The Matrix Trilogy [Blu-ray] [1999] [Region Free]

With the constant barrage of advertising for The Matrix Resurrections, I decided to re-visit an old classic that I haven't seen in twenty years. I tried to dust off my old leather coat and flip phone, but realised just how fat and old I have become. Ha! In reality, I discovered that The Matrix has held up rather well and the sequels (which I had never seen) weren't all that bad at all.The Matrix Trilogy started off in 1999 with the Wachowski brothers making one of the finest scifi action films of our time. The film had a great cast including Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Hugo Weaving. The premise was so unique and cool that the film blew up on release. It was so huge that you just couldn't escape it. It naturally spawned two sequels in 2003, The Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions. Both films have been panned by fans for years and because of the over exposure, I never got round to watching them.On returning to The Matrix, I found that it was still a great film and hadn't aged a day since I last saw it. Possibly the year after it was released. There's a lot of brilliant action sequences backed up by some excellent music, direction and cinematography. Keanu's acting is as wooden as always but it fit the role perfectly and he was a perfect lead next to Fishburne and Weaving. That scene where he goes through the security barrier all guns blazing still looks incredible.The two sequels Reloaded and Revolutions was honestly not as bad I thought they were going to be. I felt the story was a little convoluted but it was quite serviceable and had lots of good moments that I really enjoyed. I did feel they were a little unnecessary but I loved the way that it opened up the world of The Matrix and we got to see the human world as well as the city of the machines, which was visually stunning.All three films look great on bluray. I believe the colours are a little off from the original print but it doesn't detract from the experience at all. I love the contrast in colour etc from the Matrix and the real world. The upgrade to bluray has certainly done it a lot of good. There are moments where the CGI is a little questionable but I can imagine they didn't look too good back then either. But the heart of the creators were in the right place, making things like that quite forgivable.For something I haven't seen since I was my son's age, I was very impressed. The Matrix Trilogy cost me ten pounds was an absolute steal at that price. I'm so glad I went back to it after so long and I hope others do too. Though, I imagine most people already have it in their collections.

This is "The Matrix" trilogy on Blu-ray. It consists of three films: 'The Matrix' (1999), 'The Matrix Reloaded' (2003) and 'The Matrix Revolutions' (2003), starring Keanu Reeves as Neo, Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus, Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity, and Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith. This trilogy is a popular contemporary sci-fi film series, known for its 'bullet time' special effects and philosophically derived story elements. All three films were directed by the Wachowskis, and all three were financial successes. However, the first instalment in the saga is typically regarded as a far superior film - as compared to its sequels. Indeed, 'The Matrix' won four Academy awards (as well as two BAFTA's and two Saturn awards). The first film can be watched and enjoyed as a standalone movie ... while the sequels really only make sense as part of the overall saga. The Matrix franchise does include additional components, such as the collection of animated short films - The Animatrix [Blu-ray] [2003] [Region Free] - and various videogames (e.g. The Matrix: Path of Neo (Xbox)). This 3 disc Blu-ray collection is available at a reasonable price - just £10 as I review - but it presents only a few extras. There are other options available, such as Matrix - Ultimate Collection (Ltd) (4 Blu-Ray+3 Dvd). The 'Ultimate Collection' presents 7 discs, with a huge amount of bonus features ... but I'd recommend that only to enthusiastic fans.The Matrix saga is about a dystopian future, in which the bulk of humankind have been reduced to little more than fodder for a race of intelligent machines. These machines rule the Earth, and use humans as a power source. These humans are trapped in pods, and know nothing of their real existence. Each person is connected to a complex computer programme - a virtual reality - called the Matrix, and (nearly) everyone thinks that this is reality ... As such, people live out their whole lives inside this virtual world. Yet a few people, living deep underground, have made it their mission to free the enslaved humans. These freedom fighters enter the Matrix and try to persuade individuals that the world they know is fake. Of course, the machines don't like this - and so they use super-powered 'agents' to defend and maintain the Matrix. To greatly simplify, the main story of the films concerns one man who is born into the Matrix is destined to be able to manipulate the code of the programme and free others ... This is Neo. In the first movie, Neo is located by the freedom fighters and trained. He experiences an existential crisis of sorts, recognising that he is 'the One' - capable of doing virtually anything (and becoming akin to a super-hero). In the sequels, Neo uses his amazing powers to prevent the machines from destroying all of humankind.The first film is excellent. It's one of the defining sci-fi movies of all time. It's unfortunate that the sequels don't live up to the quality of the original. Yet all are packed full of amazing special effects and action sequences. If you haven't seen these films, I do recommend them. I suggest watching the first - and, only if you really enjoyed it, do I then suggest watching the sequels.