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Warner Brothers Announce The Matrix: Special Edit
Kartik3 writes "IGN.com is reporting that Warner Bros. is releasing a 2-disc special edition DVD of The Matrix (loaded with extras) on April 29th and The Animatrix (An Anime series set in the world of the Matrix) DVD on June 3rd." If Animatrix is half as cool as the promo comic that was given out at the Matrix opening, I'll like it.
Warner Home Video will be repackaging The Matrix as a 2-disc set. The new edition will essentially contain the current film and The Matrix Revisited discs. Revisited will be padded out with new promotional features like "Preload: On the Set of Reloaded," episodes 1&2 of The Animatrix: The Second Renaissance, a preview of The Animatrix, "What Is the Game?" trailer for the new Infograme "Enter The Matrix" videogame , a sample of music from Reloaded, and a Marilyn Manson "Rock Is Dead" music video. The set will also include a free ticket offer to The Matrix Reloaded. The Matrix: Special Edition is due on April 29 and will retail $27.95. Oh, and the packaging will be "foil-wrapped" (insert eye-rolling).
Speaking of The Animatrix, this more ambitious project will be released on June 3rd. This disc will include nine short films conceived by the Wachowski brothers, delving into the world of the Matrix and its characters. The collection of shorts, ranging from traditional anime to full-blown CGI, will come from world-renowned anime directors Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Koji Morimoto, Mahiro Maeda, Takeshi Koike, Peter Chung and Andy Jones." Episode include "The Final Flight of the Osiris," "The Second Renaissance Parts 1 & 2," "Kid's Story," "Program," "World Record," "Beyond," "Detective Story," and "Matriculated." The Animatrix will retail $24.98. As for the two actual sequels, the Reloaded and Revolutions DVDs are already in production and are being promised as "breakthrough discs".
Wasn't The Matrix: Revisited a "2 Disc set loaded with extras"?
I too would like to know if this release is any different. The title "special edit" suggests to me that perhaps there are some extended scenes in this one.
You can watch the Animatrix trailer here
John
The drops of water don't know themselves to be a river; and yet the river flows.
Ooo! Foil packaging!
Doesn't sound like a new edit. I really doubt I'm going to be replacing my old Matrix DVD.
I really hope the "extras" include a new commentary track. Have you guys ever sat through the commentary that comes on the DVD. It is a *painful* experience. Its such a great great movie that its sad to see such monotonous commentary. Carrie Moss has some interesting and funny comments, but honestly she just isn't present enough throughout the track. Instead its two of the "geeks" that helped put the movie together ( one was in charge of visual effects). Although some of the technical insight is interesting -- for the most part you find them talking through the best parts of the movie about totally unrelated subjects, or extending valid points way too far. Maybe I'm being a little too critical on something that's supposed to be off the cuff, but it just seemed like the techinical guys didn't have a clue as to how to make the commentary interesting for your average viewer. However, geeks never have been great at stimulating conversation for the masses for minutes, let alone hours.
:-) ).
I love listening to the commentary tracks on DVDs -- Fight Club and Training Day being two of my favorites -- as they offer insight into the movie's themes and motif's and new perspectives on something you may have taken for granted after 5-10 viewings. After so many years and so many viewings, I'd love to finally know what the brother's think of their creation or hear more from Laurence or Hugo (probably not Keanu though
Yes, multiple sets suck, but some companies will put out shitty versions first or decide to come out with new versions for promotional reasons. Think about how many versions of Star Wars have come out over the years? Off the top of my head they're come out with the original releases, the THX remastered releases, the Special Edition releases, and the new set that came out a few years ago with some extra promo footage. Considering that the last 3 sets came out in both widescreen and pan and scan (a shame to see this crap coming to DVD... but that's another rant) that's at least 10 different sets. Sooner or (more likely) later we're going to have the DVD releases and there might very well be regular and special edition releases of both... not to mention the actual special edition releases to follow that.
Terminator 2 has had two releases so far with another one on the way (can't have anything to do with the third movie now can it) to oust the previous so-called "Ultimate edition". Stargate has been out in 4 editions on DVD alone with another one coming out soon as well.
For whatever reason you'll have extra editions for reasons good (LOTR needed time to produce the special features and compose the music and such) and bad. Think of the excellent newer version of Seven, or Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Sometimes though they don't even get the new version right (the new version of Reservoir Dogs is misframed and has color problems, but the old one had terrible video quality and sound) and it's worth it to come out with something better.
The bottom line is to look around before buying something in case a new version might be on the way, no matter how long (Goodfellas has been in production for a while). If the current version is a bit weak on features or poorly made and a fairly big film... wait. The new version will probably come around eventually.
since the Matrix was very much inspired by another anime, Ghost in the Shell.
I understand you're annoyed about the Alien set, but for what its worth,
1) The old releases have been out a few years now.
2) They really have cleaned them up a fair bit further, apparently, and transfer technology has moved on quite a lot as well.
3) Aliens will apparently have the theatrical cut this time, thank God. Even just this alone would make it worth it for me, as I hate the extended version; it really ruins the pace for me.
4) Alien3 should (hopefully - its not confirmed for certain) have the extra workprint scenes inserted to present the 'fan cut' everyone has been clamouring at Fox for the last x years to release.
5) DTS tracks all round, and a proper 5.1 sound mix for Alien from the 70mm version, rather than the hacked into 5.1 release on the current disc.
Finally, its sounding like some of the extras in your set (most notably the Goldsmith score on Alien) may not make it on due to the space taken by the new transfers, so it may be worth keeping both if you're a big fan.
"I Know You Are But What Am I?"