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Ultra HD : Must Own
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Release Date: October 30th, 2018 Movie Release Year: 2003

The Matrix Revolutions - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Overview -

The Matrix Trilogy is one of the finer trilogies to ever come out on the big screen. It made us think, perhaps showed us a super bleak version of our own future, and entertained us with excellent action scenes with some of the most innovative camera techniques for its time. The Matrix Revolutions is the ultimate final act in this tale, which brought all of the characters and plot points to a satisfying climax. We see the fates of Neo, Morpheus, Agent Smith, and Trinity along with answers to questions we've had since the first film. The new 4K transfers are supervised by Bill Pope and come with HDR and Dolby Vision along with Dolby Atmos, which are all perfect and demo-worthy. There have been a ton of extras for these films over the years and most of them seem to be included on this release for this movie specifically. MUST-OWN!

Neo. Trinity. Morpheus. They and other heroes stand on the brink of victory or annihilation in the epic war against the Machines in the stunning final chapter of the Matrix trilogy. For Neo, that means going where no human has dared - into the heart of Machine City and into a cataclysmic showdown with the exponentially more powerful renegade program Smith. The revolution is now: The Matrix Revolutions.

OVERALL:
Must Own
Rating Breakdown
STORY
VIDEO
AUDIO
SPECIAL FEATURES
Tech Specs & Release Details
Technical Specs:
Dolby Vision / HDR10
Video Resolution/Codec:
2160p/HEVC
Length:
129
Aspect Ratio(s):
2.40:1
Audio Formats:
English, French, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles/Captions:
English SDH, French, Spanish, Dutch
Special Features:
In-Movie Experience
Release Date:
October 30th, 2018

Storyline: Our Reviewer's Take

Ranking:

In 1999, the Wachowski siblings gave us a brand new, unique sci-fi story with The Matrix. It became an instant hit that was both critically and financially successful. There was a ton of depth to the story and its characters that conjured up a ton of talk and debate about the philosophical and scientific realities of the film. The Wachowskis went on make two sequel films back-to-back, which were both released in 2003 a few months apart. With extremely giant budgets and very long run times, the Wachowskis moved the focus of the story and characters of the films to big actions sequences. While these action sequences are phenomenal, the sequels themselves lacked a bit of what the first film had going for it, which was depth.

The third and final Matrix movie, titled The Matrix Revolutions, is the culmination of this larger-than-life story about a reclusive hacker named Neo (Keanu Reeves) who wants to know the truth. When he is "set free", he chaotically realizes that the world is no longer, but rather run by sentinel machines who use humans for their electric power and The Matrix is a visual dream and not real at all, which is what all humans perceive as the real world. Revolutions picks up right where Reloaded left off, where Neo figured out he can destroy machines with his mind in the real world, but put him in a coma. At the same time, Agent Smith transferred to the real world in a human host body. From here, there are two big story arcs that culminate in this third and final film. One of them is the attack on Zion while the other follows Neo in his quest to save the real world. Revisiting this movie after fifteen years, it doesn't hold the sour notes it once did. Instead, it shows its depth in each scene giving new life to these characters and story. When Neo realizes he no longer has to resist or fight, perhaps from becoming blind, he can see more clearly that his future has already been laid out and he just has to play his part as told by the architect.

With this new sense of depth and emotion to the film after years have passed, each death and emotional moment resonates for me more today than it did back in 2003. Each character, both old and new, has their respective conclusions, which all play out nicely. The two big action sequences still look unbelievably good, being the attack on Zion and Neo vs. Agent Smith in a legendary battle in the sky. Each piece of dialogue and physical punch is earned and felt here and we finally get to know why with Revolutions. The Wachowskis left the franchise open for more films and let's hope we see them very soon because I don't think this story is done yet, but with Revolutions, it's a satisfying end to one the great trilogies in cinema.

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

The Matrix Revolutions comes to 4K Ultra HD with a three Disc set, being a 4K UHD copy, the Blu-ray version, and one for bonus features. There is an insert for a Digital Copy of the film too. The discs are housed in an eco-friendly black plastic case with a cardboard sleeve.

Video Review

Ranking:

Much like the 4K releases of both The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded, this third and final Matrix film is simply magnificent with its new 2160p transfer with HDR and Dolby Vision. The Matrix Revolutions 4K transfer was supervised by cinematographer Bill Pope and Jan Yarbrough to give the best possible video presentation and they succeeded in every way. There's a certain color palette with this futuristic trilogy and the third one is no different, although it might be a bit more dynamic being the most recent. These are stylistic choices made by the Wachowski siblings and Bill Pope to give us a subtle sense of the real world and when we are in the Matrix world. When in the Matrix world, there are varying shades of green throughout. It's as if there are green filters everywhere, but with this new 4K UHD transfer in Dolby Vision and HDR, each set piece, prop and color are much more fluid and discernible. Interestingly enough, in The Matrix Revolutions, Neo is placed in limbo type area between the real world and the Matrix, one of them being a subway station.

If you notice on this new transfer, this subway station has a white color palette, but with the Dolby Vision, you'll be able to see the quiet shades of green in each tile, signifying the Matrix world. Similarly, in the final battle between Agent Smith and Neo, you'll notice the tall skyscrapers and various amounts of cars lines up on the street, which have an amber glow to them, but also have the slight greenish tint to every shine and reflection in the raindrops and windows. It's quite astonishing and not as blatant in the Blu-ray releases.

In the real world of Zion, everything has a blue hue or silver lining to it with heavy accents of red. It seems more realistic and not as polished. The different color palettes on the AI robots and machinery in Zion look exemplary as do the bright red eyes on each sentinel machine. The skin tones here too of all shades of white, brown, and black look excellent too.

The detail is even more enhanced with this 4K release as well, even with the heavy CGI work. You'll notice each raindrop fall from the sky as you will every pore and wrinkle on Agent Smith and Neo's face. The amount of detail in the heavy fighting machines and bullets that ravage each other in the final fight scene showcase every nick, scratch, and wound nicely. When you see the practical makeup effects of a bloodied soldier, you'll notice muscle tissue, bone, and even veins that are very distinguishable. Even the fight scene in the sky with lighting and clouds in the background have a ton of detail. There were no video issues of any kind with this video presentation and is a demo worthy, perfect picture.

Audio Review

Ranking:

NOTE: Warner Bros. defaults the audio track automatically to a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. You actually have to go in manually and click Dolby Atmos to get that Atmos sound. It's not a huge gripe, but a small pain none-the-less.

To go along with the previous two films, this Dolby Atmos soundtrack is the best way to listen to this movie, because a big part of it is all of the unique sounds from all different planes and places. Your speaker system will get a full workout, and then some, with The Matrix Revolutions. Previous sound mixes sound excellent, but this Dolby Atmos track just upgrades each nuanced noise and makes the listening experience ten times better. 

The two biggest sonic moments in the film are the two big battles that happen simultaneously. The first being the sentinel attack on Zion, which is chaotic, scary, and yet full of life. Each explosion in this large dome-like room just fills the soundscape up with a powerful low end of bass. There are literally millions of bullets flying by here and tons of large flying killer machines surrounding everyone, which the height speakers add that amazing and smooth transition from speaker to speaker. There will be many times you will look up to see if an actual sentinel is flying above you. The bullets all sound different and make clashing sounds on the different objects they hit, making for a unique sound design. Let's not forget the humans screaming and the machine's parts moving that all make sounds that can all be heard in each speaker, making for a fully immersive experience.

The other great sounding section is the battle between Agent Smith and Neo, which you'll hear the rain, thunder, and lightning strikes, but that's just the beginning. Every window break with glass falling to the ground and vehicle being smashed, you'll hear each individual noise that comes with this carnage. Then you have the multiple Agents talking with reverb and the punches that connect with a heavy snap of bass each time. It's incredible the amount of time and love that went into making this audio presentation. It's smooth, loud, and perfect for the Atmos setup. Don Davis' score always adds to the futuristic chaos in each scene that keeps things lively and suspenseful. Dialogue is always clear and easy to follow along with in the quieter moments, which gears us up for the impending doom and action.

This Dolby Atmos track is demo worthy too and a joy to listen to when you don't want to be quiet.

Special Features

Ranking:

There are no real new extras here, but here's what's appeared before on previous Blu-rays:

  • In-Movie Experience – Cast and creators navigate you through the Trilogy’s thunderous conclusion – all as you watch the movie
  • Written Introduction by The Wachowskis
  • “Philosopher” Commentary by Dr. Cornel West and Ken Wilbur
  • “Critics” Commentary by Todd McCarthy, John Powers and David Thomson
  • Behind The Matrix
  • Crew
  • Hel
  • New Blue World
  • Siege
  • Aftermath
  • Theatrical Trailer
  • TV Spots

    Final Thoughts

    The Matrix Revolutions is the culmination of several years of storytelling of an elaborate future world with many complex characters and story arcs. The action sequences were a milestone in filmmaking for the time as well. There just isn't anything like it. The new 4K transfer and Dolby Atmos audio mix are simply extraordinary and all of the extras are included here from previous releases. Must Own!