The Matrix

Amazon.com essential video

By following up their debut thriller Bound with the 1999 box-office smash The Matrix, the codirecting Wachowski brothers--Andy and Larry--annihilated any suggestion of a sophomore jinx, crafting one of the most exhilarating sci-fi/action movies of the 1990s. Set in the not too distant future in an insipid, characterless city, we find a young man named Neo (Keanu Reeves). A software techie by day and a computer hacker by night, he sits alone at home by his monitor, waiting for a sign, a signal--from what or whom he doesn't know--until one night, a mysterious woman named Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) seeks him out and introduces him to that faceless character he has been waiting for: Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne). A messiah of sorts, Morpheus presents Neo with the truth about his world by shedding light on the dark secrets that have troubled him for so long: "You've felt it your entire life, that there's something wrong with the world. You don't know what it is, but it's there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad." Ultimately, Morpheus illustrates to Neo what the Matrix is--a reality beyond reality that controls all of their lives, in a way that Neo can barely comprehend.

Neo thus embarks on an adventure that is both terrifying and enthralling. Pitted against an enemy that transcends human concepts of evil, Morpheus and his team must train Neo to believe that he is the chosen champion of their fight. With mind-boggling, technically innovative special effects and a thought-provoking script that owes a debt of inspiration to the legacy of cyberpunk fiction, this is much more than an out-and-out action yarn; it's a thinking man's journey into the realm of futuristic fantasy, a dreamscape full of eye candy that will satisfy sci-fi, kung fu, action, and adventure fans alike. Although the film is headlined by Reeves and Fishburne--who both turn in fine performances--much of the fun and excitement should be attributed to Moss, who flawlessly mixes vulnerability with immense strength, making other contemporary female heroines look timid by comparison. And if we were going to cast a vote for most dastardly movie villain of 1999, it would have to go to Hugo Weaving, who plays the feckless, semipsychotic Agent Smith with panache and edginess. As the film's box-office profits soared, the Wachowski brothers announced that The Matrix is merely the first chapter in a cinematically dazzling franchise--a chapter that is arguably superior to the other sci-fi smash of 1999 (you know... the one starring Jar Jar Binks). --Jeremy Storey

Description

Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells of a computer hacker (Reeves) who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth. The computers are powered by human beings...

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Commentary by C. Moss, J. Gaeta, & Z. Staenberg
Featurette:"Bullet Time" Featurette (6:01) "What is the Concept" Featurette (10:50)
Music Clips:2.0 Music only with commentary
Other:HBO 1st Look Special: Making the Matrix (25:48) "White Rabbit" Clips (22:22) [4x3]

Customer Reviews:

Reeves killed it for me.......2007-09-05

I believe that if someone like Tom Cruise or Denzel Washington was the star then this would have been more compelling but Keanu Reeves is such a horrible actor and so painful to watch that it killed this movie for me.

Following it was difficult. The concept was good and Laurence Fishburne was fantastic but Reeves was as bad as he always is. Why does this man continue to get work...???

Add to your collection.......2007-08-26

This is one of my favorite movies. The sequel's didn't come close. Keanu Reeves plays Neo who find out that the world we live in isn't what we think. The movie makes you think about the world we live in today.

Corey Cotta, Author of All of Yesterdays Tomorrows.

"buckle up Dorothy...'.......2007-08-17

Seen it in 1999 when it first debuted on the big screen. Couldn't take it out of my head for a week or so. Since then I rewatched it perhaps a dozen times or so. I know the dialogue, I know what happens next all the way to the end, but I still watch it.

This is escapism of the cleverest sort. Incredibly stylized, designed, almost perfect pacing, witty and yet simple symbolic dialogue...
After the first viewing I'd give it a perfect score. After subsequent viewings you feel that the action sequences really hold back some of the intellectual potential of this film.

However, the original ideas presented and the way in which they are presented is very very nice.

My one gripe with the plot... Why do machines need human bodies for energy? Their technical intelligence is much greater than humans' so why not just build fusion reactors?
It would be much more believable if the reason were that machines were conducting an experiment, investigation of human behavior, studying their creators in order to answer questions about their own existence. That purpose was also suggested in the sequels.

Despite the flaws I'm gonna stand by the first viewing. 5 stars

[as strange as it may sound I actually thought at the beginning that Morpheus and the rest are the bad guys and agents are good, with the whole "...he is considered by many authorities to be the most dangerous man alive..." line suggesting he's a terrorist or something of that kind. guess I'm really easy to brain wash LOL. I wasn't sure up to the 'choosing-a-pill/unplugging' sequence, why would a terrorist ask you to choose a stupid pill? LOL]

MST3K Fans Rejoice -- Rifftrax is Here!.......2007-08-09

In Earth's dirty, dystopian future, one in which every person alive is kept in a dark, moist pod and fed misinformation (kind of like Manhattan, only the odors are less pungent), only one man can save us - and that man is Johnny Utah. Wait, no - Johnny Mnemonic. Hold on, that's not it. It's some kind of car name...uh, Horizon, um....Omni. Ram Charger - No, Neo. That's it. Neo. Led by the enterprising Morpheus, and the hot-erprising Trinity, Neo learns his fate from the Oracle, a corpulent, crusty, chain-smoking broad who is likely to put you off Oracles forever. What is the Matrix? It's a laugh-a-minute RiffTrax with Mike Nelson and Kevin Murphy, that's what.

You are kidding!.......2007-08-08

Like this needs another review. This is one of the best SiFi movies ever produced and no one who claims to know SiFi should have missed it. If you have never seen it, then buy it. You do not need to rent this movie, as that would be a waste of money. Go straight to the counter and make the purchase. It is so overwhelming that you should put it on a shelf and only break it out on special occasions. This is the type of movie that sticks in your mind.

Average customer rating:

One of the BEST films EVER!!!
Blu Ray - all the way
A masterpiece in high definition
It's a WIDE aspect film people!

2001 - A Space Odyssey [Blu-ray]
Starring: Robert Beatty , Glenn Beck , Ed Bishop , Penny Brahms , and Edwina Carroll
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: Blu-ray

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ASIN: B000Q66J1M
Release Date: 2007-10-23

Customer Reviews:

One of the BEST films EVER!!!.......2007-09-04

Warner will release it in the proper 2:20 aspect ratio, trust me. The past DVD's have all been done that way, and with all the care that has gone into the remastering of these 5 Kubrick titles, they will do the right thing. They have made 'The Shining', 'Full Metal Jacket'(new transfer), and 'Eyes Wide Shut' all 1:85, since that is the theatrical aspect ratio. Kubrick shot full frame for TV showings, and the film would be 'masked' for the 1:85 theatre screen. This is why these last 3 films of his are full frame 1:33 on DVD. This was before widescreen TV, of course. I would have to imagine that if he were still alive he would want home viewers to have the best experience watching his films, and would agree with the widescreen 'masking' to fill the frame/screen, since that's how we saw them in the theatre. Kubrick's assistant has stated that this transfer of '2001' from 70mm is 'stunning'. Along with the extras, c'mon, it's a no-brainer to want this in your collection. The more you see it, the more you see in it. Blu-Ray or HD DVD, I have them both. Can't hardly wait!!

Blu Ray - all the way.......2007-08-24

I am surprised but pleased beyond measure that this great film is being released so soon on Hi Def. Each time I watch it I get the same weighty thrill that i experienced the first time. The unseen presence that are the alien Watchers sets this tale apart. What truly amazes is how downright believable this film is, despite being made in 1968! Take note of how Floyd watches widescreen television on his way to the moon! I look forward to seeing details I have never seen before, reading signs on the spacestation that were only a blur on dvd, the infamous spacestation toilet instructions, and of course experiencing rich High Def color. And while you're at it, gurus of disc authoring, release the great sequel, 2010.

A masterpiece in high definition.......2007-08-20

This film should be excellent in high definition. It's a couple of months until the release date so I can't say much more at this time.

It's a WIDE aspect film people!.......2007-08-19

This MUST be a very sad release. Why would Warner attempt to foist this garbage on us? Are they really such money grubbing dopes as to think that we would not want the finest available digitization of this excellent film work?

THIS FILM IS SUPPOSED TO BE AT 2.35:1 ASPECT RATIO! We are tired of the two step process used to FINALLY get a film they way it should be initially released.

Average customer rating:

Classic to share with a new generation
good movie
The movie is cool, BUT THE SPANISH SUBTITLES WHAT ABOUT IT???
Instant Teen Classic
It Takes Two Hands To Handle A WOPR

War Games
Starring: Matthew Broderick , Dabney Coleman , John Wood , Ally Sheedy , and Barry Corbin
Director: John Badham
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 0792838467
Release Date: 1998-04-29

Amazon.com

Cute but silly, this 1983 cautionary fantasy stars Matthew Broderick as a teenage computer genius who hacks into the Pentagon's defense system and sets World War III into motion. All the fun is in the film's set-up, as Broderick befriends Ally Sheedy and starts the international crisis by pretending while online to be the Soviet Union. After that, it's not hard to predict what's going to happen: government agents swoop in, but the story ends up in the "hands" of machines talking to one another. Thus we're stuck with flashing lights, etc. John Badham (Saturday Night Fever) directs in strict potboiler mode. Kids still like this movie, though. The DVD release has a widescreen presentation, theatrical trailer, Dolby sound, director commentary, optional English, French and Spanish subtitles. --Tom Keogh

Description

Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller's Day Off) and Ally Sheedy (The Breakfast Club) star in this compelling drama filled with action, suspense and high-tech adventures! Featuring superb performances by Dabney Coleman and Barry Corbin, WarGames is "brilliant...funny...and provocative" (New York)a fast-paced cyber-thriller. Computer hacker David Lightman (Broderick) can bypass the most advanced security systems, break the most intricate secret codes and mastereven the most difficult computer games. But when he unwittingly taps into the Defense Department's war computer, he initiates a confrontation of global proportionsWorld War III! Together with his girlfriend (Sheedy) and a wizardly computer genius (Tony AwardÂ(r) winner John Wood), David must race against time to outwit his opponent...and prevent a nuclear Armageddon.

Customer Reviews:

Classic to share with a new generation.......2007-08-08

I've had a great time sharing this title with my kids. It's a bit of a nostalgic look back at the era of my own youth. If you don't spend much time on the sappy "no one wins global thermonuclear war" message, it's quite fun to watch.

good movie.......2007-08-07

When I watched this movie for the first time, I was only a teenager and I loved it. Now that I got to watch it again, I loved it again, but I had to add some nostalgia and good memories to it this time!

The movie is cool, BUT THE SPANISH SUBTITLES WHAT ABOUT IT???.......2007-07-10

I was expecting the new releases of this movie can be now with spanish subtitles, but I'm comfirming now many spanish-talking people can't enjoy the movie because the MGM guys failed in the final edition and they never put the spanish subtitles.

The movie is great, nice 80's value, cool older remembranza but all of us who were expecting to find the spanish subtitles option active now are deceptioned.

Bad move for the latin-american talkers MGM.

Instant Teen Classic.......2007-06-28

In the era when nuclear threat was real and era of the Personal Computer birth, this film with an excellent story played by the wisecracking young Mathew Broderick and the really young Ally Sheedy (What happen to her she was really good and pretty) introduce us to the world of computers and hacking in the era of Cold War Tech with two countries fighting for supremacy and they stuck in the middle.

This film makes me go to college and study Computer Science, John Badham excellent direction and the Art Background is superb.

This Classic has to be in your collection if you where young in that time and if you haven't see it, would be educational to see what computers look like in the early eighties and what they could do.

It Takes Two Hands To Handle A WOPR.......2007-06-10

All storytelling revolves around three themes: Man against Man, Man against Nature, and Man against Himself. In the latter half of the Twentieth Century, a fourth paradigm was added, that being Man Against Machine. Largely told in the cinematic mode, Man against Machine has given us any number of low-budget American International Pictures releases, as well as such classic films as FAIL SAFE, DR. STRANGELOVE, COLOSSUS: THE FORBIN PROJECT, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, the TERMINATOR films, THE MATRIX and its sequels, and WAR GAMES.

WAR GAMES is a late Cold War Era entry (1983), and probably the only Teen Angst movie of this kind. Despite the inherent weaknesses of the Teen Angst genre, WAR GAMES manages to have been (and remain) satisfyingly entertaining, even after a quarter century. WAR GAMES remains timeless.

David Lightman (played by a pimple-faced, squeaky Matthew Broderick) is an underacheiving teenage computer genius who spends his time entertaining himself by hacking into the school computer and changing people's Grade Point Averages. Somehow, David manages to hook up with the pretty and popular Jennifer (played by a presumptively virginal Ally Sheedy). While trying to impress Jennifer with his pocket-protector machismo, David hacks into what he believes to be an online War Gaming site. Presented with a whole plethora of possible games, David, of course, skips over such boring choices as tic-tac-toe, poker, chess, and even the intriguingly named Falken's Maze to play Global Thermonuclear War.

David HAS hacked into an online War Gaming site. Unfortunately for David, and for us, it's NORAD. Having just completed a study showing that human button-pushers won't push their buttons in the event of an attack, NORAD has given the ultimate responsibility for button-pushing to a new computer, WOPR (the acronym is a little vague). WOPR doesn't realize that David is a hacker. WOPR also doesn't know that it's all a simulation. So WOPR starts World War III. David and Jennifer, realizing that it is all a terrible misunderstanding, spend the rest of the film trying to turn off the rambunctious little toaster oven. The ending is a Cold War parable.

After two and a half decades part of the fun of watching WAR GAMES is looking at all the quaint high-tech antiques. The computer geeks are an army of screaming, whining, barely toilet-trained four-eyed migraine makers. David's modem is a hard dock model that basically swallows telephone receivers. Reel-to-reel tape drives still look impressive. 5.25 disk drives are on the cutting edge. PCs as such don't exist, but 8088 integrated monitor-dual floppy drive-keyboard models are everywhere. No one's heard of the Graphical User Interface yet, and everything is reduced to green typing on black screens, the equivalent of computer cuneiform. DOS doesn't and Windows wasn't. Amazingly, David's home dinosaur can turn the typed word into an audio feed, allowing WOPR to talk. Tres cool, man!

As for the WOPR itself, it is appropriately named, being about a third of the size of a typical Burger King restaurant. Very well endowed with more beeping and flashing things than a Vegas Casino, WOPR has about as much computing power as an abacus, and works just about as well, but it is pretty to look at.

Even though the WOPR couldn't play a DVD, your computer can, and WAR GAMES is a fun popcorn-and-soda flick that's worth having in your collection.

Average customer rating:

Someone give me a match
Bug Is In Your Future
A Visceral Experience where Madness is the True Horror
Its hard to rate this movie
creepy and crawly

Bug (Special Edition)
Starring: Michael Shannon , Ashley Judd , and Jr. Harry Connick
Manufacturer: Lionsgate Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000T5O48K
Release Date: 2007-09-25

Description

A lonely waitress with a tragic past, Agnes (Judd) rooms in a run-down motel, living in fear of her abusive, recently paroled ex-husband (Connick Jr.). But when Agnes begins a tentative romance with Peter (Shannon), an eccentric, nervous drifter, she starts to feel hopeful again - until the first bugs arrive...

Customer Reviews:

Someone give me a match.......2007-09-13

This movie blows in ways I didn't think possible as far as horror movies go it has the essentials it's just a terrible movie. By the time I got to the end of this film I had wished someone had drowned me in gasoline and lit the match.
It started out with alot of promise but strayed and went to some far away land where nothing makes sense.
I just wish I could get the time I wasted watching this turd back.
I'm not sure but it wouldn't surprise me if Linos Gate isn't behind this horrible excuse for entertainment over the last couple of years Lions Gate has been flooding the market with more garbage than a landfill.
I didn't and can't remember seeing a single bug, I get the whole it was all in his mind but how did it get in her mind I just wish I could get the memory of this lame excuse of a film out of my mind.
None of it made sense were they independantly wealthy? how did they pay the rent? where did they get all the tin foil? and what kind of doctor toots away on a crack pipe? DUMB!!! DUMB!!!
I'm Done...

Bug Is In Your Future.......2007-08-27

This is a classic film. Anyone who says otherwise, just didn't get it. What this film depicts is the decent of two individuals, both with troubled pasts, into madness - and a fairly accurate portryal of madness at that (the two main characters could easily be diagnosed with Shared Psychotic Disorder). Ashly Judd does an amazing job of buying into her mysterious new man's delusional world of bug infestation, and it only gets better as the film progresses. And the ending is classic - right up there with Requium For A Dream, in my opinion. Run, don't walk to rent or buy this film the day it comes out!

A Visceral Experience where Madness is the True Horror.......2007-08-15

**No Spoilers**
I read nothing but negative things before watching the new psychological thriller Bug--as a critic, it's hard to go see a film with neutrality and an open-mind. Bug works because of its exploration of paranoia, brainwashing and psychosis. Yes, it does start slow with long explanations and dialogue. But like small drops of rain before a thunderstorm, it becomes a visceral experience where madness--neither gore, nor CGI--is the true horror. Think of it as a Twilight Zone episode on steroids.

Story:
Agnes White (Ashley Judd) is a divorced woman who lives in a remote motel. She is lonely, depressed and always afraid of her ex Jerry (Harry Connick Jr.) who just got out of jail--he harasses her all the time. She also works as a waitress at a local bar, where she hangs out with her lesbian friend R.C (Lynn Collins). One night, they decide to hang out in her motel room and R.C brings a new friend called Peter (Michael Shannon). Agnes is attracted to him right away--his unusual personality and view of the world is something new to her. They become romantically involved--despite her ex--and share deep and painful secrets about themselves. She doesn't know that Peter is the new man who will change her views of the US government and the world.

Review:
The movie is based on play by Tracy Letts and directed by William Friedkin (The Exorcist). Bug is not about little roaches or a giant praying mantis. The movie has a deeper meaning than that. It deals with the human psyche, conspiracy theories and power to persuade people. This is where the horror comes from. The beginning might be slow for some fans of the genre--there are long conversations and some character development--but then the action begins once the paranoia penetrates their minds. The small motel room becomes a self-contain universe where madness reigns.

Other good attributes of the film is the acting. Judd and Shannon did an excellent job, especially towards the end of the film, where they commit strange and terrible things to each other and others. Some scenes are very disturbing.

Despite its excellent highlights, Bug has some silly moments. The love scene is probably one of the worst I have ever seen--it's not sexy at all and has this weird "bug" view. Some of the nudity is unnecessary. Also the logic is not the best thing here. I couldn't understand why Agnes was so easily convinced by Peter. Why did she follow him so blindly? Perhaps his personality and strange philosophy are the ingredients.

The Verdict:
Bug is one of the best horror movies we've reviewed this year. It has great moments of psychosis, paranoia and crude violence. It drags for the first act, but it picks up to an explosive finale that will please most of the fans of the genre.

Its hard to rate this movie.......2007-08-08

My girlfriend said that it was a mess of a movie, not much making sense and basically a car crash with some interesting moments. Myself, i liked the movie more because i enjoy strange, weird , and not your average summer blockbuster(which are for the most part disappointing). Its up to yourself to give this movie a try, for nothing else its a different ride.

creepy and crawly.......2007-08-06

Great eerie terror flick, that will have you glued.Ignore bad reviews,these people trash bodycount movies for unoriginality and then trash a good original movie like this when they finally get it!

Average customer rating:

One of the BEST films EVER!!!
If there was ever a time to double dip. The kind of film Hd/Blu ray were made for. Info on the dvd below

2001 - A Space Odyssey [HD DVD]
Starring: Robert Beatty , Glenn Beck , Ed Bishop , Penny Brahms , and Edwina Carroll
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: HD DVD

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ASIN: B000I0RR62
Release Date: 2007-10-23

Customer Reviews:

One of the BEST films EVER!!!.......2007-09-04

If there was ever a time to double dip. The kind of film Hd/Blu ray were made for. Info on the dvd below.......2007-09-01

Let's roll out some stats on 2001: A Space Odyssey. 4 Oscar nominations for best writing, director, art direction and 1 win for best effects. It ranks number 15 on the American Film Institutes top 100 movies of all time, which I feel is underrated. It is in Roger Ebert's top 10 films of all time list, I would recommend reading his "great movie" series review on this film. It is ranked number #80 on imdb's top 250 films of all films in existance, again highly underrated in my opinion.

Space Odyssey is a film that you experience there is no rush in action, Kubrick is confident and patient enough to allow the viewer to analyze, experience, and contemplate this puzzle of the evolution of man in our imaginations, only one filmmaker comes to mind in such a way and that is Werner Herzog. What better way to experience such a film then in High definition with all those glorious shots bursting off the screen or listen to the classical moving music selected by Kubrick in 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus or a Dts track.

This is one if not the greatest film I have ever seen for any genre. If I did not own an Hd dvd player or a Blu Ray player a title like this would inspire me to do so. I highly recommend this to anyone.

DVD Features: What I could find on movieweb/ Also describes the 10 dvd set available as well.
On October 23, Warner Home Video will launch the first in their new series featuring influential films from some of history's greatest directors. Warner Home Video Director's Series: Stanley Kubrick is a new six-film, 10-disc widescreen and newly remastered collection that includes Special Editions of 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Eyes Wide Shut, The Shining and Full Metal Jacket: Deluxe Edition, along with the full-length documentary, A Life in Pictures.

2001: A Space Odyssey has been newly remastered; A Clockwork Orange, Eyes Wide Shut, The Shining and Full Metal Jacket, also remastered, debut in their original widescreen theatrical aspect ratios. All releases have been created in collaboration with, and approved by, the Estate of Stanley Kubrick. The collection sells for $79.92 SRP on DVD and single discs will also be available.

Enhanced with hours of insightful and in-depth special features, these Special Editions include commentaries, documentaries, rare interviews with Kubrick and special new featurettes that offer a rare look into the mind of the master filmmaker. The 10-disc set also includes the bonus documentary A Life in Pictures, narrated by Tom Cruise, which details Kubrick's early life, at work and at home, with candid commentary from collaborators, colleagues and family.
This was from Movieweb

I am looking into finding more specifically about this hd dvd release, however, seeing a lot of Kubrick's films are great I figured I'd throw out info on the 10dvd set as well. Will update as I hear more.

2001 - A Space Odyssey (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

a grand cosmic yearning, a vehicle for our deepest thoughts and hopes and dreams
Masterpiece For A Lost Future That Should Have Happened
Awesome
The Definition of a Masterpiece
Bonus Materials for this DVD set

2001 - A Space Odyssey (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring: Keir Dullea , Gary Lockwood , William Sylvester , Daniel Richter , and Alan Gifford
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000UJ48SG
Release Date: 2007-10-23

Customer Reviews:

a grand cosmic yearning, a vehicle for our deepest thoughts and hopes and dreams.......2007-09-06

"Open the pod bay doors please, HAL"

The words are spoken by man to machine, at the mercy of its command. The blackness is silent and infinite as the machinery sits motionless, waiting, suspended by zero gravity. But the doors do not open. "HAL?" There is no response, only the vacuum of space and the distance between man and his greatest technological achievement, the Discovery One spacecraft; man's great triumph painted against the vast canvas of space. HAL, the onboard flight computer (another of man's great scientific creations), already knows what has been planned in secret. He knows that the human astronauts suspect that the HAL computer has malfunctioned in some way, that there is a flaw in its design. He reasons that it is "human error" that has led to the problem, that it has always been human error. If indeed there is a flaw in man's design, it stands to reason that man can create flawed technology. However, HAL was programmed to protect the mission at all costs. When he finally responds to the command, it is with chilling conviction: "This mission is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it." Alas, man has ascribed too much power to its technologies. Man has, in a sense, staked its fate and future in its own creations and must now live under conditions which threaten its survival.

Stanley Kubrick's visionary film "2001: A Space Odyssey" is more than a film, really. Most films tell a story with words, with actions, with a development of events that drive us to some conclusion. They ask us to sympathize with characters, perhaps, bring us into situations where conflicts arise, emotions are expressed, actions taken, and things progress in some logical order. In short, most films, even some of the best ones, are satisfied staying inside of themselves, concerning themselves with the here and now of their characters. They do not stand apart, do not look forward or back, do not strive to know anything but what their characters know or need to know for themselves and for their audience. They appeal to our natural tendency to follow something to its end, to organize it subconsciously, from one point to the next, and to put ourselves in place of human thoughts and circumstances.

Kubrick, in turn, wanted to create a cinematic experience which, according to him, "avoids intellectual verbalization and reaches the viewer's subconscious in a way that is essential poetic and philosophic," a film that "hits the viewer at an inner level of consciousness, just as music does, or painting." His vision is less a film than a grand cosmic yearning, a call to the collective human consciousness, a desire to reach and explore, to ponder where we have come from and where we must go. It is a visual meditation, a vehicle for our deepest thoughts and hopes and dreams. It dares to imagine in a way that no film before or since has ever been able to achieve with as much reflective ambition and urgency. Kubrick, in his obsessive perfectionism, conveys a desperate hunger to grasp, and to compel us to grasp, the path of human thought and ability. His narrative is the very course of human evolution, from its primitive roots to its ultimate place in the vast universe. He does not cater his themes to us because he has too much respect for our intelligence and our ability to construct subjective associations through our visual experiences.

So, what exactly has Kubrick really created here? Is this a mainstream cinematic experiment that he has given us? Something that challenges our reliance on conventional narrative structure? Is it a showcase for a new brand of groundbreaking special effects, a visual triumph that would inspire a more realistic vision science fiction for a generation of moviegoers? Or perhaps a cautionary tale, warning us of the threatening possibilities that await us in our modern age of technology? The simple answer would be yes: indeed, it is all of these things and more. Within the margins of the cinematic window, in the span of 141 minutes of film (only 40 of which contain spoken dialogue), Kubrick has achieved the seemingly impossible: he has communicated to us without words what our ultimate evolutionary destiny must be.

Ultimately, Kubrick is equally pessimistic and hopeful about the state of our modern age of technology; pessimistic in our potential for self-destruction and hopeful in his firm conviction in the future, as we use these technologies to plot our course through the cosmos. In coming to terms with the dangers of our way of life, he shows us that there can be hope. Through our collective intelligence, our drive to achieve and to explore, we have accomplished great things. We have learned much about the universe and about ourselves, and have come a long way in our evolutionary course. However, as the experience of 2001 teaches us, the journey is far from over. As the reincarnation of man, the Star Child stands as the ideal form of our intelligent human design, the pinnacle of our cosmic destiny. Having evolved beyond the limits of the physical body, the biological human form which Kubrick refers to as a "fragile shell for the mind at best," we stand above and beyond reason.

"And if there was anything beyond THAT, then its name could only be God."

...and as that child looks at us, at all of mankind, and smiles, it tells us one thing: this is where we ultimately belong, and maybe someday, somehow, we can get there...

Masterpiece For A Lost Future That Should Have Happened.......2007-09-02

Most of the Special Effects sequences for this motion picture still work even in this age of (occasionally) realistic CGI. I wish it could be remastered for an IMAX release. As I saw suggested on some blogsite somewhere, I'd be both intrigued and revulsed by the prospect of somebody computer 'tweaking' the less successful FX shots -- It would update the look, but spoil the original work of art.

And one recent reviewer missed the point -- Those 'tortured primates' he spoke of were actors and mimes in suits and makeup, for heaven's sake, NOT apes!! You've also got to cut this amazing film some slack -- it was made in the 1960s, when 'arty' and 'freakout' impressionistic cinema was the norm, not the exception. Unfortunately, vacuous space-opera confectionary is the standard bearer for Science Fiction movies today. As for reviewers of this movie -- I respect a person who says "I didn't get it and didn't like it" far more than the type who says "It's no good - what's the matter with you people who like it; you're wrong, I'm right".
Sheesh...

Awesome.......2007-08-23

First of all this movie is SO good, even if you didnt like it one bit, it still should get 5 stars...its that good. This is a masterpiece, and now finally gets the DVD set it deserves! A set with a commentary, documentaries, Kubrick interviews, the movie remastered! and more!!!

The Definition of a Masterpiece.......2007-08-08

It's funny how this film polarizes viewers more than almost any other...is it a masterpiece which literally captures on film the metaphysical and spiritual conundrums of our place in the universe? Or is it a boring, stilted and pretentious by-product of the times in which it was made?
I was all of 9 years old when this film was released, and I will say that at that age it bored me to the point of unconsciousness! That being said, I honestly now believe that this is by far the single greatest motion picture ever made.

This film's greatness lies in its ability to adapt itself to each individual's personal thought structure, so that it literally takes on meaning only with the help of one's own spiritual, emotional and psychological imprint. As such, "2001" forces us to come to direct terms with who we are, why we're here, and perhaps even what might be in store (i.e., the "master plan"). Many see this as a religious film, others as a commentary on man's insignificance within the larger cosmic palette, still others as a straight-forward futurist melodrama. It is indeed all these things, and more. It's a difficult picture to get your arms around, and anything you get out of it, guaranteed, will not be what the person sitting next to you gets out of it. I recently saw a restored version of this film at a theater, and the reactions of those in the audience ran from sobbing to ebullience to confusion to outright anger (and yes, a few people were snoring!).

I might add here that this is not a "Kubrick" thing for me--I think he's somewhat overrated for the most part and only a few of his films speak to me, "A Clockwork Orange" being certainly his other great achievement. Kubrick made some films of questionable value too ("The Shining" being the most problematic, especially when compared to Stephen King's unforgettable source material).

Personally, I feel "2001" is revelatory in almost every respect. I see something new in it, feel new emotions, discover new meaning, with each and every viewing. It is a one-of-a-kind experience and I don't think any other film comes even close to involving me so completely on an emotional and spiritual level. Here's the rub for some: many don't WANT to be taken to task by a movie on this level, and thus I can see how some just aren't moved by it--because they don't want to be.

My suggestion is to put your day-to-day stuff aside, clear your mind of what's on your desk at work or the housework you need to get to this weekend, sit back and join Kubrick on this legendary journey into the unknown. "2001" is one of the very few films I can think of that has the potential to actually effect profound change in those who view it, and wouldn't that be the very definition of a masterpiece?

Bonus Materials for this DVD set.......2007-08-08

I haven't seen any of this, but I thought anyone interested in this new edition might find it useful, since it's currently not in the product description.

The 2001: A Space Odyssey (Special Edition) DVD will feature the following bonus materials:

* Commentary by Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood
* Theatrical trailer
* Channel 4 documentary: 2001: The Making of a Myth
* Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001
* Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001
* 2001: A Space Odyssey - A Look Behind the Future
* 2001: FX and Early Conceptual Artwork
* Look: Stanley Kubrick!
* Audio-only interview with Stanley Kubrick

Average customer rating:

Awesome!!
Sneakers on DVD
A Must See!!
This one deserve more playing time....
Both suspenseful and funny

Sneakers (Collector's Edition)
Starring: Jo Marr , Gary Hershberger , Robert Redford , Sidney Poitier , and David Strathairn
Director: Phil Alden Robinson
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00008OE4W
Release Date: 2004-12-28

Product Description

Robert Redford leads an all-star cast in one of the most satisfying suspense films! Computer expert Martin Bishop (Redford) heads a team of renegade hackers including a former CIA employee (Sidney Poitier), a gadgets wizard (Dan Aykroyd), a young genius (River Phoenix) and a blind soundman (David Strathairn) who are routinely hired to test security systems. But Bishop s past comes back to haunt him when government agents blackmail the sneakers into carrying out a covert operation: tracking down an elusive black box. Along with his former girlfriend (Mary McDonnell), Bishop s team retrieves the box and makes a stunning discovery the device can break into any computer system in the world. With factions from all sides willing to kill for the powerful box, Bishop and his team embark on their most dangerous assignment ever in this exhilarating high-tech caper from Phil Alden Robinson (Field of Dreams).

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

This enjoyable thriller, written and directed by Phil Alden Robinson (the screenwriter of Field of Dreams), follows a raggedy group of corporate security experts who get in over their heads when they accept an assignment poaching some hot hardware for the National Security Agency. Robert Redford plays the group's guru, an aging techno-anarchist who has been hiding from the feds since the early 1970s; his companionable gang of freaks includes Dan Aykroyd, David Strathairn, Mary McDonnell, the late River Phoenix, and Sidney Poitier, as a veteran CIA operative turned "sneaker." The technological black box that everybody is after, an array of computer chips that can decode any encrypted message, isn't a very plausible invention, but it's a serviceable McGuffin, and the megalomania of the master plotter played by Ben Kingsley has more resonance than most. Modest inferences can be drawn about the very latest high-tech threats to civil liberties. --David Chute

Customer Reviews:

Awesome!!.......2007-09-17

Just Awsome! Love Robert Redford. Don't want to miss any of his movies. He is a legend.

Sneakers on DVD.......2007-08-30

My husband and I are always on the lookout for movies that we both like, as well as our adult children, who like to have occasional movie nights at our house--movies that are not full of profanity or lewdness or terrible violence and are immensely enjoyable. This is a tricky combination to satisfy. We saw "Sneakers" recently on TV and realized how really clever and fun a movie it is--definitely one that filled the above criteria. When we decided to try to purchase the DVD for our collection, we went straight to Amazon. How quickly we had this entertaining movie in our home! It is in great condition. We immediately planned a movie night and watched it (again). Thank you for being there and doing such a great job of providing good stuff!

A Must See!!.......2007-08-25

If you have not seen Sneakers, where have you been hiding?

Robert Redford leads this all star cast, an emsemble that blends effortlessly for so much talent in one room.

Sneakers combines good character with interesting plot, suspense, humor, and romance.

I never get tired of watching this movie again and again, it's just a great movie!

This one deserve more playing time...........2007-07-17

This is such an entertaining film, but how often do you stumble across it on one of the movie channels, or any channel for that matter? Great ensemble cast, lots of humor, but still enough plot and drama to satisfy a wide range of movie watchers. Each of the characters (the "good guys") has his or her quirks that makes each one memorable, and also invaluable in some way to getting the job done. One premise, that decisions that we make can stay with us for the rest of our lives and influence so many other decisions that we make, is well illustrated by Redford's character. Great interactions and witty banter among the lead actors. Enjoy!

Both suspenseful and funny.......2007-07-10

"Sneakers" is one of my favorite watch-again movies, and I think it has the elements needed to become a classic: numerous stars; a tight, suspenseful plot; enough laugh-out-loud humor to make it lots of fun to watch; and plenty of action and intrigue. The star-studded cast includs Robert Redford, Dan Aykroyd, Ben Kingsley, Mary McDonnell, the late River Phoenix, Sidney Poitier, James Earl Jones, and David Strathairn, and each of them brings an excellent performance. This quirky combination of stars plays well in the movie, with Aykroyd channeling his brother, who believes every conspiracy theory ever devised and Redford as the guy who gets all the dangerous tasks, or--as Poitier puts it--"all the fun stuff." Ben Kingsley as the maniacal Cosmo with his two cold-blooded operatives, Timothy Busfield and Eddie Jones, is just scary enough to keep you on the edge of your seat, while the other performers all add humor to the suspense. Stephen Tobolowsky as Dr. Werner Brandes is comical as Mary McDonnell's computer date, yet menacing when he finds out her true identity. This is an engaging and entertaining movie that lets the viewer into the inner sanctum of a group of exceptionally talented computer gurus with the boyish charm of high school geeks. It has a warmth and vibrancy that are a bit unexpected for a movie of its genre, and there are few "slow" moments in the film; the action keeps moving. The scene where Robert Redford unexpectedly encounters the mathematician's paramour is hilarious, and the one where Whistler drives the van is hair-raising and funny at the same time. It's fun to watch for details such as Redford's using a Popeil Pocket Fisherman to retrieve something, right in the midst of a suspenseful moment. "Sneakers" is still appealing after all these years, and someday when all the impressive technology in it starts to look dated, the movie will still be a good time.

The Matrix Revolutions (2-Disc Widescreen Edition)

Average customer rating:

The End of the Matrix Trilogy...
(no spoilers) good thoughts and intentions, poor execution
"oh i'm not so bad, once you get to know me"
Jesus analogy aside, some brave choices here
Lacks originality and style of acts I & II

The Matrix Revolutions (2-Disc Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Mary Alice , Tanveer K. Atwal , Helmut Bakaitis , Kate Beahan , and Francine Bell
Director: Larry Wachowski , and Andy Wachowski
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001BKAEY
Release Date: 2004-04-06

Amazon.com

Despite the inevitable law of diminishing returns, The Matrix Revolutions is quite satisfying as an adrenalized action epic, marking yet another milestone in the exponential evolution of computer-generated special effects. That may not be enough to satisfy hardcore Matrix fans who turned the Wachowski Brothers' hacker mythology into a quasi-religious pop-cultural phenomenon, but there's no denying that the trilogy goes out with a cosmic bang instead of the whimper that many expected. Picking up precisely where The Matrix Reloaded left off, this 130-minute finale finds Neo (Keanu Reeves) at a virtual junction, defending the besieged human enclave of Zion by confronting the attacking machines on their home turf, while humans combat swarms of tentacled mechanical sentinels as Zion's fate lies in the balance. It all amounts to a blaze of CGI glory, devoid of all but the shallowest emotions, and so full of metaphysical hokum that the trilogy's detractors can gloat with I-told-you-so sarcasm. And yet, Revolutions still succeeds as a slick, exciting hybrid of cinema and video game, operating by its own internal logic with enough forward momentum to make the whole trilogy seem like a thrilling, magnificent dream. -- Jeff Shannon

Description

Provocative Futuristic Action Thriller. The Matrix Revolutions marks the final explosive chapter in the Matrix trilogy.

DVD Features:
DVD ROM Features:Links to The Matrix Online promo site and the official Matix website
Documentaries:REVOLUTIONS RECALIBRATED: The making of the final chapter of The Matrix trilogy, including a segment on Neo Realism: The Evolution of Bullet Time
Documentary:CG Revolution: The incredible special effects arsenal, including the segment Super Big Mini-Models
Featurette:SUPER BURLY BRAWL: Behind the final Neo/Smith showdown, including the segments Double Agent Smith and Mind Over Matter: The Physicality of The Matrix
Other:BEFORE THE REVOLUTION: A 3-D Matrix timeline FUTURE GAMER: THE MATRIX ONLINE: an introduction to the massively mulit-player game
Photo gallery:3-D EVOLUTION: Multidimensional stills gallery
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

The End of the Matrix Trilogy..........2007-07-16

"The Matrix: Revolutions" is the conclusion of a trilogy that began with the highly original "The Matrix" and continued with "The Matrix Reloaded." "Revolutions", despite not really adding any new material to the legend, manages to be a surprisingly satisfying conclusion to an epic sci-fi saga, one that cut some original ground and inspired its own pop-culture phenomenon.

"Matrix: Revolutions" picks up where "Reloaded" left off, with the last human city of Zion under siege by the machines. Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus rallies the survivors to buy time for some sort of miracle. Meanwhile, Neo (Keanu Reeves), the hoped-for source of that miracle, works his way through a world that seems equal parts computer language and vaguely Christian theology toward a confrontation with the renegade program Agent Smith. Neo's quest will take him and Trinity (Carrie Ann Moss) to Machine City in search of a final showdown with Smith. The result is frenetic action, with a few welcomes instances of "bullet time" thrown in.

In lieu of adding new material to the legend, the movie features long (even overlong) computer-generated action sequences that will appeal to hard-core fans of the series. A decisive explanation for the nature of the world in which the story takes place won't be obvious from a single viewing, but perhaps that just preserves some of the mystery. Character development is limited; fans will pick up where they left off but newcomers may be confused.

This movie is well recommended to fans of the Matrix phenomenon; newcomers should seek out the original movie as a starting point.

(no spoilers) good thoughts and intentions, poor execution.......2007-07-11

This movie is only moderately entertaining, but what it lacks in its odd pacing and mediocre character development it makes up in intellectual appeal. Upon reflection, it's kind of an odd mix of mass Hollywood appeal and thought-provoking ideas. In this movie, the two elements don't really mesh.

On the one hand, it has the feel of an action movie. Though I'm not much into action movies these days, the action sequences here do exceed most action movies. These sequences are visually and technically stunning, and most of them are filled with new ideas. But aside from their impressiveness, the main pitfall of this movie, and of the whole trilogy, is how it uses action - the action gives the story its texture, but it's simply too conventional. When car-chases or gunfights or karate fights begin, the viewer's mind is intentionally put on pause, and s/he's encouraged to dig into the fight and give into the adrenaline rush. It reminds me of my intense dislike for musicals; even if a musical has a good plot and sound characters, when the music is cued, everything is put on hold for song and dance, when I'm just waiting for things to continue. Likewise, the action sequences here arrest the plot development. They're still entertaining, but in a very short-lived manner. The fighting compares well with every other movie with similar fighting, but it's poorly integrated into the story of The Matrix; and even if it proves groundbreaking, its influence will dissipate as directors one-up these movies by coming up with more exciting ways to have one character chase or demolish another.

The last hour of Revolutions is told in two consecutive unrelenting battles; it results in a long-lived and exciting climax, but it turns the viewer's attention away from the film's plot, and merely towards sigh and relief when the tension stops. And for all it was worth, by the time we reach the end, the plot developments feel minor in comparison.

The ending doesn't quite feel worth it, but it does convey the thought that went into the story's structure. In retrospect, it works very well in theory; it's almost like one of those complicated gun standoffs where more three or so characters are pointing guns at each other in various directions (and in touching every single past convention, the film does contain a brief literal version of this). Only here the characters exist and influence each other on different levels and in different worlds, and they're eventually brought together by similar yet conflicting interests. Moreover, each side pointing guns is made to represent different intertwining ideas. On one level, in order to accomplish this, the movie does occasionally spell things out too clearly to the viewer with pseudo-philosophical rants; but more importantly the characters end up playing out these roles and "ideas" - the structure of the story walks the walk so to speak.

To avoid spoiling it I won't give too much away. In and of itself, the end is fairly simple, but what has continued to impress me is how the movie's sequences of events arrived there from a "perfectly balanced equation" (which we hear about in The Matrix Reloaded), that pitted two seemingly contrasting ideas on different sides in order to fulfill its purpose. There is an inevitable logic to the "solution", which speaks to the trilogy as a whole.

But as I said before, most of this is painted in cheeky Hollywood clothing, complete with Bond-like sarcasm, overuse of stunt-men and CGI-effects, and dispensable characters and side-plots. With a lesser budget and geared towards a smaller adudience, the story could have been told in a tighter and more efficient manner in three or four hours if it had less focus on fighting, and more focus on the characters and the different levels of the story. But not to ruminate on what it could have been, I was glad that the movie challenged me more than most large-scale movies and gave me something pretty to watch at the same time. Hopefully it'll raise the bar for other mainstream flicks, beyond just by giving us new ways to film people shooting each other.

"oh i'm not so bad, once you get to know me".......2007-06-23

Conclusion is what Revolutions is, bringing and ended to the explosive Matrix Trilogy. A direct continuation from Reloaded, Revolutions is once again more eye candy than anything else, with the actual Matrix getting less screen time than the first 2 films. The focus is on the great war in Zion city, against the machines. Its true, the best action and story in this movie all take place in the real world. But there is still plenty of Matrix involved, but only in the beginning and end of the film.

The ending is predictable, but the journey to reach the conclusion has smaller twists and turns along the way that are unexpected. The movie is very intense, in terms of action and cgi. It is truly a thrill ride and we finally get to see an army of mechs unleash their firepower upon the sentinels in Zion city. Neo and Smith face off in their final battle. Unlike the first Matrix, which incorporated a nice blend of realistic martial arts and wirework, this battle is more cgi and expands to the 2 barely fighting on any ground, thus limiting the true martial arts. Not a bad fight, but its ridiculously overdone and not very pretty.

Some say this movie is just plain bad, but I don't believe that is true. Most people want to compare it to the first Matrix, but independently its not a bad movie. While it is not nearly as good as the first Matrix, it is still a great movie, but just like Reloaded, the story effort is not as strong as the first Matrix, and the focus seems to be on the action. You'll want to see Reloaded before Revolutions, simply because Reloaded is part 1 and Revolutions is pt2.

Jesus analogy aside, some brave choices here.......2007-05-17

You know, it's almost impossible to do a trilogy franchise and please fans of the original with episodes 2 and 3. When Reloaded came out, I listened to the masses who moaned and rolled their eyes that no one should bother and to just accept the original Matrix as the classic that it is, essentially pretending that they don't exist. When will I learn my lesson and go see for myself instead of writing things off like that?! I did the same thing with The Two Towers, which everyone told me I would hate. Well excuse me, I loved it. Every last minute. No, it wasn't Fellowship and it wasn't supposed to be, it was different and progressed the story. I feel the same way about Reloaded and Revolutions; it's essentially one enormous story (and yes, it's easy to see the Jesus and King Arthur analogies here) told in three very different films. It would be cowardice and unoriginal to duplicate the first film just to play it safe and I commend the W brothers for staying true to their vision, however and whenever that came about. I won't spoil any plot points here but there are some surprises because American audiences are accustomed to certain things and a few times this film zigs when you expect it to zag. The battle sequences at Zion are a bit long but they're well done, and while I hear a lot of griping about how they ripped off Aliens with their technology didn't we all think it was damn cool at the time and wish we'd seen it do more? I did. So here you get to see that in an insane standoff to save the city.

Reloaded and Revolutions are far more akin to one another than the original Matrix is to either and from what I hear from people in the industry, the W bros didn't know they would be doing 3 films initially so the Matrix was conceived and produced as a standalone project and then the trilogy grew out of the popularity. Now, I personally don't think that detracts from anything. Whether it was all conceived at the outset or not, they planted some very interesting seeds in The Matrix and then helped them to sprout in Reloaded and Revolutions. I liked the philosophy and ideologies lobbed out there, whether I agreed with it all or not. This franchise has balls. Once in a while I felt like the fight scenes or action got to be a bit lengthy but at the same time there was such astounding beauty within each segment it kept me hooked into it and interested.

And as for the absolute ending, all I can say is that if you need a neat and tidy Hollywood ending in order to feel satisfied (which is very common and understandable) then this will leave you frustrated or upset. I also see a corrolation between people's own attitudes about life, death and rebirth reflected in their reactions to this trilogy, though sometimes on an entirely subconscious level. I just wish I had seen them all in the theater rather than allowing myself to be swayed by the massive tidal wave of negativity I heard about the last two installments. I now own them all and I'd love to watch them in sequence sometime soon, like Lord of the Rings or the original Star Wars trilogy, to see how that brings it all together as well.

And for the love of God, let's lay off of Keanu for once! Every actor has their niche, even Jack Nicholson. Would you want to see Jack as King Lear? Probably not. I hated Keanu in Much Ado because it's not his element, but as Neo he is the perfect choice.

If you open yourself to an intense experience and let go of any expectation of seeing another Matrix, you might enjoy this film as much as I did. Again, it might help to watch even 2 and 3 together since they do have such a similar energy and really build on one another. I think this is powerful stuff that would make for some really interesting discussions with a movie group.

Lacks originality and style of acts I & II.......2007-02-28

Revolutions was not a great climax to the Matrix trilogy. The first was sensational. It was stylistic, original, and thought provoking. The first time I watched it I was captivated the entire time and wanted more. Many people did not think much of Reloaded, but I personally loved it. It was not mind-bending like the first, but that wasn't its purpose. The Matrix asked the questions; Reloaded set the stage for a final resolution. I felt it did so with continued originality and style. The fight sequences were artistic and compelling. I don't know how Matrix fans could not have loved watching the result of Neo realizing the potential of his abilities. I can't help overusing the word, but the movie just overflowed with style. The architect scene was odd, but it had good dialogue and was a pretty fun change of direction.

Revolutions almost completely dropped all of those aspects that I enjoyed about the first two. Instead of original, it was filled with cliche. Most of the Zion battle seemed like it could have been made by cutting and pasting from dozens of war/action films. Other than the visual aspect, there was nothing original about the entire Zion portion of the movie. Amaze some people by how well you can pilot a ship. Can an unlikely character somehow find it in him to overcome all when nearly all hope is lost? I need not mention the overdone yet cliche Neo/Trinity scene. The Merovingian fight scenes were fun but basically a hybrid of the security guard fight from I and the medieval weapons one from II.

On the whole, I liked the culmination of the Neo storyline. The machine city, along with the train station, was one of the few aspects of the film that was original and interesting. On a fairly superficial note, I just did not enjoy the fight scenes with Smith. The stylistic choreography was replaced with two guys flying all over the place. Even more superficially, I always loved Smith's wisea-- lines from the previous films, but we didn't really get any more of those. Again, I thought the concept of the Neo storyline was good. It just felt like it was delivered a little less thoughtfully, almost as though that plot was the last to be worked out before some sort of deadline. The Oracle's eyes were thrown in as being important to get then barely played any part in the story. The Merovingian didn't have anything interesting to add this time around. Generally it just felt like the actual plot of Revolutions was thrown together somewhat hastily.

The movie wasn't terrible, it was just quite mediocre. Visually it had many great moments including the batman bouncers at the coat check, much of the Zion battle, and the Source. However, it mostly lacked originality and didn't fit together that well. As the final act, Revolutions could have been the culmination of an exciting, philosophical, and compelling trilogy. Instead it was just the last movie.

Average customer rating:

Blu-Ray in America, HD-DVD in Europe!!!
Blu-ray brings a classic back to life
Disappointing Transfer
HD-DVD Total Recall Review, AUSTRALIA RELEASE!!!
Poor transfer to blu-ray

Total Recall [Blu-ray]
Starring: Marc Alaimo , Pricilla Allen , Ray Baker , Marshall Bell , and Roy Brocksmith
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: Blu-ray

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ASIN: B000HIVOIM
Release Date: 2006-08-29

Customer Reviews:

Blu-Ray in America, HD-DVD in Europe!!!.......2007-07-01

Arnie is Doug Quaid, a simple construction worker who is bored with his uneventful life and wishes to be more and to do something meaningful. He's fascinated with going to Mars and meeting the mysterious woman of his dreams (that would be Melina) despite the civil war brewing withing the colonies. His wife Lori (Sharon Stone, looking gorgeous) is appalled with all things Martian and quickly nixes that idea. The only way Quaid is going to come close to the red planet is if he takes a Rekall vacation, a company that literally offers you a 'dream' vacation memory implant. Quaid wishes to go as a secret agent and all seems well until they send him to sleep.

As soon as he's unconscious Quaid seems to wake up in a rage, claiming his name is not Quaid but Hauser. And it's not just the dream going wrong since the Rekall technicians have not even implanted the dream yet. Blacking out again and waking up in a cab, Quaid has totally no recollection of anything that has happened and is confused to find his life turned upside down. His wife and colleagues are trying to kill him, dozens of armed henchmen are after him, he seems to have acquired lethal killing skills from nowhere and he apparently has some unfinished business back on Mars, despite the fact that he's never been there. Or has he?

Once on Mars for real (or is it?) he finds himself involved with the beautiful Melina (Rachel Ticotin, even prettier than Sharon Stone), the underground resistance and battling their arch-nemesis Vilos Cohaagen, a bureaucrat who has the entire planet under his control. It seems that Hauser was Cohaagen's right hand man and left clues for the fabricated Quaid persona to topple Cohaagen's regime.

Total Recall is certainly one of Arnie's and Verhoeven's most imaginative and creative movies. The Mars town of Venusville is basically Amsterdam's Red Light District with booze, drugs and sex everywhere, the violence is so ridiculously over-the-top that one cannot help but laugh at it (despite a lot of the gorier bits being censored by the evil MPAA), the vision of the future is incongruously bleak but colorful and fanciful yet primitive. The contrasts between Earth and Mars are similar to Western and Third World comparisons.

The visual effects, if slightly dated, are simply amazing. Jerry Goldsmith's awesome score is, at once, atmospheric and action-packed. The set-pieces, especially Quaids vision of the alien furnaces, are just ludicrously entertaining and the 'is it a dream or is it real' premise puts such a wonderfully surreal twist on the whole thing. Sci-Fi has never been so outrageous. What do you expect with mad genius Dutchman directing? And I do believe that it IS real.

The HD-DVD may be missing any extras but the film looks absolutely gorgeous in 1080p and is surely one of the best-looking HD-DVDs I have seen so far. Very, very impressed indeed. Highly recommended.

Blu-ray brings a classic back to life.......2007-06-12

For those who complain about the quality, I don't know what kind of equipment they were watching this on, but I've seen my fair share of blu-ray movies and this one was right up there.

Clear colors and nice sound - we had a blast reliving this movie from the past. I highly recommend it!

Disappointing Transfer .......2007-02-15

I Love Total Recall as a movie hence the reason I've bought it for a 3rd time, after VHS and DVD. I must say I was very disappointed with this transfer, why when films can be cleaned up prior to transfer do they make us buy such a crap transfer!? I mean I bought the Rambo1 Blu Ray from Lionsgate/ Studio Canal which is now 25 years and that is a superb transfer, even the French HD of Basic Instinct is a Cracking transfer by Studio Canal, In Comparison Total Recall is a let down, and to be honest when we fork out our hard earned cash for movies we love on HD formats we expect a marked improvement, why should we make excuses that this film is old, what 1990 is old! When film companys that do spend the money get results, have you seen the Bond Remasters on DVD, some of these are over 40 years old and look better then ever (cant wait for the blu rays of them!) Overall Buy this if you must have it, but be prepared for a let down visually!

HD-DVD Total Recall Review, AUSTRALIA RELEASE!!!.......2007-02-10

Totall Recall is distributed by Universal and Studio Canal in Australia, which means we get Total Recall released here on HD-DVD, not Blu-ray. This also means they'll be releasing Terminator 2 (Theatrical) here aswell.

Totall Recall on HD-DVD, fairs up pretty nicely.

Video: 3.5/5
Picture Quality is great, with sharpness and clarity on par with most HD-DVD releases. Grain is definatley present, but this is what's expected for such an old film. Comparing it to the previous Special Edition DVD, the HD-DVD is a HUGE STEP UP. Also, this HD-DVD's colour has noticeably been PUMPED UP in SATURATION, which is a very nice edition (Mars has never looked so pretty). I also read that it is a much better transfer than the Blu-ray release.

Sound: 3.5/5
We get a DTS-HD master here, and it sounds great. Although, it's hard to judge when I haven't got an AMP that fully supports lossless audio, but what i heard on the down conversion is great.

Special Features: 0/5
We get nothing here, NOTHING!! Studio Canal have to do much better than this.

Overall: 3.5/5
Whilst no Special features, Total Recall is still worth the purchase. it's such a classic Arnie action flick, every fan should own either the HD-DVD or Blu-ray version.
[...]
-zallapo

Poor transfer to blu-ray.......2006-12-22

This is a bad-transfer to Blu-ray. My DVD is just as good and has more extras also! Don't waste your money.

Average customer rating:

RIPPP-OFFFF!
When Words Fail...
A Must-Have for your DVD Library
Simply Outstanding
Kubrick's Magnum Opus

2001 - A Space Odyssey
Starring: Keir Dullea , Gary Lockwood , William Sylvester , Daniel Richter , and Leonard Rossiter
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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