civiclx

Is there one DVD set that had digipacks and then a newer one that had slimcases? Has anyone seen the one with digipacks lately?

Boba Fett

There was one that had mini digipaks, and one with a Neo bust that had the discs in slimline cd cases.

civiclx

I have seen the one with the neo bust. Believe the mini digi set was released in 2004. I believe there is a set that looks the same released in oct of last year and I'm thinking it has the slimcases

sorry I can't post any links right now. Using the net from phone can be a pain...

Josh-da-man

As far as I know, there are three:

1. Standard DVD set. 10 DVDs packaged inside "digibooks" inside a shiny black and green holofoil cardboard slipcover. (Sort of like the first Godfather set)

2. Deluxe DVD set. Came inside of a big clear plastic box with a Neo sculpture.

3. Blu-ray set. 6 discs inside five slim blu-ray cases and a booklet, housed inside of a thick black cardboard slipcase.

I believe that both DVD sets have been out of print for quite a while now. The Blu-ray is still available.

That'sAllFolks

^^
Also: an HD DVD set with "combo" discs and an SD Animatrix

civiclx

I am familiar with the three that you mentioned. I'm good with the digis but now if they had a Monical Bellucci bust, I'd be all over that...literally

I actually found th 10-disc digi set at best buy yesterday

jjcool

I am a fan of Monical Bellucci's bust as well.

Gatherer

I just wish the 10-DVD standard set had been packaged without the pairs of discs overlapping.

I'm a big fan of the Matrix, and I was just looking into this a couple months ago, so I'll share further details of all the Ultimate Matrix Collection editions/versions.

All Ultimate Matrix Collection sets should contain almost exactly the same content/extras in different disc arrangements, with 3 exceptions:
- the HD-DVD set has the 3 movies in HD, and the Blu-Ray sets have the 3 movies and the Animatrix in HD
- the HD-DVD set and the Blu-Ray set carry over the cast/crew commentary on the 1st movie from the standalone The Matrix DVD in addition to the 2 new philosophers and critics commentaries, while the DVD set omits the cast/crew commentary to make room for the 2 new philosophers and critics commentaries
- the Blu-Ray set may or may not include a 7th disc with a digital copy of the 1st movie; except for the special Japanese set definitely including it as a 7th disc, reports vary, and some otherwise-identical sets may be 6 while others are 7. The activation codes have expired for sets that do include a digital copy, but you can email [email protected] and they'll send you a new code (reported to be successful as of March 2010).

1. Standard 10-Disc DVD set (4 movies+Animatrix discs, 6 extras discs): "Comes in a Cardboard Box, with 5 Cardboard 2-Disc Digi-Pack Cases [with clear plastic trays]."
1a. Originally released December 7, 2004. Now OOP. Amazon listing at www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002Y69NG/ has a bunch of customer images, and various used copies for sale. Detailed features list at thedigitalbits.com/reviews3/ultimatematrix.html . Original list price was $79.99.
1b. Re-released October 6, 2009. Identical to original release (AFAIK???); uses the same product image on Amazon. Amazon listing at www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002LII6KA/ says list price $49.98, Amazon price $37.49; no customer images yet.

2. Limited Edition 10-Disc DVD set (4 movies+Animatrix discs, 6 extras discs): "Limited Edition Collector's Set that includes all of the Discs housed in a 'Collector's Display Case' (large Plastic Library Case [containing 10 separate clear slimline jewel cases]) with Collectable Neo Bust and an 80-Page Booklet (contains Wachowskis Text Introduction to the Commentaries, a complete Disc-by-Disc guide to all of the contents in the set, lots of Production Artwork, DVD Credits, Trivia Bits on The Films, and a 2-Page Bibliography of 'Recommended Reading')."
Originally released December 7, 2004. Now OOP. Disc content identical to Standard 10-Disc DVD set. Amazon listing at www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002Y69NQ/ has a bunch of customer images, and various used copies for sale. Original list price was $129.99.

3. 5-Disc HD-DVD set (3 HD-DVD/DVD Combo discs with 3 movies on HD-DVD sides and the 3 Revisited extras discs on DVD sides, 1 dual-sided DVD with Animatrix on one side and a 4th extras disc on the other side, and 1 dual-sided DVD with the 5th extras disc on one side and the 6th extras disc on the other side): Packaged in standard HD-DVD cases. Originally released May 22, 2007. Amazon listing at www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OONTFU says list price $119.99, Amazon price $107.99; no customer images (see the Blu-Ray set for customer images comparing the HD-DVD set and the Blu-Ray set). Detailed features list at www.thedigitalbits.com/reviewshd/hidefreviews005.html , www.bigpicturebigsound.com/matrix-trilogy-collection-hd-dvd-1065.shtml , and www.monstersandcritics.com/dvd/reviews/article_1313217.php/HD_DVD_Review_The_Complete_Matrix_Trilogy_HD_DVD.

4. 6/7-Disc Blu-Ray set (3 Blu-Ray movies discs with the contents of the 3 Revisited extras discs included on the same side of the Blu-Ray movie discs, 1 Blu-Ray Animatrix disc, 1 double-sided DVD extras disc containing the 4th and 5th original extras discs, and 1 single-sided DVD extras disc containing the 6th original extras disc, and possibly 1 DVD digital copy disc of the first movie): Packaged in 6mm slim Blu-Ray cases. Originally released October 14, 2008. Amazon listing at www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OPPBEQ says list price $129.95, Amazon price $70.49, and has a bunch of customer images. Detailed features list at www.thedigitalbits.com/reviewshd/matrixult.html and bluray.highdefdigest.com/300/matrix_umc.html.

5. Japanese Limited Edition 7-Disc Blu-Ray set with Nebuchadnezzar (3 Blu-Ray movies discs with the contents of the 3 Revisited extras discs included on the same side of the Blu-Ray movie discs, 1 Blu-Ray Animatrix disc, 1 double-sided DVD extras disc containing the 4th and 5th original extras discs, 1 single-sided DVD extras disc containing the 6th original extras disc, and 1 DVD digital copy disc of the first movie): Discs are stored inside a model of the Nebuchadnezzar ship. Originally released December 17, 2008. Now OOP. List price was about $376 US. See toysrevil.blogspot.com/2008/09/ultimate-matrix-collection-within-belly.html for a bunch of images.

hindolio

was the matrix trilogy box set in hd dvd mentioned? its just the 3 flicks in hd dvd, no animatrix or anything else.

also, i think there were 3 separate sd dvd warner/cda big boxes for the matrix. ya know, the ones with the poster, lobby cards, senitype, maybe other extras.

Gatherer

Yes, there are also 'non-Ultimate' Matrix Collections; I had only been listing "Ultimate Matrix Collections", per the original thread topic.

Let's see...

1. 3-Disc HD-DVD set: "The Complete Matrix Trilogy": 3 HD-DVD discs containing the 3 movies in HD (and about a third of the three Revisited discs' contents). Originally released May 22, 2007. Amazon listing at www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E1MTZE/ says list price $99.99, Amazon price $89.99; no customer images, just 1 product image of the cover. Detailed features list at hddvd.highdefdigest.com/405/matrix_ct.html , www.bigpicturebigsound.com/matrix-trilogy-collection-hd-dvd-1065.shtml , and www.monstersandcritics.com/dvd/reviews/article_1313217.php/HD_DVD_Review_The_Complete_Matrix_Trilogy_HD_DVD

2. 2-Disc DVD set: "The Matrix Collection: 4 Film Favorites": 2 double-sided DVDs containing exact copies of the original releases of the Matrix, Animatrix, and 1st discs from Reloaded and Revolutions. Originally released October 14, 2008. Amazon listing at www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001DJLD1M/ says list price $17.98, Amazon price $12.49.

3. 3-Disc Blu-Ray set: "The Complete Matrix Trilogy": 3 Blu-Ray discs containing the 3 movies in HD (and all of the three Revisited discs' contents). Originally released November 17, 2008 (in the UK, but playable in the US!). Amazon listing at www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CEE1YE/ has some US-based used sales; no customer images (see the UK listing). Amazon UK listing at www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001CEE1YE/ says list price £39.99 ($57.45 US), Amazon UK price £16.99 ($24.41 US); several customer images. Original list price was £49.99 ($72.02 US). Detailed features list at www.pocket-lint.com/review/3676/the-complete-matrix-trilogy-bluray and http://www.dvdactive.com/news/releas...-trilogy2.html .

Correct again! These are harder to find good information on by now, but as best I can determine their specs, they are:

1. "The Matrix Limited Edition Collector's Set" VHS+DVD+CD set: Box containing the normal The Matrix VHS, The Matrix DVD, the Matrix CD soundtrack, a Senitype blown-up image ("numbered print") and matching reproduction 35mm film frame, 8 original limited edition lobby card prints, and a 40"x27" one-sheet cinema reproduction poster or mail-in offer for one.
Originally released November 23, 1999. Now OOP. Amazon listings at www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00001ZUGK/ and www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00001ZUGJ/ has 1 product image, and various used copies available (at 2nd listing only).

2. "The Matrix Platinum Limited Edition DVD Collector's Set": Two-inch-thick "Special Edition" box containing the normal The Matrix DVD, a Senitype blown-up image and matching reproduction 35mm film frame, 8 original limited edition lobby card prints, a 40"x27" one-sheet cinema reproduction poster or mail-in offer for one, and a collection of black and white photograph stills.
Originally released October 31, 2000. Now OOP. Original list price was $79.99. Amazon listing at www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004Z4UW/ has a tiny product image and 1 customer image, and various used copies available. A somewhat-better image is available at www.movie-gazette.com/gallery/524/the-matrix/2267 .

3. "The Matrix Gold Edition" 2-Disc DVD set: An update of the Platinum Limited Edition set. "The Gold Edition" collector's box ("a luxury fitted slipcase") containing the normal The Matrix DVD (same as the Platinum Limited Edition set), the normal The Matrix Revisited DVD (new to this set), a Senitype blown-up image and matching reproduction 35mm film frame (same as the Platinum Limited Edition set), a 40"x27" one-sheet cinema reproduction poster or mail-in offer for one (same as the Platinum Limited Edition set), and a 16-page commemorative book (new to this set).
Originally released January 1, 2001. Now OOP. Original list price was $99.99. Amazon listings at www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000050XY8/ and www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005RYL1/ have 1 product image and 1 customer image, and various used copies available.

JJE-187

I have the 4-Film Favorites. I don't watch extras very often so I prefer the space saving of the 2 disc set

civiclx

Wow, thanks for all the info Gatherer. I had no idea there were so many sets out there.
So this Oct, 2009 reissue, you think comes with digis as well? I was thinking they came with the slims lime the BR set.
Do you have any pixtures of the sets you have?

Congrats on being correct twice in the same post hindolio...smarty pants

Gatherer

Glad you liked it. I'd never seen that info all in one place before, just scattered throughout Amazon and beyond, but now here it is, gathered!

I own the separate DVD releases of the 3 movies and Animatrix, so I have not yet convinced myself to spend the money and space on an Ultimate Matrix Collection set, only ogled them online so far. If the new re-release does use slimline cases without the overlapping that the original release had, that would eliminate one of my major points of reluctance. But I have not yet seen anything to confirm or deny this.

Josh-da-man

I would suggest that you wait until you have a Blu-ray player and an HDTV, and get the Ultimate Matrix Collection on Blu-ray. It's well worth it, and the set frequently goes on sale for fifty dollars, which is only about ten dollars more than the DVD set regularly sells for.

nando820

So the Ultimate 5-Disc HD-DVD set has more features than the regular 3-disc HD set??

Also I read somewhere that some of the movies feature commentaries by non fan critics. Meaning they talk about the bad things about the movies. Do you know which versions feature these?

Thanks for all the info provided. I love it when all the information is gathered on one place so we can make the right buying decision

Ash Ketchum

I bought a cheap no-frills set last year that had all three MATRIX movies plus THE ANIMATRIX, all in one regular case for, I think, $14.99. I'm pretty sure each film had its own disc, but I'd have to wait till I got home to check.

Gatherer

Yes, compared to the 3-disc HD set, the Ultimate 5-Disc HD-DVD set adds the Animatrix (SD) and the contents of the 6 extras DVDs from the Ultimate Matrix Collection 10-Disc DVD set. Except for The Matrix Revisited which is sold separately, and the contents of all three Revisited DVDs are included on the Trilogy discs (partially on the HD-DVD ones, fully on the Blu-Ray ones), the contents of the other 3 extras DVDs are only available in the Ultimate Matrix Collection sets (DVD, HD-DVD, and Blu-Ray). As best I can determine:

- The Matrix Revisited (180 minutes) - 'making of' documentary/etc on the 1st movie [about an hour of this content is included on the 1st disc in the HD-DVD Trilogy]
- The Matrix Reloaded Revisited (176 minutes) - 'making of' documentary/etc on the 2nd movie and the Enter The Matrix video game, and the 42 minutes of footage shot for the Enter The Matrix video game which previously could only be seen after completing parts of the game [about an hour of this content, and/including the Enter The Matrix footage, is included on the 2nd disc in the HD-DVD Trilogy]
- The Matrix Revolutions Revisited (189 minutes) - 'making of' documentary/etc on the 3rd movie [about an hour of this content is included on the 3rd disc in the HD-DVD Trilogy]
- The Roots of The Matrix (190 minutes) - documentaries discussing the philosophy and science of the series as a whole
- The Burly Man Chronicles (177 minutes) - documentary on the trials and tribulations faced by the crew in the production of Reloaded and Revolutions
- The Zion Archive (45+ minutes) - showcases production assets developed for the universe of The Matrix, including concept artwork, storyboards, drawings, music videos, TV spots and trailers, plus a special preview of The Matrix Online

That is a total of 412 minutes (~7 hours) of totally-Ultimate-exclusive extras (not including all three Revisiteds), or 777 minutes (~13 hours) of exclusive-to-Trilogy-and-Ultimate-sets extras (not including The Matrix Revisited), or 957 minutes (~16 hours) all together that isn't available standalone. (All not counting the philosophers and critics commentaries.)


Here's details of all the commentaries. The list is rather repetitive due to similarities, but intentionally so, to ensure the particular editions someone might be interested in are specified.

[Note: All editions of The Matrix (the first movie) also include a non-standard commentary with the composer Don Davis commenting during the silent parts of a music-only soundtrack.]
- standalone The Matrix DVD: 1 commentary: cast/crew (actress Carrie-Anne Moss, editor Zach Staenberg, and visual effects supervisor John Gaeta)
- '4 Film Favorites' The Matrix DVD: 1 commentary: cast/crew (actress Carrie-Anne Moss, editor Zach Staenberg, and visual effects supervisor John Gaeta)
- Ultimate M.C. version The Matrix DVD: 2 commentaries: philosopher scholars who liked the films (Dr. Cornel West of Princeton and author Ken Wilber); film critics who didn't like the films (Todd McCarthy of Variety, John Powers of Vogue, and author David Thomson)
- Trilogy version The Matrix HD-DVD: 3 commentaries: cast/crew (actress Carrie-Anne Moss, editor Zach Staenberg, and visual effects supervisor John Gaeta); philosopher scholars who liked the films (Dr. Cornel West of Princeton and author Ken Wilber); film critics who didn't like the films (Todd McCarthy of Variety, John Powers of Vogue, and author David Thomson)
- Ultimate M.C. version The Matrix HD-DVD: 3 commentaries: cast/crew (actress Carrie-Anne Moss, editor Zach Staenberg, and visual effects supervisor John Gaeta); philosopher scholars who liked the films (Dr. Cornel West of Princeton and author Ken Wilber); film critics who didn't like the films (Todd McCarthy of Variety, John Powers of Vogue, and author David Thomson)
- standalone '10th Anniversary Edition' The Matrix Blu-Ray: 3 commentaries: cast/crew (actress Carrie-Anne Moss, editor Zach Staenberg, and visual effects supervisor John Gaeta); philosopher scholars who liked the films (Dr. Cornel West of Princeton and author Ken Wilber); film critics who didn't like the films (Todd McCarthy of Variety, John Powers of Vogue, and author David Thomson)
- Trilogy version The Matrix Blu-Ray: 3 commentaries: cast/crew (actress Carrie-Anne Moss, editor Zach Staenberg, and visual effects supervisor John Gaeta); philosopher scholars who liked the films (Dr. Cornel West of Princeton and author Ken Wilber); film critics who didn't like the films (Todd McCarthy of Variety, John Powers of Vogue, and author David Thomson)
- Ultimate M.C. version The Matrix Blu-Ray: 3 commentaries: cast/crew (actress Carrie-Anne Moss, editor Zach Staenberg, and visual effects supervisor John Gaeta); philosopher scholars who liked the films (Dr. Cornel West of Princeton and author Ken Wilber); film critics who didn't like the films (Todd McCarthy of Variety, John Powers of Vogue, and author David Thomson)

- standalone The Matrix Reloaded 2-DVD: no commentaries
- '4 Film Favorites' The Matrix Reloaded DVD: no commentaries
- Ultimate M.C. version The Matrix Reloaded DVD: 2 commentaries: philosopher scholars who liked the films (Dr. Cornel West of Princeton and author Ken Wilber); film critics who didn't like the films (Todd McCarthy of Variety, John Powers of Vogue, and author David Thomson)
- Trilogy version The Matrix Reloaded HD-DVD: 2 commentaries: philosopher scholars who liked the films (Dr. Cornel West of Princeton and author Ken Wilber); film critics who didn't like the films (Todd McCarthy of Variety, John Powers of Vogue, and author David Thomson)
- Ultimate M.C. version The Matrix Reloaded HD-DVD: 2 commentaries: philosopher scholars who liked the films (Dr. Cornel West of Princeton and author Ken Wilber); film critics who didn't like the films (Todd McCarthy of Variety, John Powers of Vogue, and author David Thomson)
- Trilogy version The Matrix Reloaded Blu-Ray: 2 commentaries: philosopher scholars who liked the films (Dr. Cornel West of Princeton and author Ken Wilber); film critics who didn't like the films (Todd McCarthy of Variety, John Powers of Vogue, and author David Thomson)
- Ultimate M.C. version The Matrix Reloaded Blu-Ray: 2 commentaries: philosopher scholars who liked the films (Dr. Cornel West of Princeton and author Ken Wilber); film critics who didn't like the films (Todd McCarthy of Variety, John Powers of Vogue, and author David Thomson)

- standalone The Matrix Revolutions 2-DVD: no commentaries
- '4 Film Favorites' The Matrix Revolutions DVD: no commentaries
- Ultimate M.C. version The Matrix Revolutions DVD: 2 commentaries: philosopher scholars who liked the films (Dr. Cornel West of Princeton and author Ken Wilber); film critics who didn't like the films (Todd McCarthy of Variety, John Powers of Vogue, and author David Thomson)
- Trilogy version The Matrix Revolutions HD-DVD: 2 commentaries: philosopher scholars who liked the films (Dr. Cornel West of Princeton and author Ken Wilber); film critics who didn't like the films (Todd McCarthy of Variety, John Powers of Vogue, and author David Thomson)
- Ultimate M.C. version The Matrix Revolutions HD-DVD: 2 commentaries: philosopher scholars who liked the films (Dr. Cornel West of Princeton and author Ken Wilber); film critics who didn't like the films (Todd McCarthy of Variety, John Powers of Vogue, and author David Thomson)
- Trilogy version The Matrix Revolutions Blu-Ray: 2 commentaries: philosopher scholars who liked the films (Dr. Cornel West of Princeton and author Ken Wilber); film critics who didn't like the films (Todd McCarthy of Variety, John Powers of Vogue, and author David Thomson)
- Ultimate M.C. version The Matrix Revolutions Blu-Ray: 2 commentaries: philosopher scholars who liked the films (Dr. Cornel West of Princeton and author Ken Wilber); film critics who didn't like the films (Todd McCarthy of Variety, John Powers of Vogue, and author David Thomson)

- standalone Animatrix DVD: subtitled Japanese commentaries on 4 of the 9 shorts (director Mahiro Maeda on 'The Second Renaissance Part I' and 'T.S.R. Part II', producer Hiroaki Takeuchi and director Yoshiaki Kawajiri on 'Program', and producer Hiroaki Takeuchi and director Takeshi Koike on 'World Record')
- '4 Film Favorites' Animatrix DVD: subtitled Japanese commentaries on 4 of the 9 shorts (director Mahiro Maeda on 'The Second Renaissance Part I' and 'T.S.R. Part II', producer Hiroaki Takeuchi and director Yoshiaki Kawajiri on 'Program', and producer Hiroaki Takeuchi and director Takeshi Koike on 'World Record')
- Ultimate M.C. version Animatrix DVD: subtitled Japanese commentaries on 4 of the 9 shorts (director Mahiro Maeda on 'The Second Renaissance Part I' and 'T.S.R. Part II', producer Hiroaki Takeuchi and director Yoshiaki Kawajiri on 'Program', and producer Hiroaki Takeuchi and director Takeshi Koike on 'World Record')
- Ultimate M.C. version Animatrix HD-DVD (still a DVD): subtitled Japanese commentaries on 4 of the 9 shorts (director Mahiro Maeda on 'The Second Renaissance Part I' and 'T.S.R. Part II', producer Hiroaki Takeuchi and director Yoshiaki Kawajiri on 'Program', and producer Hiroaki Takeuchi and director Takeshi Koike on 'World Record')
- Ultimate M.C. version Animatrix Blu-Ray: subtitled Japanese commentaries on 4 of the 9 shorts (director Mahiro Maeda on 'The Second Renaissance Part I' and 'T.S.R. Part II', producer Hiroaki Takeuchi and director Yoshiaki Kawajiri on 'Program', and producer Hiroaki Takeuchi and director Takeshi Koike on 'World Record')

nodeerforamonth

I'm guessing they pressed at least 50,000 of them.

hindolio

appropriate name gatherer. but from thus forward, i shall just call you g

Gatherer