Slashdot Mirror


Matrix Reloaded on DVD Before Revolutions

SycloneFX noted that the Matrix Reloaded will be available on DVD on Oct 14, just 3 weeks before the release of Revolutions. This is noteworthy because normally there are large time spans between releases of DVDs and Sequels (although LotR had a special edition released only a few weeks before TTT).

41 of 485 comments (clear)

  1. Yeesh! by TopShelf · · Score: 5, Funny

    What timing - sounds like October will be "all Matrix, all the time." I think I'll have to load up on those red-hot cinnamon candies that look like the "red pill." Any Agent Smiths or Neo's that show up at my door on Halloween can head right back to their dreamworld...

    --
    Stop by my site where I write about ERP systems & more
    1. Re:Yeesh! by cshark · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I can't wait! You know, the motion picture industry is so much smarter than the music industry. When the music industry starts freaking out about sales, they start suing people. When the motion picture industry starts freaking out about sales, they start messing with new marketing schemes and incentives that actually give people a reason the buy their products. I hope we see more of this kind of innovation from the motion picture industry in the coming years.

      --

      This signature has Super Cow Powers

    2. Re:Yeesh! by clem · · Score: 5, Funny

      the blue one was to go back to the dream world

      Well then, keep a stock of NyQuil gelcaps on hand for the trick-or-treaters. That oughta send 'em back to dream world.

      --
      Your courageous and selfless spelling corrections have made me a better person.
    3. Re:Yeesh! by realdpk · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yeah, really. I gave the MPAA my credit card details to keep on file. Now they won't stop using it to buy me the first DVD release and then all of the subsequent special releases. It's out of control!

      If only I had a choice not to buy all of those DVDs, what a wonderous world that would be.

    4. Re:Yeesh! by captainktainer · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I think that's his point. Hateful or not, it brings in the money. Exploiting human psychology to sell a product is fine as long as everyone involved knows what's going to happen- yes, there will be a "value added" release several months after the original DVD is sold. Caveat emptor- let the buyer beware.

      If you don't want to play their game then don't buy the initial product. It is a *choice* you must make- whether to succumb to instant gratification or delay gratification until a point where you can maximize your enjoyment. The motion picture industries are continuing a time-honored tradition of exploiting the human desire for instant gratification. Exploitative? Maybe. Cynical? Absolutely. Wrong? I don't believe so.

      Personally, I think this plan is marketing genius- the people who see the DVD are going to remember how very cool the second movie was and will be even more exciting about seeing the third film. Cynicism aside, it's probably the best way to promote co-produced sequels like this, and I'm glad that for once the studios seem to be showing a little bit of respect for a film.

    5. Re:Yeesh! by ccnull · · Score: 4, Informative

      In fairness to Hollywood (which I am loath to provide), this is sometimes a distribution problem. T3 is being distributed by no fewer than 8 different companies, each with a slice of the world where they can play. The rights issues are so convoluted that it's a surprise movies like this ever hit screens at all.

      Contrast that with Matrix 2, which was distributed by Warner Bros. in almost every country and which hit within a week of the US release in nearly all of them.

      Just something to think about. I don't think there's a conspiracy to screw you just because you're (presumably) in Europe.

      Or is there...

  2. I'll wait. by teamhasnoi · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm still trying to figure out the first one.

  3. The plan all along... by Richardsonke1 · · Score: 5, Informative

    This was the plan all along. The reason why the film is coming out at this time is because this is the earliest they could release it. The said that they were doing this because the cliff-hanger at the end of the second movie was so much that they would be killed if they waited the normal amount of time to release the sequel.

    --
    "Men lie."
    "Yeah, about sleeping with other women, but never about bioluminescent plankton."
    -Dan Brown
    1. Re:The plan all along... by ceejayoz · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Looks like you missed something.

      The single survivor is none other than Agent Smith.

      The body is that of the person Smith punches in the chest, then dials out of the Matrix in Neo's prophecy/dream. He's also the guy who cut his hand up with a knife while preparing to stab Neo in Zion, before he was interrupted. Undoubtedly he's the reason the EMP went off early and caused the counterattack to fail miserably, too.

    2. Re:The plan all along... by mattsucks · · Score: 4, Funny

      Oh know the movie doesn't spoon feed me a happy end whatever shall I do?

      Because there is no ... oh, never mind.

  4. That's funny... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I could've sworn I was watching a DVD quality version a couple days before it came out. This must be some sort of typo.

  5. Additional Content by GeckoFood · · Score: 5, Interesting

    From the article:

    While both the VHS and DVD will be priced for sale to consumers, the DVD includes several bonus features that should boost sales, such as a behind-the-scenes look at how the freeway chase scene was crafted and shot and the humorous parody of "The Matrix Reloaded" that was featured on the 2003 MTV Movie Awards.

    The extra content, in this case anyway, might well be worth the investment in the DVD. Any word on "Easter Eggs" on this one like there was in the original??

    --
    Be excellent to each other. And... PARTY ON, DUDES!
    1. Re:Additional Content by schon · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Remember to boycott the matrix [boycottthematrix.com]

      Interesting - I thought that Tank was written out because the Watchkowskis came to their sense and realized that the guy who played him had the acting skills of a four-year-old suffering from ADD after drinking 10 litres of Jolt Cola.

      I had no idea the guy was such a boob.

      From the site:
      "In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Chong claims he crashed a press junket, took food from WB production offices and verbally harrassed the Wachowskis via phone."

      So, let me get this straight - a no-talent hack asked for too much money - after they tell him they're not interested, he made verbal threats against the Watchkowskis, harrasses them, admits it on national television, then files a lawsuit against them for not giving in, and now he's looking for my sympathy?!?!?!

      Jebus, what color is the sky in this guy's world?

  6. Great... by Schezar · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now I can watch that rave/orgy in all its home-theatre glory. With slow-motion and freeze-frames, I'll bet I can get a good estimate of the true volume of saliva shown on screen.

    Even better, I can loop it and leave it on 24/7. I'm sure everyone in the apartment will love it!

    --
    GeekNights!
    Late Night Radio for Geeks!
  7. I wonder... by borgdows · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...does the Matrix contain any SCO code ??

    1. Re:I wonder... by aardwolf204 · · Score: 5, Funny

      The Matrix runs on NT4, Duh! Why else do you think it keeps reloading?

      Theres a KB Article on it:

      The information in this article applies to:
      Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 for Matrix
      Microsoft Windows for Matrix 3.11
      Microsoft Windows Matrix 95

      SYMPTOMS
      Matrix reloads

      CAUSE
      Neo chooses wrong door

      RESOLUTION
      To work around these errors, rename the file door2.mtx to door1.mtx, or copy the door2.mtx file to another location. You may also be able to work around these errors if you remove unnecessary files from the root directory.

      --
      Im dreaming ofa big bndwdth, That can resist the /.crowd.May ur days b merry & bright & may al
  8. The Domimatrix by Jack+Comics · · Score: 5, Funny

    Personally, I'm waiting for the fourth Matrix movie, "The Domimatrix." It stars a whip-wielding Carrie Ann Moss. She already has the leather part down. I figure that movie would make more sense than "Matrix Reloaded," and would also be more entertaining.

    --
    "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." - Oscar Wilde
    1. Re:The Domimatrix by Mr.+Bad+Example · · Score: 4, Funny

      That's latex, dude. Think hot, sweaty, and sticky.

      I did think hot, sweaty, and sticky Carrie Ann Moss.

      Now it's My Pants Reloaded.

  9. Good! by gerf · · Score: 5, Funny

    And with the anonymous Kazaa Lite/++ up, that's just enough time for me to download a divx rip without anyone knowing! Whoops, did i post that?! /runs

    j/k MPAA, it's meant to be modded Funny, not Informative!

  10. The Release by Waab · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This is more noteworthy because the DVD is being released less than 6 months after the movie first hit the theaters. That's insanely fast. Of course, so is releasing the next movie in the series without a gap of a at least a year.

    But, as the editor pointed out, movies in the LotR series have had DVD releases just prior to the theatrical release of the next film.

  11. Makes sense to me by poot_rootbeer · · Score: 5, Informative


    Seems like the logical thing to do. Release a DVD of the last movie, getting the Matrix franchise back in people's minds. People can watch Reloaded to refresh their memories on the plot so far before going to see Revolutions. A buzz builds in anticipation of the upcoming theatrical release.

    It's just "strategized marketechture" at work.

  12. Think it twice by cniebla · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Why bother to buy this DVD? You could wait a little longer and have the "Ultra-Special Gazillion-DVD Bundle-Bonanza" with all the bells and whistles, for a discount, a little after the release of the final installment of the Matrix saga (or any other saga).

    Its plain stupid to be on a rush and go get the movies in separated DVDs, you'll end with less features, needing to sale them on E-Bay just to buy the final-special-edition.

    A shame...

  13. Re:Clue me in by Ann+Coulter · · Score: 5, Funny

    It is an array of coefficients repersenting a set of linear transformations.

  14. Matrix: RECARGADO by thegnu · · Score: 4, Funny

    the funny thing about matrix: reloaded here in mexico is the translation. recargado is reloaded, but also "leaning on something"

    so it looks to be the most mellow matix so far.

    neo! he fights! he flies! he smokes marijuana! then he leans on shit for a while!

    --
    Please stop stalking me, bro.
  15. that DVD better be high quality.... by Gorphrim · · Score: 5, Funny

    ....hopefully they'll base it off the Centropy release....

    --

    Queens of the Stone Age - they rule
  16. Re:cha ching .. by agentZ · · Score: 5, Funny

    To paraphrase, I wish I had a daughter so I could forbid her to marry you.

  17. Re:Disgusting by Carbonite · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Does this strike anybody as disgusting, or odd.

    No, not really. The Wachowskis came up with a story that would take 4-5 hours of screen time. They had several choices:

    - Make one movie with a running time of 4-5 hours. This would never be accepted by theaters or Warner Bros.

    - Cut half of the script, leaving one standard length film. No artist would want half of their work to be thrown out.

    - Make two films, each of standard length. This obviously was the preferred choice.

    Now, given that two movies were going to be made based on one plot, it made sense to film them together. If you prefer to think of it as one movie with a six month intermission, feel free.

    --
    ich muß mehr Kuhglocke haben
  18. Re:Clue me in by ceejayoz · · Score: 5, Funny

    Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself.

    Of course, 10 minutes later, Morpheus tells Neo what the Matrix is. Heh...

  19. This is a good thing... by eln · · Score: 5, Funny

    This means I can skip past the "slow zoom out from Keanu Reeves's ass" scene. Not to mention the part where Morpheus is speaking to the crowd at Zion and trying to be all tough and authoritative with his massive gut hanging out.

    Really, any version of the movie where I can skip over the entire Zion sequence will instantly make this movie 10 times better.

  20. Obvious of course, but... by SuperKendall · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I really like to watch an original movie just before the sequel, if possible.

    Also, a new and diabolical tactic they are using now is to include different special features on different DVD sets - so the extras here (which look to be pretty good) may well not even be on the Special Ultimate Uranium Edition, or The Matrix Thoughtfully Reconsidered.

    Translation: I'm buying the DVD.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  21. Must be some mistake by djupedal · · Score: 5, Funny

    I picked up a copy of Reloaded on DVD over a month ago... in Seoul....what's with this October noise :)

  22. I disagree. by Murdock037 · · Score: 5, Informative
    The extra content, in this case anyway, might well be worth the investment in the DVD.

    This seems like a pretty half-assed DVD to me. We all know the term "Special Edition" has no meaning anymore, but it's pretty obvious they've rushed this out to coincide with the release of Revolutions.

    Take a good look at those "bonus features." It's a few featurettes, the kind of vapid press release crap you see on HBO before the movie's released. No commentary. No deleted scenes. Why do they need a second disc for this?

    There's already talk of a genuine special edition (scroll to the bottom of the article), after the Wachowskis are done with the Revolutions hoopla. If you're not willing to buy a movie twice, you're going to be kicking yourself later.
  23. Re:cha ching .. by SamBeckett · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's not disturbing that you've watched it so many times.. It is disturbing that you would think we would care what formats you watched it in.

  24. How many of you waited past closing credits? by baywulf · · Score: 4, Informative

    If you sit through all the closing credits on Matrix Reloaded, there is a small preview of Matrix Revolutions.

  25. Re:This is good news.... by ErikTheRed · · Score: 4, Funny

    Sounds like a good deal for those who haven't seen "Reloaded" yet, as you can see both movies at about the same time if you grab the DVD.

    Oh yeah, /. is just overflowing with people who haven't seen "Reloaded". 15 times. In the last week.
    --

    Help save the critically endangered Blue Iguana
  26. Re:This is good news.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That ended like a soap and resolved NONE of the issues it brought up. It did not advance the story. I was NOT pleased.

    You are NOT very observant, then.

    Here's how it worked. The Whatchamacallit Brothers went to Village Roadshow/WB and said, "Here's our script. It's 300 pages long."

    VR/WB said, "Great. Love it. Cut 180 pages."

    TWB said, "Uh... we'd rather not. How about we make a 5-hour movie instead and release it with an intermission?"

    VR/WB said, "Uh... we'd rather not. How about you make two movies?"

    TWB said, "Uh... we'd rather not. How about we make one 5-hour movie and split it down the middle, release 'em six months apart?"

    VR/WB said, "How much money will this make us?"

    TWB said, "Billions."

    VR/WB said, "Okie-dokie."

    As a result "The Burly Man," the sequel to "The Matrix," is a five-hour movie that's been split right down the middle (not especially at the best place, either) to turn it into two 2-1/2 hour movies.

    You watched the first half, got up, and went home. And here you are, bitching about resolution.

  27. Is it just me by roystgnr · · Score: 4, Funny

    Or did the Wachowski brothers lose about a thousand geek points by not naming their sequels something like "Matrix Product" and "Matrix Inverse"?

  28. "To be continued..." hurt Reloaded? by apetime · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Lots of people are complaining about the cliffhanger at the end of Reloaded, but I think the ending hurt the movie in a different way..

    If you have a movie that ends abruptly, then the main thing that's going to stick in peoples' minds after they get out of the theatre is "Oh God.. I can't want to see the next one.." NOT "I can't wait to see that again." That's why Reloaded fell from first place so quickly. It's not that people didn't like it, but that, apart from the geeks who want to analyze every bit of the movie, nobody is going to go see a movie that leaves them high and dry again and again.

    I predict Revolutions is going to dominate the box offices at the end of this year, with people going to see it over and over, because it (should) have a satisfying ending. And, if the studios are smart, they'll make sure to put the whole Matrix+Reloaded+Revolutions 6 hour epic out in limited release in theatres.

  29. Some of us... by alexjohns · · Score: 4, Insightful
    ...have enough money to buy both. It's not stupid to buy stuff you want, generally. Yes it's stupid to waste your money on cigarettes. Unless you're one of those people who are addicted (or just really, really like them). It's stupid to buy junk food. Unless you're addicted. It's stupid to buy an SUV, unless you don't care about the environment. Or just value your personal safety over that of the environment.

    It's not stupid to buy this DVD if it allows you to watch the first and second movie just before the third one comes out. I don't have an eidetic memory, so don't you think my enjoyment of the third movie would be heightened if I can have the previous one fresh in my mind when I see it?

    What I think is stupid is to call other people stupid. You know nothing about me. My wants, desires, needs. My likes and dislikes. My IQ. My common sense. Calling me stupid is an insult to stupid people. Or something.

  30. Re:Film... an art?? by Requiem · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Pi. The Seven Samurai. Amadeus. Requiem for a Dream. You pretentious fuck: 90% of everything is crap, and that includes the film industry.

    Unlike the AC that replied to your post, I'm not afraid to put my name to this.

  31. Re:Film... an art?? by malocchio · · Score: 4, Insightful

    indications that film = art? hrmmm.... The Godfather, Ken Burns documentaries, Casablanca, some old westerns, hundreds others... Film, if done correctly, can bring to you everything a novel doesn't only minus literary technique. The combination of an exhilierating audio and visual experience that tells a story, makes an author's point, plays with ideas--how is that not art? If anything, film is the newest, most unmastered and yet most powerful artform that exists today.

    Even The Matrix, I have never seen another movie that attempts to bring metaphysics to the big screen.