The Matrix: Revisited. Twenty years on and still an all time great

Rating: 10/10 (13 July 2019)

The Matrix (4K Blu-ray review)
The summer of 1999 belonged to 'Star Wars Episode 1 The Phantom Menace'.
Or so we thought!
Twenty years on and its is another science fiction movie that is better remembered.
'The Matrix' lived in George Lucas's movies shadow at the time of release but fans and critics alike hailed the Wachowski brothers film as the true summer blockbuster champion.
A game changer in terms of visual effects and a story that was boldly smart and refreshing.
'The Matrix' tells the story of computer hacker Neo played by the always likeable Keanu Reeves.
The world in which we live in is a lie. Nothing more than a computer simulation designed to trick humankind.
We are fuel for a race of highly advanced artificial intelligence.
When Neo meets Trinity played by Carrie Ann Moss she introduces him to Morpheus played with supreme gusto by Laurence Fishburne, Neo is freed from his dream like prison and shown that the real world is an apocalyptic wasteland.
Awakened humans hide from murderous machines known as Sentinals and back inside the Matrix Superhuman agents hunt down those who rebel against the system.
It's all a bit complex but supremely entertaining and really rather clever.
Twenty years on 'The Matrix' is still fresh.
At time of release the visual effects were state of the art and wowed audiences the world over.
The 90's really was a decade of brilliance in terms of special effects.
1991 gave us 'Terminator 2 Judgement Day' and 1993 brought us 'Jurassic Park'. The Matrix' finished off the decade by giving us 'Bullet time'.
The revolutionary use of multiple cameras to capture a three dimensional image as the shot panned seamlessly around whatever was happening onscreen.
In 2019 'The Matrix is returning to theatres fully restored in 4K.
I do recommend that if you never had the chance to see this movie on the big screen you should definitely book a ticket.
However for as little as £20 in the United Kingdom the UHD HDR Blu-ray can be yours.
If you have a Home Cinema set up then I also highly recommend you purchase this disc.
Originally shot on 35mm, Warner Brothers have released a very good transfer. Ok there's still that layer of grain to the image but in my opinion this only adds to the cinematic look.
The original green tint has been refrained to allow HDR to shine through.
Unlike the recent 4K restoration of the aforementioned 'Terminator 2' the transfer of 'The Matrix hasn't been given the Digital Noise Reduction treatment.
So grain remains but there's still an image that's packed full of detail.
Skin looks natural with every pore on Morpheus's face clearly visible.
Costume design has real sparkle. The shiny texture of Trinity's clothing is vibrant with contrast levels becoming retina piercing.
Blacks are inky and HDR allows shadow detail to be nicely graded.
Whilst the picture isn't perfect, there's some overblown image quality in some scenes.
Neo's face when he mans the gun in the helicopter springs to mind.
Sound quality on the other hand can be considered to be almost demo worthy.
The newly remastered Dolby Atmos mix is a belter.
Every speaker in your Home Cinema system will be working overtime.
There's excellent separation throughout all channels and bass gets really deep.
Sometimes gunfire lacked impact but overall this mix is mightily impressive.
Well worth the price of the Blu-ray alone.
Revisiting 'The Matrix' was a supremely enjoyable experience.
The 4K Blu-ray is the best way to view the film if you can't manage a trip to your local multiplex when the movie gets a brief re-release.
This film is and always will be one of the greatest Science Fiction movies of all time.