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The Matrix is a film that astounds not only with action and special effects but also with ideas. These pages are dedicated to exploring some of the many philosophical ideas that arise in both the original film and the sequels. In the upcoming months we will be continually expanding this section, offering essays from some of the brightest minds in philosophy and cognitive science. We are kicking things off with essays from eight different contributors on various philosophical, technological, and religious aspects of the film. Though this collection of essays is part of the official web site for the Matrix films, the views expressed in these essays are solely those of the individual authors. The Wachowski brothers have remained relatively tight-lipped regarding the religious symbolism and philosophical themes that permeate the film, preferring that the movie speak for itself. Accordingly, you will not find anyone here claiming to offer the definitive analysis of the film, its symbols, message, etc. What you will find instead are essays that both elucidate the philosophical problems raised by the film and explore possible avenues for solving these problems. Some of these essays are more pedagogical in nature - instructing the reader in the various ways in which The Matrix raises questions that have been tackled throughout history by prominent philosophers. Other contributors use the film as a springboard for discussing their own original philosophical views. As you will see, the authors don't always agree with each other regarding how best to interpret the film. However, all of the essays share the aim of giving the reader a sense of how this remarkable film offers more than the standard Hollywood fare. In other words, their common goal is to help show you just "how deep the rabbit-hole goes." Beginning the collection are three short essays in which I discuss two of the more conspicuous philosophical questions raised by the film: the skeptical worry that one's experience may be illusory, and the moral question of whether it matters. Highlighting the parallels between the scenario described in The Matrix and similar imaginary situations that have been much discussed by philosophers, these essays offer an introduction to the positions taken by various thinkers on these fascinating skeptical and moral puzzles. They serve as a warm-up for things to come. Next is "The Matrix of Dreams" by Colin McGinn, a distinguished contemporary philosopher who is perhaps best known for his writings on consciousness. His essay offers an analysis of the film that focuses on the dreamlike nature of the world of the Matrix. Arguing that it is misguided to characterize the situation described by the film as involving hallucinations, McGinn seeks to show how the particular details of the film make it more plausible to see the Matrix as involving the direct employment of one's imagination (as in a dream), rather than a force-feeding of false perceptions. Along the way, McGinn's essay also touches on the moral assumptions of the film, several other philosophical problems raised by the character of Cypher, and the dreamlike quality of all films. Hubert Dreyfus is a philosopher known both for his pioneering discussion of the philosophical problems of Artificial Intelligence, and his work in bridging the gap between recent European and English-language philosophy. In "The Brave New World of The Matrix," he and his son Stephen Dreyfus draw on the phenomenological trRead full review
As what was possibly one of the big juggernaut releases for the HD-DVD format when the war was still on, Warner had a LOT to live up to with bringing this movie to High Definition, and the HD-DVD format. Today, I can write with confidence, after seeing it in my own eyes, that the format definitely had a lot more going for it than what many would have one believe. I chose to buy it on HD-DVD because even though I now have a working ps3 to play BluRay's and games on, getting it on BD was at minimum $80 with tax, and usually a lot more. And with the 360 HD-DVD drive, I had a lot of incentive to instead save myself a good chunk of cash and get it on HD-DVD instead. I must be truthful. I already loved this series of movies, and while it was already a benchmark for the DVD format. Seeing it now on HD-DVD, it really has made the kind of jump you'd expect to feel from going from a 1950s black and white TV to a 40" high def TV set. You know the guys at Warner that brought this movie to HD did so out of love when you can pause a movie and see the veins and arteries on neo's arms when he's first unplugged, or the pores on Morpheus's head when he offers the red and blue pill. And the audio equally impresses. The catchphrase for HD-DVD was "The look and sound of perfect." It sounds cheesy, but it pretty much sums up the technical quality of this release. The niggling downside with this release compared to the BluRay re-release, is that the Animatrix is in 1080p on the BD set. While there are some on that set of shorts I wouldn't mind seeing in native high definition, that isn't enough for me to go fork over another $40~50 for just that.Read full review
What can I say that hasn't already been said about this movie? It's a classic. A pioneering film through its unique story and also, for lack of better words, it's Matrix action scenes. This movie may be a classic but it's sequels pale in comparison...they are just ok action flicks at best. This is the real McCoy in the modern scifi action-thriller-drama scene, rent it if you haven't yet. Otherwise your missing out on one of our most recent all-time best classics.
Nothing compares to the original story or plot of the first Matrix movie, but nonetheless the character development and action in the following two movies are still very cool. All the movies in this collection are well done and have some great menus and features, can't beat the current pricing since HD DVD lost the war to the Blu Ray disc format, there are many cheap movies and players out there to build a 1080P library from.
I like seeing rare things like this on a format that was short-lived of it's time. Brings a feeling of nostalgia of the 2000s.
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