Robots VS Kung Fu: The Matrix Grindhouse Edition

I'm glad to have watched this fanedit just as a novelty because it was such a massive undertaking and its such a different viewing experience than the source material, but I didn't really like it that much and probably won't watch it again. I love the Matrix, but don't like grindhouse movies. So, me not liking this edit is something I probably could have predicted, but I was just curious at what you'd change. I actually thought the small changes were more interesting than the large ones (ie "that was a long time ago"). But all in all, it was just too weird for me.

My favorite part was the preview of Rush Hour (Dynamite Twins?).

Scoring the editing and quality is weird since its intentionally bad. But the more important part -
Enjoyment: 7
Original: 10
This isn't a fanfix, so comparing it to the original may not be the best comparison. I did like this fanedit better than any other grindhouse style movie I've seen, so that's something positive.

This was pure awesomeness. The tone was maintained throughout, so if you love the first five or ten minutes the whole thing will be in your wheelhouse. I laughed out loud and karate kicked the air multiple times. Great execution!

I absolutely love this edit (Must have watched various versions 5 or 6 times so far) and it's taken me a while to put it into words. I'd go so far as to say I enjoy this more than the original film and I enjoy the heck out of that! So far I've not scene another edit that so fundamentaly changes the experience of the film. Here is a few of the reasons it rocks...

Audio/Video Quality: 9/10

matrixgrindhouse has cut in unfinished, unused and incomplete footage into the film wherever possible. The image has been recoloured and made all grainy and nasty looking... in a good way. All of this is of course deliberate and enormously fun but if you are expecting HD quality footage you may be upset. But if you're watching this in the proper 'f*cked up 70s/80s Grindhoused to sh*t print' spirit you'll freakin' love it!!

Visual Editing: 10/10

The editing is so seemless that even after several viewings I hadn't notied cuts to footage of completely different movies (The commentary talks you through all that). Yet other edits are deliberately done to introduce enormous jump cuts and continuity errors which adds another layer of enjoyment. If the shot could be changed or replaced... it has been.

Audio Editing: 10/10

This is the best part for me. The entire soundtrack has been replaced with awesome synth Funk cuts that will have you almost dancing in your seat as you watch the edit. Brilliantly the edit comes with a music-only track so you can listen to it in all it's isolated glory. If that's not enough there is an informative commentary too. So much work has gone into getting the sound FX right too and all the scratches and noise you'd expect from a Grindhouse edit have been carefully added. Lastly much of the dialogue has been replaced, cut up and messed with to create an alternate story and some hilarious gags... zzzzzziiiiiip ;-)

Narrative: 9/10

All the characters personalities and motivations have been changed along with the story. So you get a totally different experience. I've knocked one point off because I suspect you have to be familiar with The Matrix to follow some of the changes but that doesn't mean I'd change a damn thing. I love how the story has been made more crazy but cutting in a good chunk of footage from another movie.

Enjoyment: 10/10

10 hardly covers how much fun this edit is. I swear it gets better with every watch and you'll be spotting more and more little visual tricks and gags on every watch. I'm looking forward to my next watch of 'ROBOTS vs KUNG FU' already!

Extras: 10/10
Not only is there 3 audio tracks to enjoy there is a whole extra DVD of bonus materia created for the release. Trailers, deleted footage and alternate cuts abound. Plus the edit itself begins with 3 spoof vintage Grindhouse trailers so good they alone make this worth watching repeatedly!

Thanks matrixgrindhouse for going the extra mile on this one.

"Jesus, I just thought you were a guy?... that was a long time ago"

2021 Updated Review:

Has it really been 8 years since I left this review? Damn. Time flies. Well, with the release of the "Analogue Demaster" version, I felt this was worth a re-watch/re-review. I'll say that this is still one of the all time great fanedits out there and should be required viewing for everyone reading this. This really shows you what is possible with fanediting and your only limitation is your own creativity. Everything I said below still stands. The absolute highlight is the faneditor commentary track. It' so great to get a peek behind the curtain of a master at work. Brilliant, all around.

Original 2013 Review:

This edit is a blast. The editor has taken The Matrix as we know it, turned it inside out, crushed it with a sledgehammer, set it on fire and up from the ashes rose Robots vs. Kung Fu. What TMBTM was to Jaws and Star Wars, matrixgrindhouse is to The Matrix. Very highly recommended.

Audio/Video Quality: Horrid. Perfect.

Visual Editing: The number of sources blended together in this edit is jaw dropping. Great work.

Audio Editing: Hard cuts, volume fluctuations, stray noises. Everything that makes a grindhouse a grindhouse.

Narrative: The new story that's created is an incredible feat the editor should be commended on his creativity and the technical prowess to be able to pull it off.

Enjoyment: Take the red pill.

Wow. I really thought I'd seen it all, and that no other Matrix fan edits would hold enjoyment for me, but this one proved me wrong! I love this fanedit! I would have given it perfect scores across the board, but the Johnny Mnuemonic stuff -although great to see included and fun, didn't quite connect in narrative fashion that I totally understood - even with the grindhouse framework... I still kind of "got" those parts though.

The incredibly intricately extracted range of source materials (mainly from Dark City, Matrix Revisited and the Matrix Online) is impressive, and well incorporated, and gave me a "wow, I didn't see that coming" feeling to a movie I've literally watched over a 100 times, no joke. This fanedit is a real pleasure!

Super fun and awesome! I enjoyed this fan edit enough to watch the feature fanedit, then immediately watch it with the commentary - all the way threw both series of credits. The Fan Editor should be proud of themselves, for a job very well done, and I eagerly await the planned sequel - even if it takes another 3 years or more, I'll still keep an eye out!