The Matrix Revisited

The Matrix was undoubtedly a hugely influential movie, and the DVD version is still probably the ultimate triumph of DVD format and best DVD I've ever owned (well, Fight Club is pretty cool, too).

Yet, after seeing the movie zillion times, I noted that while the extras on the DVD were good, a second special feature DVD might be needed.

And so, I'm thankful that they actually made a separate DVD with *only* the behind-the-scenes things!

It's interesting, and kind of ironic, that the movie could make me so interested about How They Made It. A movie that's about perceived reality makes me think of how this fictional movie about perceived reality was actually made.

But to the content: The two-hour documentary itself is very good, many interesting interviews, interesting pieces of information... and the supplementary clips about upcoming Animatrix and the remainder of the trilogy in the works are very interesting too.

If there's anything to complain about it, it would be that they're sold separately, and as such it has some air of Charging Money From Dumb Consumers. I hope this will also be sold as a two-DVD set (with the original movie) some day, if that's not already happening.

This covers just about every area of the creative process, and goes through the three stages chronologically, with the main focus squarely placed on the production. There are documentaries that go into more detail, and cover the other two groups better. This consists of artwork, behind-the-scenes footage, clips of the movie, and many interviews. With a running time that comes in at just over two hours the audience is entitled to a lot of information, given that this is nearly the same length that the film itself is. It could be argued that a lot of the time is spent on the people, with the craft and the result of their collaborative efforts coming in second. This is well-done, with tight editing. It gets into the technology some, and reveals how certain effects were achieved. This spends a lot of time on the physical training, in preparation for the fighting and such. You do get nice candid shots of the people, crew and actors alike. The Ultimate Matrix 10-Disc Set of this also holds nearly three hours of music, in a simple system, with individual track selection and a Play All function, about 38 minutes worth of BTS material in addition to the title itself, in various featurettes. The original release, however, has several very brief extras, including clips of the making of the sequels, a preview of The Animatrix and Yuen Wo Ping's Blocking Tapes(a complete run-through of a couple of the biggest martial arts sequences, with stunt performers and almost the exact cinematography, with the same shots and angles of those bits in the finished silver screen effort). The language is quite strong, but rather infrequent, nearly non-existent. I recommend either version of this to anyone who enjoys the concept, and/or wants to know about how they put the first one together. 7/10

In The Matrix Revisited the fans will be rewarded with a behind the scenes tour de force on how The Matrix was made, interviews with cast and crew and a peak at the making of the sequels, as well as future Matrix related side projects. Although The Matrix Revisited focuses on the testimonies of Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie Ann Moss, neglecting the input of other cast members such as Joe Pantoliano (Cypher) and Gloria Foster (The Oracle), it is perhaps not to lead the fans into suspecting too much about the sequels. This documentary is for the hardcore Matrix fans, but the overload of technical details as well as candid anecdotes from the cast, Kung Fu masters trainers, internet fans and members of the Wachowski Army of Filmmaking will be fully enjoyed by anyone willing to believe the unbelievable.

Then the sequels came and I was devastated. They were so awful but this documentary was fantastic and the first film will forever be a masterpiece even though the sequels cast a stain on it for me. I just have to block out two and three but the first is still incredible and The Matrix Revisited gives us an intriguing glimpse behind the curtain. I really loved this so much and it got me so hyped for the sequels. Maybe I should hate it for that but it's still really well done and now I just want to rewatch this doc again. The Matrix was really a monumental moment in cinema and I love seeing how it came to be.

Long trailer? whoever said that has got to be joking. this has got to be one of the most in depth behind the scenes or making of documentary ever made. how can it be a trailer when several minutes are spent telling the audience how the movie was conceptualized and then brought to the studios? this documentary also spends lots and lots of time detailing how stunts were done and the new technologies created to achieve them. then it shows us how woo ping's team came up with the fight scenes along with blocking tapes that pretty much put to shame the actual scenes with the actors. there is stuff mentioned about matrix reloaded, but there's hardly anything really. if you are a real fan of the matrix, you have to see this documentary. the original documentary in the dvd is good, but incomplete compared to this one. for instance, it never explained why keanu wore a neck brace in the original documentary, but that is explained in Revisited. the Revisited dvd also shows carrie ann moss spraining her ankle during the lobby scene and being really distraught because she feels like she's letting the crew down. and that's just the tip of the iceberg. so ignore that "just a long trailer" review and go check it out for yourself. you won't regret it. casual matrix fans need not apply...