The Matrix Resurrections – 4K Blu-ray Review
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Warner Bros | 2021
R | 2hrs 28 min | Adventure | Action | Fantasy | Sci-Fi
HD | 1080P | Dolby Atmos | Dolby TrueHD 7.1
Native 4K | 2160P | HDR10 | Dolby Atmos | Dolby TrueHD 7.1
Aspect Ratio 2.39:1
Staring: Keanu Reeves | Carrie-Anne Moss | Yahya Abdul-Mateen II | Jessica Henwick | Jonathan Groff | Neil Patrick Harris
Directed by: Lana Wachowski
Ratings & Reviews
Please see here for my comments on reviewing movies.
My ratings are simple being marked out of a maximum of 5+. My reviews are biased towards the technical production aspects of the film with brief comments about the story line. Extras, sorry, that’s just not my ‘bag’.
So what did the 7.1 soundtrack sound like? Excellent, and the 4K HDR10 video? Reference class.
Entertainment: 5-
Video: 5
Audio: 5-
Technical Review – Native 4K UHD HDR10
The Matrix Resurrections was captured digitally in the Recode RAW 6K and 8K CODECS using Red Komodo, Monstro and Ranger cameras with Panavision Panaspeed lenses. It was finished as a 4K Digital Intermediate in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 complete with grading for high dynamic range in both Dolby Vision and HDR10. This triple-layer BD100 disc has been well authored and shows no excessive use of noise reduction or edge sharpening and no compression artifacts. This two disc package also includes the BD50 HD version together with a digital code.
The overall image clarity is excellent with an abundance of crisp detail and plenty of refined texturing. Clothing, threads and facial close-ups provide excellent detail and definition with natural skin tones and accurate rendition of pores, facial stubble, wrinkles, eyelashes, hair strands, cuts, bruises and features without any undue exaggerations. The metallic textures of guns and vehicles display plenty of detailed imperfections and even the pods slimy, gooey substance has a shiny sticky texture that looks great. CGI and special effects integration are very good, blending well with the real action shots and never looking soft.
Deep blacks abounded throughout, were noise free, and showed excellent low level and shadow detail as found in the night and Matrix scenes and various room sequences. Peak whites and overall highlights provided clean detail with no clipping, like inside the Matrix construct, the suns blazing glow as it bounces of buildings, the lights of cars in the night chase and the high sheen off various metallic surfaces. All providing a terrific dynamic contrast range and enhancing visibility of objects in both interior and exterior shots all helping to create a good depth of image.
The original green tint to the Matrix is gone, with colors looking much more natural in both the real and Matrix worlds. Color fidelity is excellent with well saturated primaries and secondaries, all having good color depth and density, hues are vibrant and accurate like the city neon signs, brown buildings, blue skies and the bright, deep green streaming Matrix code. The ambers and golds that populate various actions sequences, yellows and oranges of the sunlight, candles and Morpheus’s suit, the sentinels red lights, the blue of Bugs hair and the blues and silvers of the Mnemosyne are nicely nuanced, while the bright pinks and red hues of Neo’s birthing pod are emphasized by the circling black robots.
Overall an excellent image making it to reference class.
Audio – Dolby TrueHD 7.1
The Matrix Resurrections provides a stellar Dolby Atmos primary audio track that defaults to Dolby TrueHD 7.1 in my system. I found the track highly engaging and impactful during the limited number action scenes with well extended bass and solid dynamics.
The overall sound presentation is dynamic, with good sub involvement and action from all surrounds. The soundstage is deep and medium-wide, and surrounds are constantly active with ambience, directional cues and movement from flying sentinels, zipping bullets and falling shell cases to the bombastic racket of explosions and shots fired. Effects placement are accurate and natural, with movement in both the rear and side surrounds and the general environmental and room acoustics effects consistently pulling you into the many locals and environments, from the rain and bullets to shell casings and kung-fu kicks and punches, all filling the surrounds helping to pull the listener further into the scene and keeping you engaged at all times.
While the sub action is not extreme it is does provide a solid and extended bottom end. Certainly making itself felt during most of the action sequences, having good punch and muscle from the gun shots, explosions, kung-fu blows and car mayhem. Imaging continuously feels broad and expansive as action moves on and off-screen. Dialogue is always crystal clear and well detailed with solid front-center imaging and prioritization, even during the more intense sonic moments with the mid-range continually providing good clarity and detail no matter how loud and aggressive the action.
The Johnny Klimek and Tom Tykwer score is a little less showy than the original trilogy soundtracks by Don Davies but it compliments the movie throughout its entire length, revisiting old themes from the earlier trilogy and introducing new ones, all flushing out the soundscape. Hitting a good balance between the dialogue and effects their score envelopes the whole listening environment with light spill into the surrounds and effortless integration within the soundstage.
In my opinion just a little more dynamics from bullets fired, fight impacts and bottom end slam would have pushed this soundtrack right into reference class. Never the less, it is an excellent soundtrack and a good pairing with the reference class video.
Story Overview
The Matrix Resurrections once again returns to the world of two realities, one everyday life the other what lies behind it. Mr Anderson (Keanu Reeves) will once again have to choose to follow the white rabbit to find out if his reality is a mental or physical construct.
The movie is set sixty years after the Machine War in the Revolutions movie and follows Neo (Keanu Reeves), who lives an ordinary life as a video game developer and who has trouble distinguishing fantasy from reality. A group of rebels led by Bugs (Jessica Henwick), the captain of the Mnemosyne and with the help of Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith) and that of a programmed version of Morpheus (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), free Neo from a new version of the Matrix only to fight the Analyst (Neil Patrick Harris), a new enemy that holds Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) captive. Neo and his group of rebels eventually free Trinity and with her new found control over the Matrix she and Neo escape the Analyst who is now trying to kill her. With Trinity’s strengthening control over the Matrix she and Neo return to confront him, thanking him for a fresh start which they intend to use to remake the Matrix as they see fit……….
My 2 cents
The original trilogy is one of my favorite Sci-Fi movie stories, with the last one, Matrix Revolutions (2003), leaving you, well at least me, in limbo for the last 18 years! Well the red pill or the blue pill is back and Matrix Resurrections delivers a good story line with reference grade video and great audio, together with a fitting end…..or is it?
A must to own for all Matrix fans. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Purchase from Amazon here.
