The Matrix Revisited

Warner | minutes | | | Standard DVD reviewed by: Matt Brighton

The Matrix might just be one of the more popular movies of the last ten years, but as this new documentary shows us, it took time, effort and a lot of luck to bring it from conception to the silver screen. Before this, the Wachowski Brothers (Andy and Larry) were known for their indie-hit 'Bound' that may be most memorable for it's lesbian love scene between Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly. But, things change and as two devoted comic book fans, they came up with an idea for a "Matrix Trilogy". This documentary is a retrospective with interviews from 6 months before principle shooting began (November 1997), to the set of the Matrix 2 and 3. Yes, just like the 'Back to the Future' sequels, The Matrix is doing parts 2 and 3 together! Almost every aspect of the production is covered, how the actors spent four months doing martial arts training (Moss, Weaving, Fishburne and Reeves) and I never had any idea that Keanu Reeves had neck surgery because two of his vertebrae were fused together. Interesting. From Production design to storyboards to stunt coordinators doing their thing, this literally covers all of the basis for what has become not only a current cult-classic, but a financial hit as well.

At the very heart of the matrix are the actors, but what it's most widely-known for are the special effects. The producers and directors of the movie knew that if done right, these would be copied by other movies, so far--they're right. Starting at big name places like Digital Domain and Industrial Light and Magic, we see the process of how they found the perfect man for what it is they wanted to accomplish. The costume designer also plays a very large part in this documentary, as I didn't really realize how much of a part this person played. All of the costumes were hand made (yes...not a lot of full-body vinyl suits out there to choose from) and tailored to each actor. And as most of us know, most of the really cool stuff was taken care of in post production. Winning Academy Awards for Sound and Editing, we see that the visual effects and the sound are two of the more important aspects of this movie. As the editor mentions "You shouldn't have to rely on special effects as a crutch, but sometimes you need them". True enough, but if it's a great movie with awesome sound and fantastic special effects, then 'The Matrix' is your cup of tea.

Most of the footage is shown in a full-frame format which appears fairly clean. Obviously done with some less professional equipment, there are some spots of artifacting and such. But we have to remember, we're not watching this to see a superb visual presentation. The images are clear enough, though don't show it off saying "Now...look at this picture!". Scenes from the actual movie are shown in a letterbox presentation that look surprisingly clear, but the movie itself is much clearer. No major complaints here, but then again I didn't expect much.

The audio is a Dolby Digital 5.1, but it might as well be labeled as surround. Most of the dialogue is free of any distortion and surrounds are only used when showing some scenes from the movie, so don't expect much here. I had not looked at the back of the box yet, but I looked at my receiver and it read as "Dolby Digital". Much like the video, you're not watching this for a great surround sound experience, put in the real movie for that, this just delivers what normal TV does.

While essentially the whole disc can be counted as an "extra", the main portion of the disc is a documentary. Some extras do exist, albeit not that many. What is to Come shows us some of the training sequences that are being worked on for The Matrix 2 and 3, and from what I can see the "car chase" will me the money shot this time. I can't wait! The Wachowski Brothers also wrote 5 animated episodes that a Japanese director will be turning into a mini-series, not sure what to think about that one. We also hear from some very hard core fans of the movie who are in the league of "Star Wars" when it comes to this movie. While I'm a casual fan, these people show us how important the movie is to them and have even become friends in "real" life thanks to the movie. Some blocking tapes are shown of Yuen Wo Ping who was the martial arts coordinator for the movie, but they were shown all throughout the documentary, so it's the same old, same old here. And finally a "But Wait-There's More" feature which from what I could tell is just a collage of shots from the movie. Hmmm...also, there are two not so well hidden Easter Eggs, but if I can find them, then so can you. Hint: Red Dress.