Monday, August 5, 2019

DOLBY and AMC Rereleasing “THE MATRIX” for ONE WEEK on 20 ANNIVERSARY of Original Release


If anybody is getting tired of all the recent blockbusters out there filled with SFX-laden action sequences or cutaways to full-CGI character movement when the visuals get too intense, one possible candidate for blame is a sci-fi action movie from 1999 from Warner Bros. and tandem filmmakers the Wachowskis. “The Matrix” took some special effects concepts like “bullet time” and “CGI double,” then made them mainstream in its story of rebellion against an enemy taking place on a battlefield that feels real but is not. Such has been the legacy of “The Matrix” that on its 20th anniversary, it will be briefly returning to cinemas.

To be precise, Entertainment Weekly tells us that “The Matrix” will celebrate 2 decades since its release by screening once more in selected cinemas at the end of August. This is made possible by Dolby, a very familiar name to movie theaters in terms of quality sound, as well as AMC Cinemas. That is because the one-week return of “The Matrix” will be done on 135 AMC Dolby Cinema locations across the US. This will be a prime opportunity to see Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Ann Moss and Hugo Weaving portraying some of their most iconic roles in their careers.
In a public statement, Dolby Cinema Business Group senior vice president Doug Darrow explains that the re-screening of “The Matrix” in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos tech on the participating AMC theaters is the greatest homage they can make of the Wachowskis’ 1999 sci-fi epic. “Movie lovers will be able to see and experience unforgettable sequences like bullets flying in slow motion with the utmost detail – transforming one of the most iconic sci-fi films of this generation,” Darrow adds. It should be noted that, given the movie’s original release of March 1999, the return is actually already several months late.

As a refresher, “The Matrix” stars Keanu Reeves as Thomas “Neo” Anderson, office drone and secret computer hacker who runs afoul of some strange agents, only to be rescued by a major hacker cell that reveals his world as a massive computer simulation, run by machines in a dystopian future using captive humans as a power source. The rebels, led by Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) can hack the “Matrix” virtual environment to give their avatars superhuman knowledge and abilities, but Neo is believed to be the prophesied “One” who will free humanity from the enslaving machines.

The timing of this rerelease for “The Matrix,” from August 30 to September 5, seems to coincide with the renewed public hype for Reeves, in the wake of his recent blockbuster roles in “John Wick 3,” “Toy Story 4” and “Always be My Maybe” (as himself). Reeves is also reuniting with old costar Alex Winter in “Bill & Ted Face the Music,” coming in August 2020.

Image courtesy of Polygon

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