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The Matrix [4K Ultra-HD] [1999] [Blu-ray] [2018]

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As with the second film, Revolutions was shot on 35mm film, with effects finished at 2K. The original camera negative has been scanned at 4K and remastered here to stunning effect, rendering the sequel with a wonderfully filmic texture that earns it a whole new lease of life.

After the first film's spectacular 4K release, and the Reloaded's matching 4K bow, it would be safe for fans to assume that Warner got it right third time out too, and thankfully they did, with Revolutions following suit for this 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release, affording the film the same look as the first two, reconditioning the previously rampant 'Matrix green' that dominated the trilogy's earlier home video releases, and affording each and every instalment a much more natural look teeming with stunning Dolby Vision-enhanced highlights. This 4K Blu-ray is the ultimate way to watch The Matrix.Perceivable resolution takes another step forward, revealing fine details in the costuming, actor faces, and production design. The film grain structure is also more prevalent, alluding to the movie's Super 35mm origins. Yet, despite these improvements, I couldn't help but notice that overall sharpness isn't always consistent. As an example, look at Chapter 13, which begins with a Neo-Morpheus conversation. Neo's clothing and Morpheus' face are crisp and detailed while Neo's face seems a touch waxy. Perhaps it's a depth of field issue in the original photography or perhaps some digital smoothing has been applied, I can't quite tell. The included digital copies are nice to have, and are redeemable with several movie streaming services. The one code allows me to view the movies on four different services, which is great. The digital copies share the same reduction in blue and green tinting as the discs do. It’s a constant barrage of sound from the off, the film’s sound designer and mixer unapologetically using every speaker at their disposal to create a fully immersive and hugely aggressive sound field.It will be available on HBO Max for one month from its cinema release date. The international release of the movie is unaffected as, currently, HBO Max is only available in the US. While The Matrix Resurrections is in many ways a better and leaner film than either The Matrix Reloaded or The Matrix Revolutions, it feels more elective than truly vital or necessary. But if you loved the original trilogy, it’s still nice to revisit this world for a little while. The film certainly leaves Neo and Trinity in a more positive place. And Warner’s Ultra HD release definitely offers a reference-quality viewing experience. It’s therefore recommended, if only for diehard fans and 4K enthusiasts.

This is primarily a 4K review, but let's start with the new Blu-ray first because, in and of itself, it's a dramatic upgrade from the 2009-era Blu-ray. Even though our writer awarded that release a 5-star video grade at the time, in hindsight, and in comparing all three discs for this review, I'd call the original Matrix Blu-ray a 3.0 or 3.5 transfer at best. It's a mess of digital tinkering, poor detail rendering, smeared color grading, and banding galore. In-Movie Experience – Cast and creative team guide you through a unique infiltration of the filmmaking Beyond the richly layered narrative, The Matrix is arguably best remembered as a series of stunningly realised setpieces which utilised new technology to deliver such effects as 'bullet-time', with action not only slowed down, but also revolved around. Whether the first time you saw space battles in Star Wars, or CG in Terminator 2, or even a John Woo action film, The Matrix was a turning-point in terms of action after which things would never be the sameThe only real negative of the image is around how, on occasion, these searing highlights on the edges of faces occasionally take on an odd colouration – shades of teal and bright pink are noticeable in some of these (not all, just some) that feel out of place. And while it's not a negative as such, the overall style of the image is smooth. Very smooth. Not waxy or looking like DNR has been liberally applied, just incredibly clear – which combined with the digital source means the image itself has no texture to it all. Some may therefore simply miss that organic feel to their image, this being such an overtly digital one (but obviously perfectly in keeping with the themes of the film itself). Warner deliver the sci-fi action conclusion, The Matrix Revolutions, in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.4:1 widescreen. The disc uses 10-bit video depth, a Wide Colour Gamut (WCG) and High Dynamic Range (HDR), and is encoded using the HEVC (H.265) codec with the added enhancement of Dolby Vision. The Matrix redefines reality once again courtesy of Warner's stunning native 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release, which delivers the sci-fi action classic in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.4:1 widescreen. The disc uses 10-bit video depth, a Wider Colour Gamut (WCG) and High Dynamic Range (HDR), and is encoded using the HEVC (H.265) codec. We reviewed the Ultra HD Blu-ray release of The Matrix on a Samsung UE55KS8000 Ultra HD TV and a Samsung UBD-M9500 Ultra HD Blu-ray player.

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