You have to see it for yourself

Sal J. Barry
Chicago (U-Wire)

CHICAGO (U-WIRE) -- Finally a book has been released for "The Matrix" fan that is truly obsessed with the movie; a 488-page, full-color volume that covers everything from the shooting script to production art as well as each and every storyboard.

"The Art of the Matrix" is not one of those lame attempts to capitalize on a movie's hype. Considering that this book came out almost two years after the movie's release, it is for diehard fans who want to know everything about the 1999 blockbuster film. And the book covers virtually everything.

One of the coolest things about "The Art of the Matrix" is the storyboards. Unlike traditional storyboards, which are merely crude drawings with lame arrows indicating action, the storyboards for "The Matrix" are drawn comic-book style. Comic book artists Steve Skroce and Geoff Darrow drew each frame in great detail, and the book has more than 200 pages of these black-and-white masterpieces. The book even reproduces storyboards of scenes that were cut from the film, such as a chase that was supposed to occur on top of a speeding train, which was later changed to Trinity's rooftop chase scene.

The book also reproduces all the full-color artwork for "The Matrix," such as storyboards for shots with digital effects, and conceptual paintings of the Sentinels, the Neb and the pods. The book even reprints several of the movie's posters -including unused ones - and stills of all the characters and all the best scenes.

Also printed in the book is the complete shooting script. What makes this truly impressive is that it contains dialogue that didn't make it to the final cut, such as Cypher informing Neo that there were five others before Neo, that Morpheus at one time or another proclaimed to be "The One" and that that they all were killed by Agents. Later, Neo confronts Morpheus about this fact. Although these scenes didn't make the final cut, the book still shows what could have been. At the end of the script there are notes and excerpts of earlier drafts. These are also interesting to read because they show how the idea of "The Matrix" progressed.

While the price, which is around $60, may seem a little steep, the book is definitely worth every cent because it comprehensively reproduces all the artwork as well as the script. It is a book made for Matrix fans, and it is great to see how the rich concepts and designs for "The Matrix" were developed. But a description of this book does it no justice because as Morpheus said, "You have to see it for yourself."