The Matrix (4K Ultra HD) [4K UHD]

I would guess that 99 out of a 100 people thinking about buying this movie have seen it before. It is, after all, a seminal and beloved classic at this point. So what most people want to know is whether the remaster into Dolby Vision/Atmos is good enough to be worth buying.If you have a modern home theater system/DVD player that can support Dolby Vision the answer is yes, get it. The transfer is beautiful, and it really pops on a modern TV that supports Dolby Vision. You'll see the pores on the actor's faces, the threads in their clothes, and a million other tiny details that you've never seen before unless you were lucky enough to catch the original film in theaters. It was a visually stunning movie when it came out, and Dolby Vision really helps to bring that out.On the other hand, the Atmos remix is very subtle and understated. There are a couple of nice height effects here and there, but it really isn't a movie that constantly showcases the new audio technology. I would say 98% of it is going to come through just fine with just a simple surround setup. So you are really buying this not for the audio remix, but for the HDR/Dolby Vision upgrade. I didn't think the audio was bad, but it is just not nearly as big an upgrade as the picture. That is perhaps not surprising given that the film was originally shot in 1999, and Atmos didn't even exist at the time of filming.If you are like me, most of the movies and TV you watch these days are streamed. This high bit-rate, Dolby Vision Blu-Ray is a startling reminder of just how deeply compromised streaming still is. If you bought a good TV in say the last five years, your TV is capable of a far, far better picture than what you are feeding it most of the time. For the moment, the only way to get a picture this good at home is to buy the physical disc, and this one should be in your library.

The Matrix is a film classic, and it will continue to appreciate as we ascend into the technological advancements of today's world. It's incredibly odd watching this movie 20 years later now, and seeing how some of the assumptions about the internet, technology, and society were addressed here. All of that withheld, it's still a great piece of sci-fi action that has rarely been met with a competitor or similar style. A lot of the stylistic elements of The Matrix have been attempted in other films, but never used quite as successfully as it was here. Things such as "bullet time" have been overused since the release of this film, but exemplify the impact it had on movies and viewers.The Wachowskis are particularly interesting to watch in Special Features, especially now that they are both women. They don't seem to have any highly technical background or understanding of film, but are making the movie they want to see and being particular where they as a viewer think it would count. I think this movie was the beginning of Keanu's highly popular career arc from the late 90s to the mid-2000s. Where he seemingly died off and has now been resurrected again by John Wick. Laurence Fishbourne is great as Morpheus and plays the master to Neo perfectly. Carrie Anne-Moss, where is she?! She's outstanding in this film, but probably no one is better than Hugo Weaving, who with little to say or do than glance makes such an impact on the film, and ultimately the story of this universe. This all looks fantastic in 4K!This release is jam-packed with special features and FOUR audio commentaries, which I was incredibly excited to listen to. I can't say it shed any light on concepts or ideas that I haven't heard of before, but it's so interesting to hear intellectuals, philosophers, and psychologists talk about both what they like about the film and its depictions, as well as what they don't like. One of the commentaries is from film review writers that hated the film, and despite their critiques find a way to frame the film's importance in cinema. It's quite interesting, and it's prefaced by a letter from the Wachowskis on pitching this commentary to WB, which is hilarious. Imagine another movie that would have a review from people who didn't like it, just to give the viewer another perspective from which to absorb this wild ride.At this point, I believe there's a trilogy release on 4K as well as a steelbook at other retailers. I'd recommend getting the whole package as it's likely cheaper, and I bought this when the other 2 weren't released yet and had to buy the last 2 movies separately. This movie is still phenomenal, and holds up just as well today if not better. It's incredible to see how this film has matured and become social commentary that's just as relevant now as it ever was. The Wachowskis have gone on to do some great films and some not so great, but hoping that the new M4TRIX (see what I did there) does to post-2020, what this film did for the early 2000s.