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Revisited for die-hards only

November 21, 2001
“The Matrix Revisited” is an in-depth exploration of the film-making process of “The Matrix” and features never-before-seen footage and a sneak peek on location of the upcoming sequel.

Chances are, if you own a DVD player you own a copy of “The Matrix.” Along with “Gladiator,” it seems to be one of the movies they really should just package along with every new DVD player.

And for all of us that were amazed at the movie, both in the theater and at home, now we have a chance to see even more about it with the new release “The Matrix Revisited.” But be warned: This movie is only for the hard-core fans of “The Matrix.”

It may be worth a rent for casual fans, and it will be coming in a handy two-disc set for those who haven’t yet purchased the first movie, but only the extreme fans need to drop the cash to own this new behind-the-scenes look at “The Matrix.”

The disc is a making-of retrospective, with the advantage of being put together nearly two years later as the filmmakers begin to create the next two films. It’s an opportunity to see the creation of the first ground breaking film from the difficult training procedures for the actors, including an injured Keanu Reeves, to the extreme amounts of wire work to get all those high flying kicks and wall-walks right.

We also get a look at the difficulty of getting such a movie made, especially considering the creators and directors were second-time movie makers Andy and Larry Wachowski. We see them convince all sorts of execs and producers with their intelligence and well done storyboards, and then we see them keep their hands in every aspect of the creation of their movie.

For the fans of “The Matrix,” you’re not going to see anything that you probably didn’t already know. Yes, training all the actors to do the extensive martial arts took four months. And yes, creating the special effects for the movie involved the creation of shooting techniques and technology that had never been used before.

While an entertaining glimpse into the creation of one of the most technologically brilliant and remarkably intelligent action movies of our time, “The Matrix Revisited” really doesn’t offer any spectacular extras for fans. If, for some reason, you own a DVD player and have yet to purchase “The Matrix,” the double-set that includes this documentary may be worth the extra scratch. For the fanatical fans of the film, this will of course be an essential item.

But for the casual viewer, there is little to truly reward the experience. It is a nice touch for fans to be able to get a deeper look at one of their favorite movies, but it is nowhere near as entertaining as the movie that preceded it.

And on a note of annoyance: There are several of the so-called “Easter eggs” on the disc, none of which I was able to find. I don’t know about other movie fans, but I got my DVD player to be privy to the extras, and suddenly I’m forced to tap all sorts of buttons for hours to try and find all the good little tidbits.

I know I’ve seen the outtake with the rhino from “Gladiator,” but I’ll be damned if I can find it again. Just give me an idiot-proof little menu with all the good stuff on it. I’d rather not have to figure out codes when I spend a good $30 on a DVD.

If I wanted to be left out of the good extras, I’d stick with VHS. Just a note.

So, to sum up: “Matrix” good, “Matrix Revisited” good for hard-core fans, and “Easter eggs” on DVDs bad.

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