with 16x9 enhancement.
TV Spots
P.O.D. do their thing in a very Matrix style. Not a patch on Rage Against the Machine though. Presented in 2.35:1 without 16x9 enhancement.
The Matrix Revolutions
A bit scaled back here. On offer are:
And the anticipation grew as we all hoped the Wachowski Bros. could write themselves out of the corner they wrote themselves into. And then... Presented in 1.85:1, 16x9 enhanced.
TV Spots
Rave Reel - 9:09
This sort of makes up for the missing music video for the last film. Unlike the first two films (especially the first), the last film was lacking quite a bit in terms of modern music for the soundtrack. In place of this was Don Davis' score, and whilst some thought that it perhaps lacked in memorable themes in the second and third films, this passage of music taken from the final showdown between Neo and Smith is very memorable. The music is matched with a montage of scenes, animations and graphics from the production of all three films. This music video is presented full frame.
The Matrix Online - 9:35
Taking fans beyond the films is the Matrix Online, a virtual world where you live within the Matrix as a freed mind. You can align yourself with the humans, the machines or the agents as you make your way around the virtual reality of the Matrix. The creators of the game take you through all the different scenarios possible. Presented in 1.85:1, non 16x9 enhanced.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
The video is adequate.
The audio is adequate.
This disc is 100% extras.
| Video | |
| Audio | |
| Extras | |
| Plot | |
| Overall | |
| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | Panasonic DVD RP-82 with DVD-Audio on board, using S-Video output |
| Display | Beko TRW 325 / 32 SFT 10 76cm (32") 16x9. Calibrated with Digital Video Essentials (PAL). This display device is 16x9 capable. |
| Audio Decoder | Yamaha RX-V2300 Dolby Digital and dts. Calibrated with Digital Video Essentials (PAL). |
| Amplification | Yamaha RX-V2300 110w X 6 connected via optical cable and shielded RCA (gold plated) connects for DVD-Audio |
| Speakers | VAF DC-X Fronts (bi-wired), VAF DC-6 Center, VAF DC-2 Rears, VAF LFE-07 Sub (Dual Amp. 80w x 2) |