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The Matrix 4K Blu-ray
Posted March 13, 2018 04:27 PM by
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has announced that it will release on 4K Blu-ray Lilly and Lana Wachowski's blockbuster The Matrix (1999), starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Gloria Foster. The release will be available for purchase on May 22.
Synopsis: In the near future, a computer hacker named Neo discovers that all life on Earth may be nothing more than an elaborate facade created by a malevolent cyber-intelligence, for the purpose of placating us while our life essence is "farmed" to fuel the Matrix's campaign of domination in the "real" world. He joins like-minded Rebel warriors Morpheus and Trinity in their struggle to overthrow the Matrix.
SPECIAL FEATURES AND TECHNICAL SPECS:
NEW 4K REMASTER SUPERVISED BY DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY BILL POPE
NEWLY REMIXED DOLBY ATMOS TRACK for this release
Dolby VisionTM HDR-enabled presentation that dramatically expands the color palette and contrast range and uses dynamic metadata to automatically optimize the picture for every screen — frame by frame.
4K BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES:
Written Introduction by the Wachowskis
"Philosopher" Commentary by Dr. Cornel West and Ken Wilbur
"Critics" Commentary by Todd McCarthy, John Powers and David Thomson
"Cast & Crew" Commentary by Carrie-Anne Moss, Zach Staenberg and John Gaeta
"Composer" Commentary by Don Davis with Music Only Track
BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES:
The Matrix Revisited
Follow the White Rabbit
Take the Red Pill
Marilyn Manson "Rock is Dead" Music Video
Teaser Trailer
Theatrical Trailer
*The Blu-ray release will also be sourced from the brand new 4K remaster of the film.
I wish this was a steelbook release but I’ll still get it, since I never bought it on Blu-ray. My wallet is already crying in regards to my May spending.
O man, Please don't screw me WB , by me buying this one , then a month later you release a box set of all 3 and possibly 4 with Animatirx. Already feeling that with the Die Hard 4k release.
I want this badly.
Artistic freedom is fun and all that but Keanu is in fact taller than Laurence, even in the movie Morpheus was not depicted a giant...
I'm also very pleased that the Matrix 4K will be available in time for the new Nokia 8110 :-)
So exciting that this is getting an actual 4K master. Wondering if it will be like the original grade from '99 or the green-tinted version that the Blu-Ray uses.
If this actually represents the theatrical look of the film and not the awful 2004 master, this is a day one for me. Though I'd rather have the untouched 5.1 theatrical audio than an Atmos remix.
If they do put out the 2nd and 3rd movies in 4K as well, I don't anticipate those affects looking very good. The first movie has visually aged better (in addition to just being a superior film).
I wish there would be a lenticular slipcover showing Neo dodging bullets. And the trilogy box could have a lenticular with green coding running down.
I'd personally pay an extra 10 bucks for that alone.
CJS234 I say the same thing myself. When movies of a series only release one or two. Then I think again, about all the movies that aren't released on blu-ray, all the movies that aren't released on any format, and about how little good stuff is actually released on 4K. And then I say to myself, we should at least be happy that at least stuff is getting released on 4K worth getting. If people would stop complaining, I'm sure the world would be a nicer place to live in. Just be happy for what you get.
It's hard to believe I saw this classic in the theater 19 years ago. It's even harder to believe people want the other Matrix films in 4K. Then I remember there was recently a Blu-ray release of Lee Van Cleef's The Master. I guess nothing should surprise me.
Will it ever end? Next we will be able to go into the movie and sucker punch Keanu while he is deciding if he will take the Red of Blue pill.. in HDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD mode....
Cover art is meh. I'm just happy the remaster will be featured on regular ol Blu-ray in addition to the UHD. I haven't upgraded my HT yet, though I'm still buying these 4K discs. It makes it easier when I can actually watch a remaster right now as opposed to the same old crap BD disc (A Few Good Men, Groundhog Day). Plus, there are collectors out there that may not upgrade to 4K but would still buy it for the remastered BD, especially if in this case it's the original color timing. Anyway, will definitely get this.
Wow, May is already nothing but dollar menu for me. At this pace anything can be released maybe back to the future, alien, lord of the rings. Like everyone says R.I.P my wallet.
To those asking, "why not the whole trilogy?"
The answer is: To sell it to you again later! Of course!
That's just about every major studio these days, especially WB and Fox. UHD is so hit or miss now that it seems hard for me to convert anyway but you just wait and see that WB will release The Matrix, again in 4K by itself or as a trilogy. Maybe then, it will be worth an upgrade.
I only wanted the original anyway so I am happy for this release. This is one of my all time favorite movies. I do read reviews of UHD before buying, especially for re-buys of BD's I already own. If the review is weak, no sale. If I don't own it already, and I like the movie, I might buy the UHD even if the review is not stellar. Blockbuster new releases for sure.
@DJ IXS - "While all these films are welcome in 4K, it still hurts that there are TONS of great films that haven't even been released on Blu-Ray yet."
Dude, I agree, it's nice that certain films are going to 4K (but let's be honest, that's a niche format only going to be used for certain new releases & specific catalog titles) but you're 100% correct that there is still a TON of classic & solid films that still haven't been released on standard Blu-Ray yet which can make this rather irritating in its own respects.
Many of the studios like Warner Bros, Fox, Universal, Sony, & such are getting catalog archive titles to Blu-Ray gradually out their (maybe not fast enough in certain respects with various titles) but one particular studio in Paramount is just slacking in this matter as many are questioning why they're holding out & what's the deal? Maybe, it's because their studio is going through management & strategic changes. It really sucks though when classic films that should have been already released on Blu-Ray like "Roman Holiday" (2018 is its 65th Anniversary & Audrey Hepburn's 25th Anniversary since her untimely death), "Paper Moon", "Hud", "The Murder on the Orient Express", "A Place in the Sun", "The Shootist", "Come Back, Little Sheba", "Atlantic City", "The Italian Job", "The Sons of Katie Elder", & so forth.
Many of you are commenting on the number of 4K releases of old films in May as a sign that the studios are getting behind 4K. I don't see this as a good sign. It seems to me that the studios are probably dumping the discs of catalogue that they commissioned last year when they hoped that 4K would take off. It hasn't and this could be the final cartload of 4K catalogue features as they get set to abandon or cut back on the format. (Look at the number of BD only releases since last Oct. of current films e.g. Darkest Hour to name just one that should have gotten a 4K release but didn't.
^ 4K discs are doing just fine. The 4K format is growing strongly and is in no danger of being "cut back" or of failing. Darkest Hour gets a 4K disc release in the U.K. in June and likely here as well.
"UHD Blu-ray disc sales are expected to increase 8-fold this year (2017) and Hollywood is expected to release as many new titles in the last 4 months of 2017 as in the first 8, the Blu-ray Disc Association told us when we met them at IFA in Berlin."
"Also, UHD disc player sales are up 133% so far in 2017."
"Sales of 4K Ultra HD TVs, players and content “was again strong” in 2017, DEG said in a news release. More than 14.6 million 4K UHD TVs were sold in 2017, bringing the number of total households to more than 30 million.
In addition, DEG said, there are approximately 8 million households with 4K UHD Blu-ray Disc playback devices (including set-top players and game consoles).
The number of 4K Ultra HD titles in the market grew to 267 titles at the end of 2017, representing some $147 million in sales – a growth rate of 187% over the prior year."
Nice, but, why May. Geez, I guess I gotta start OT this month. When I get on this site I show my wallet and he just "Shakes His Head". And coughs up DUST..
If we learn from their Blu-ray releases of the Matrix titles, they will release first the lone first movie, than the trilogy, than the individual releases for the sequels... as to maximize sales.
Yeah ill wait for all the movies in a box set or a price drop. I dont have a 4k set or player yet anyway, but ive been saving to buy the last year. All the releases i buy now are 4k to be ready. Just waiting to see if sony adds DV to their sets, and wanna see this new Panasonic player that plays hdr10, and DV coming in summer
@CinephineKing Thanks, at least someone agrees with me. I'm actually kinda shocked at the "movie lovers" who negged my comment. My whole point of the comment was that this will be my THIRD copy of the Matrix that I buy, while I still hold tight to a lot of DVDs because no HD version is available. I don't get how others don't feel the same.
"If people would stop complaining, I'm sure the world would be a nicer place to live in. Just be happy for what you get."
Bless you, Father. See you next Sunday. By the way, can you talk to someone about getting The Abyss and True Lies released on blu? Not that I'm complaining, but all of Spielberg's movies are available, and he seems to be as busy as Mr King of the World.
@DJ IXS: I think you speak for a lot of "collectors". I still have a ton of DVDs that haven't yet been offered as HD Blurays. When I see films that have had DVD, and BD releases already and are now getting the 4K I do see red a bit. I really don't need a 4K Braveheart, Gladiator or Matrix (well maybe the last one). I'd like to see some of my DVDs retired for either a BD or a 4K (re)emaster. The difference between BD and 4K Isn't that great. It looks more like a money grab by the studios to me.
@canadiens1993: True Lies will never see the light of day in hi-def. It is too politically incorrect both from the racial identity of the villains and the now in this #metoo age, the way it treats women and male-female relationships. We're in a new Puritan era where the thought of scandal is the same as actual scandal. There's no place in that world for "battle of the sexes" humour which is the core of the movie's story. I'm sure Cameron knows this and is keeping True Lies in the vault.
I'll probably pick this up even with the possibility of a box set in the future. I haven't seen the Matrix flicks in a long time but if I remember right I thought the sequels were garbage.
reidw: I'm thinking both will be released next year. The Abyss for its 30th anniversary and True Lies for its 25th. Based on your logic, no studios would release any controversial or politically incorrect films on blu-ray.
Remember when Django Unchained came out? All the people up in arms over the egregious use of the you-know-what word? Didn't prevent the blu-ray from being released. Same with all the politically incorrect nonsense in The Interview. There are always gonna be people upset or offended by a movie's content. Doesn't mean they won't get released.
Oops. Barely got my hands on the blu-ray Collection. When did Lilly happen? I knew about Lana, but I guess i’ve Been in the dark. Definitely getting this if the reviews say that it doesn’t make the cgi look dated with an increase in pixels.
The fact that you can buy True Lies on DVD more than proves forum member reidw wrong. If its content was as objectionable as he continually claims it would not be available on any format. The resolution on disc, standard or high definition, does not change the race of the movie's villains or the male/ female relationships depicted within the film. If it upsets people in one resolution, it would upset them in any resolution.
4k content can look amazing; watch Planet Earth II on 4K UHD on a good 4K HDR TV and if you can not see a major difference in the quality, then you are either just being obstinate or you need an eye doctor. Naturally, some titles are more impressive than others, but we have threads at this website on every single one of them that will inform you of the merits of each release.
Complaining that only "the first one" of a series is coming out, followed by a box set... You know you don't have to buy things on release day, right? In fact, I'd guess the MAJORITY of people here know that is exactly what's going to happen but will buy this (or Die Hard) anyway and then proceed to complain when they already knew it was going to happen. Save your money if you want a box set. I'll be fine with this and the original Die Hard as singles, as none of the others in either series are worth space on my shelves.
Very excited for The Matrix in 4K! And while I don't usually like 3D conversions of older films, I've always thought The Matrix--if converted well--would look incredible in 3D. I wonder if they'll ever do that, or if the studios have given up on 3D. I'd pay to see The Matrix 3D in theaters.
@azcool: Relax. I doubt that there will be many releases during the summer months. The disc market always goes kind of quiet during the summer as people are going outside to do things. Videos take a back seat while the weather is good.
ummm, the reason why for " why not all of them?", is next May is 20 years for the First. get all of you to buy it now, to pay for the whole trilogy anniversary swag next year. It's straight out of the "Lucas" playbook from 25-30 years ago...
I'm good with this. Doubt I'll buy 4K of 2 and 3 unless they get to $7-$9. I'll take the first one and keep my blu ray set. Glad they are actually doing this rather than a set of 3 that they would price at $99 bucks or so trying to pawn off crappy Trilogy.
Hopefully the colours are closer to the Theatrical/Early Home Video releases. While I still find the sequels reasonably enjoyable (though paling in comparison), I generally like to think of The Matrix as its own standalone thing and would prefer it to be true to the original release aesthetics; or at least a reasonable compromise somewhere in the middle. The grading on the latter releases was ridiculously over the top.
Totally agree with Mitchings and all the others commenting on the colour grading - fingers crossed! Glad they will be releasing a Blu Ray edition of the new master too as that is still my format of choice.
Funny how there are so many complaints about this not being the whole trilogy at once and how you're gonna wait until the whole trilogy yet Reloaded and Revolution were so panned by many people. Make up your minds!
Also, it takes time to remaster a film as well as apply DV/HDR so they're probably working on the others now and just releasing these as soon as they're available.
"
Funny how there are so many complaints about this not being the whole trilogy at once and how you're gonna wait until the whole trilogy yet Reloaded and Revolution were so panned by many people. Make up your minds! "
@gfunkmoney06 My guess would be to coincide with the summer blockbuster season, and Die Hard for the new sequel starring the Rock. Oops, that's not a sequel
I'm all over this release, and hope that Se7en and other 'dark' films with tons of shadow/dark scenes aren't far behind as they should be spectacular, especially if they are also in DV!
Saw this in theaters with my boss when this was released back in 1999. It was a ok movie. Never really watched since. Not sure what the hype was back then and now. I'll pass.