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Ultimate Matrix Collection

posted 7 years ago by NotASpeckOfCereal (302)
2 replies | jump to latest

I picked this up at the Costco, 20-something US dollars, all 3 films plus Animatrix plus extras, Blu-ray.

Last night I put in the first film and BOOM, it looked terrible! Over contrasty and sharpened, but mostly just too dark.

I realize this film was cast dark and green, but it took me about 1/2 the film to finally find the TV settings that made this watchable (basically cranked brightness; no other enhancements because that screwed with the colors). For the record, I have a nice TV and Blu-ray player and have watched many films on this combo without problems, so that's not the root cause.

So is there a definitive version to get, or have they yet to release a remastered version of this set. For this 'ultimate' collection, is it all just packaging with no new remaster?

I feel that if they haven't yet remastered this, they never will, given the reception for films #2 & 3.

[–] SoulHacker88 (20) 7 years ago

Hi. It is a known issue that the Blu-ray version of The Matrix has had its color-timing altered in order to match the look of the sequels, much to many fans of the first film's demise. This results in an overly green tint that was not intended by the director of photography. Sadly, there is no (official) HD alternative. Your best bet is to track down a copy of the DVD, however I am not sure if even that transfer matches that of the theatrical version. Thankfully, you can check with the fine folks over at Original Trilogy, who revel in film preservation and are involved with many fan projects that aim to recreate the theatrical experience of many films.
http://originaltrilogy.com/topic/The-Matrix-with-original-theatrical-color-timing/id/13657/page/1

[–] DracTarashV2 (4475) 7 years ago

I actually think the blu-ray versions (the ones released not too long ago) look outstanding. Did they overdo the dark green tint for the first film? While I wouldn't say no, I kinda feel like they didn't. The reason is I find the look to be wonderfully sharp and effective. In fact, i couldn't picture the film looking any more perfect. Then again... I might be saying that since i can't recall the last time I didn't see The Matrix "HD-less" - however I always remembered it being quite green. And concerning the Ultimate Matrix Collection, I don't own it but it appears to be a sweet collectors item alright.