picture : * * * ½ the picture on this dvd in incredible . besides a few moments where it is a little dark , the picture is sharp and clear . without having any lines or anything . to me the picture could have been mastered a bit brighter in some scenes , but then again the film in the theatre was dark too . sound- * * * * incredible . the film has 3 ch . english dolby surround 5 . 1 , with music-only audio only tracks and commentaries during the film from the cast and crew . when you are in a theatre with great sound and the sound is behind you , even if you have only 2 speakers , the 5 . 1 surround really is around you and amazing . i would recommend getting audio equipment or speakers for best expierience . special features- * * * * the best feature of the dvd is the special features . it contains bio's of the crew , including awards they've won , films they were in where they were born and so on . it also has a great feature called 'follow the white rabbit' in which a little rabbit icon appears at the bottom of the screen and when you press select the dvd shows you how they made that certain special effect . also it contains the hbo first look : the matrix , a documentary of the making of the film , 'take the red pills' which shows you more of the making of the film including the bullet scene . it also has scene selection , english subtitles , interactive menus , and enhanced features for your dvd-rom pc , which includes are you the one ? challenge , screenplay , storyboards , and the genre essays 'do you know kung fu " original theatrical website and sampler trailers . film rating- * * * some may be disappointed with the matrix . i'll tell you i was . i sat there and sat there and sat there waiting for something to happen . now wait wait , i know most of you loved it , and i'm not saying i didn't like it . what i'm saying is the first half was extremely slow . now seeing the trailer it makes you think the whole entire movie is one big special effects show . don't be fooled , this movie has a big story . and big chunks of talky moments . but i will admit the special effects and the acting were above par , deserving the rating above . ok now to the story . well this may take a while . ok first of all , our world we live in now , is not the real world , actually we live inside a computer generated world known as the matrix . a man played by keanu reeves is about to find that out , when is kidnapped and almost coaxed to go into the real world . he does so , and finds out that he can do anything , be anything he wants to be . but he has to fight a 'matrix skipping' bad guy , who wants to send him back to his own world or destroy him . laurence fishburne , his guide of sorts plays his character well as does keanu reeves . but i sat in the theatre for over and hour wondering where all the special effects were . yeah there were some in the first half but not enough . the trailer for this movie was really decieving making people think that this was a special effects laden movie . now for the second half , it is explosive , and saves the movie . some of the special effects and fighting were breathtaking . the sound , the music , and all the effects were effective , and the last hour kept us entertained . but with a running time of 2 hours and 20 minutes , this movie is at least 40 minutes too long . one would have wished for a better 'matrix' , but i do have to say , i did like it and i was entertained . overall dvd rating- * * * ½ the special features , sound , picture and film are all good on the dvd . though the film wasn't as great as i thought it would be and a bit slow in parts the special effects were definately amazing . the 5 . 1 surround was absolutely incredible , and i would definately recommend the dvd of 'the matrix . reviewed by brandon herring september 28 , 1999 . brandon herring movie review heaven ( <a href= " http : //www . geocities . com/hollywood/movie/3160/moviereviewheaven . html " >http : //www . geocities . com/hollywood/movie/3160/moviereviewheaven . html</a> 
