Cool Stuff: McFarlane Toys' New Movie Maniacs Include The Matrix, Rocky, And The Big Lebowski
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Last year, McFarlane Toys resurrected their Movie Maniacs line of collectible figures. As you might have seen in our humongous /Film Holiday Gift Guide, the first waves included the likes of Alan from "The Hangover," Gandalf from "Lord of the Rings," the titular soccer coach from "Ted Lasso," and all four players from "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle," just to name a few. This year, the Movie Maniacs line continues to expand with a variety of collectible figures across several genres.
First up, in honor of the 25th anniversary of "The Matrix," both Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) are getting their own figures in the line. Switching over to the sports arena, there's Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) and his formidable opponent Apollo Creed (the late Carl Weathers). Throwing it back to 1976, Matthew McConaughey has his character David Wooderson immortalized in plastic, which means he really will stay the same age. And finally, for those looking to have a detailed figure of The Dude — or His Dudeness or Duder or El Duderino, if you're not into the whole brevity thing — can get "The Big Lebowski" figure featuring Jeff Bridges in one of his most iconic roles.
Take a closer look at all the new McFarlane Toys Movie Maniacs figures below.
Enter the Matrix
It's hard to believe that 25 years have passed since "The Matrix" revolutionized both sci-fi and action in the same motion picture, but here we are. With a revival of the franchise on the way from "Cabin in the Woods" director Drew Goddard, there's no better time to celebrate where it all began by putting Neo and Trinity on your shelf.
Both figures are posed in front of backdrops featuring the scrolling green text code that represents the Matrix itself. Neo is standing with his hand reached out to stop bullets, but I can't help but be somewhat annoyed that we never see Neo in this outfit, in this pose, in the original movie. When Neo stops bullets towards the end of the movie, he's not wearing his signature trenchcoat and sunglasses. It's more of a look inspired by "The Matrix Reloaded," but Neo sports a different outfit in the sequel.
Meanwhile, Trinity's figure has a slightly more accurate representation of a moment actually glimpsed in the movie. She's leaping up for a slow-motion kung-fu kick against some unfortunate cops. However, in the movie, Trinity isn't wearing her longer coat, which is fanned out in this figure's pose. Even the box shows that Trinity isn't wearing the long coat in that scene. Honestly, I'm wondering what McFarlane Toys was thinking by making these changes. Wouldn't it just be better if we got figures from "The Matrix" that are on par with NECA's versatile action figures?
Neo is limited to 8,500 pieces, while Trinity has significantly fewer with just 5,300 available. They're both supposed to ship sometime in June.
Gonna fly now
Thankfully, McFarlane Toys did a better job bringing "Rocky" to life with two figures perfectly posed to dance in the boxing ring. Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed have their dukes up, ready to become the next champion. Each of them has a boxing arena background and a base featuring gold, red, white, and blue. Even the collectible card has a cool "Vs" stand to make the figures look good on a display shelf.
But perhaps the best touch is the fact that these figures have an alternate head sculpt that adds some wounds and swelling to their faces to match the damage they take inside the ring. Again, these features make me wish that McFarlane Toys would just deliver full-on figures instead of these statue-esque versions without articulation, but these are certainly a step up from "The Matrix" figures.
Rocky is limited to 6,400 pieces, and Creed has just 5,600. Both will be released on May 1.
Just a couple of cool dudes
Finally, we've got a pair of dudes who know exactly how to party. First, there's Jeffrey Lebowski, better known as The Dude, from "The Big Lebowski." The Dude is dressed in his plaid shorts, t-shirt, and robe combination, complete with sunglasses, because the bright lights of the grocery store are just too much. He's also holding a carton of half & half, which he'll use to make a signature White Russian. This is probably the best new figure in the Movie Maniacs line-up, though I would have liked a version where The Dude is wearing his trademark sweater and actually holding a caucasian in his hand. Plus, I wish the background wasn't just a movie poster but maybe a grocery store background instead. I suppose movie poster backgrounds have been a tradition in the Movie Maniacs line though.
Finally, we've got Wooderson from "Dazed and Confused," posed like he's hanging outside of the Emporium pool hall. But again, we're left with a background that features the poster for "Dazed and Confused" rather than the wall that McConaughey is actually leaning on. At least he's wearing all the right clothes!
The Dude is limited to 6,900 pieces, while Wooderson has just 4,000. Both will be released on June 30.