Quoted from DVDTalk regarding the packaging of the Ultimate Edition...
THE PACKAGING
The packaging for the Ultimate Matrix Collection: Limited Edition carries with it a definite coolness, but the construction is rather flimsy. The discs are stacked in a clear-plastic box, which is labeled elegantly but feels on the cheap side. You slide discs out on thin plastic trays. On the other side of the box is a very well-designed and finely painted Neo bust. Behind the box is a glued-on paper representation of the raining Matrix code, but my copy was marred by one of those damned security stickers. (Why couldn't they affix the sticker to the plastic box, so that it could be easily removed?)
The included booklet has a terrific metallic-green 3-d cover. It includes a reprint of the Written Introduction by the Wachowski Brothers, which also appears on Discs 1, 2, and 3. The rest of the book is devoted to outlining the DVD contents, along with production and behind-the-scenes photographs, conceptual art, and trivia.
Is the packaging work the extra 50 bucks or more? Well, let me tell, you: It looks awfully cool on my shelf. Isn't that all that matters?