Written by: Kevin Berge
Courtesy of: doingdevelopmentdifferently.com.
Quick Take: There have been many films since The Matrix that have tried to imitate the film, but none have truly succeeded, making this a one of a kind action film. With many interesting questions posed on top of a classic science fiction hero's quest with some of the most unique action sequences ever filmed, there are not many films that need to be experienced more than this one even if it is just once.
***The Matrix has been around a long time, and it's somewhat of a turning point in science fiction on the big screen. If you are coming into this review having never seen the movie but are looking for a reason to watch, that should be all you need. You've waited long enough. Beyond this point, things will get weird and spoiler heavy.***
A year before I saw my very first R-rated movie, I knew exactly what my first one would be. While there were a plethora of great options, one always stood out, the film that was just a bit too brutal for a younger kid but was the perfect transition into more brutal and mature movies.
When I finally saw it, I didn't have the context to classify what The Matrix really was. It was the most impressive and fantastic science fiction film I had ever seen, but it was something completely different from the other sci-fi I knew. It was a martial arts-infused, steampunk grime-infested, post-apocalyptic action adventure.
"You're looking for him. I know because I was once looking for the same thing, and, when he found me, he told me I wasn't really looking for him. I was looking for an answer. It's the question that drives us." - The question is simply "what's the Matrix?".
At its heart, The Matrix was an invention of inspiration and appreciation for everything that Andy and Lana Wachowski enjoyed in many mediums blended together. The film is just as clearly influenced by Eastern philosophy as Western imagination. What makes the film so memorable and grand is that it is clearly a labor of love.
The Wachowskis made their name with The Matrix and have not even come close to this mark since, yet their direction in this film is its beating heart. Both the writers and the directors, they move along the film with a steady pace that uses camera work to dazzle particularly when the script goes into explaining mode.
The scenes are often dark and grimy even before the shift to the "real world" which is truly nightmarish even though the technology of the future often looks and seems silly from a modern perspective. In fact, this film deals with frequent nightmare fuel using a lot of poking, prodding, and invasive tech that are the hardest parts of this film to watch.
A year before I saw my very first R-rated movie, I knew exactly what my first one would be. While there were a plethora of great options, one always stood out, the film that was just a bit too brutal for a younger kid but was the perfect transition into more brutal and mature movies.
When I finally saw it, I didn't have the context to classify what The Matrix really was. It was the most impressive and fantastic science fiction film I had ever seen, but it was something completely different from the other sci-fi I knew. It was a martial arts-infused, steampunk grime-infested, post-apocalyptic action adventure.
"You're looking for him. I know because I was once looking for the same thing, and, when he found me, he told me I wasn't really looking for him. I was looking for an answer. It's the question that drives us." - The question is simply "what's the Matrix?".
At its heart, The Matrix was an invention of inspiration and appreciation for everything that Andy and Lana Wachowski enjoyed in many mediums blended together. The film is just as clearly influenced by Eastern philosophy as Western imagination. What makes the film so memorable and grand is that it is clearly a labor of love.
The Wachowskis made their name with The Matrix and have not even come close to this mark since, yet their direction in this film is its beating heart. Both the writers and the directors, they move along the film with a steady pace that uses camera work to dazzle particularly when the script goes into explaining mode.
The scenes are often dark and grimy even before the shift to the "real world" which is truly nightmarish even though the technology of the future often looks and seems silly from a modern perspective. In fact, this film deals with frequent nightmare fuel using a lot of poking, prodding, and invasive tech that are the hardest parts of this film to watch.
Courtesy of: businessinsider.com.
All of this is the meat of a fairly standard story. Thomas Anderson aka Neo is an inquisitive hacker who feels alone and isolated because the world doesn't quite fit. He is contacted by a strange organization that reveals to him that the world in fact is not real but a constructed simulation used to keep human beings docile to machines.
He ends up being pulled out because he is special, the One, who can change the fate of the human race. Lives are lost and sacrificed so that Neo can accept his destiny and become the anomaly of the Matrix, the one man who can manipulate the world to his will.
In simpler terms, ordinary man is tracked down and sent on a mission to change the world. He finds his true strength, rises to the occasion, and returns a changed man. The sci-fi post-apocalyptic imagery as well theological and philosophical commentary are the complicated wrapping on a familiar story.
"Do not try to bend the spoon; that's impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth." "What truth?" "There is no spoon." - Followed by Neo taking the spoon and bending it... but not bending it.
The simple is where this movie shines. It has a far reaching vision, but its heart is in many of the very classic movie tropes which it plays around with in fun ways. While the Wachowskis would later overextend their reach, there is a real grounded feeling to much of this film.
In The Matrix, every scene matters. Each seemingly inconsequential piece is an hint at what is to come. There is an apropos sense of order to the plot, a feeling that someone is always pulling the strings. This might be a problem in another film, but here it is perfect for a movie so focused on the main character's fight against control.
That is not to say the script is perfect though. In fact, it is far from that. The dialogue shifts from being meaningful and silly, often reaching too far in its theological and philosophical reach. For every great line, there are a few decidedly silly ones that make even less sense when you reflect back on them.
He ends up being pulled out because he is special, the One, who can change the fate of the human race. Lives are lost and sacrificed so that Neo can accept his destiny and become the anomaly of the Matrix, the one man who can manipulate the world to his will.
In simpler terms, ordinary man is tracked down and sent on a mission to change the world. He finds his true strength, rises to the occasion, and returns a changed man. The sci-fi post-apocalyptic imagery as well theological and philosophical commentary are the complicated wrapping on a familiar story.
"Do not try to bend the spoon; that's impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth." "What truth?" "There is no spoon." - Followed by Neo taking the spoon and bending it... but not bending it.
The simple is where this movie shines. It has a far reaching vision, but its heart is in many of the very classic movie tropes which it plays around with in fun ways. While the Wachowskis would later overextend their reach, there is a real grounded feeling to much of this film.
In The Matrix, every scene matters. Each seemingly inconsequential piece is an hint at what is to come. There is an apropos sense of order to the plot, a feeling that someone is always pulling the strings. This might be a problem in another film, but here it is perfect for a movie so focused on the main character's fight against control.
That is not to say the script is perfect though. In fact, it is far from that. The dialogue shifts from being meaningful and silly, often reaching too far in its theological and philosophical reach. For every great line, there are a few decidedly silly ones that make even less sense when you reflect back on them.
Courtesy of: islandmovieblogs.wordpress.com.
This film demands a lot of its actors with mixed results particularly beyond its leads. Hugo Weaving (V for Vendetta, Lord of the Rings) as Agent Smith is the most memorable, adding a continuous cadence to his speech that makes him feel ordered and menacing but never completely robotic.
Laurence Fishburne (Boyz n The Hood, Apocalypse Now) is delightful yet imposing as Morpheus who always has believable, endearing conviction but troublesome faith. Carrie-Ann Moss (Memento) is the film's most committed and effective action star, playing Trinity with a mix of honesty and strength.
Lead star Keanu Reeves (Point Break, Speed) will always be an enigma, both dreadfully dry and immensely enjoyable to watch. Despite the high energy everyone else is acting with, Neo stands out for just how uninteresting he is. You will never see anyone deliver lead action star snark with such matter-of-fact blandness yet still feel their charisma.
Things get more than a little hammy after that. The rest of the cast don't carry the same weight in their performance and don't sell the dialogue with the conviction needed to make it interesting. Every supporting character only stands out for how much their actor is trying to be funny or menacing.
Laurence Fishburne (Boyz n The Hood, Apocalypse Now) is delightful yet imposing as Morpheus who always has believable, endearing conviction but troublesome faith. Carrie-Ann Moss (Memento) is the film's most committed and effective action star, playing Trinity with a mix of honesty and strength.
Lead star Keanu Reeves (Point Break, Speed) will always be an enigma, both dreadfully dry and immensely enjoyable to watch. Despite the high energy everyone else is acting with, Neo stands out for just how uninteresting he is. You will never see anyone deliver lead action star snark with such matter-of-fact blandness yet still feel their charisma.
Things get more than a little hammy after that. The rest of the cast don't carry the same weight in their performance and don't sell the dialogue with the conviction needed to make it interesting. Every supporting character only stands out for how much their actor is trying to be funny or menacing.
"Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment, but you humans do not. You move to an area, and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed. The only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus." - You may never hear a more persuasive monologue promoting mass genocide.
Still, the lead actors sell this film. There is a quiet honesty to the chemistry of Neo and Trinity even though the script barely gives them anything together. While Morpheus does not truly develop, the way the layers of his character are peeled back is perfect, shifting a man of knowledge into a man of faith who is hard not to root for.
Of course, this doesn't even get to the crucial aspect of this film that makes it so influential: the action. Martial arts in a computer generated world was a novel concept at the time of the film's release, and, even though many have copied it since, there are very few action scenes that rival the ones in The Matrix.
Even the opening shots with Trinity killing a group of cops with ease (one of the film's most perfectly executed scenes as an introduction to Trinity and the action) is great every time. The film basically invented bullet time, a now rampant slow motion technique in movies and video games.
There are not many action scenes in film history that I love more than the lobby scene. In a film that takes itself way too seriously far too often, Neo and Trinity silently have a blast destroying a whole room of men. From beginning to end, it is funny, exciting, and well choreographed.
Overall, The Matrix is the kind of film that can be rewatched again and again without fail. It is beautifully shot, well acted, and tightly constructed even if the script should not be heavily scrutinized. This is the kind of action movie that is so well made that it redefined the action film genre for the next decade and beyond.
Final verdict:
Three Defining Success
Of course, this doesn't even get to the crucial aspect of this film that makes it so influential: the action. Martial arts in a computer generated world was a novel concept at the time of the film's release, and, even though many have copied it since, there are very few action scenes that rival the ones in The Matrix.
Even the opening shots with Trinity killing a group of cops with ease (one of the film's most perfectly executed scenes as an introduction to Trinity and the action) is great every time. The film basically invented bullet time, a now rampant slow motion technique in movies and video games.
There are not many action scenes in film history that I love more than the lobby scene. In a film that takes itself way too seriously far too often, Neo and Trinity silently have a blast destroying a whole room of men. From beginning to end, it is funny, exciting, and well choreographed.
Overall, The Matrix is the kind of film that can be rewatched again and again without fail. It is beautifully shot, well acted, and tightly constructed even if the script should not be heavily scrutinized. This is the kind of action movie that is so well made that it redefined the action film genre for the next decade and beyond.
Final verdict:
Three Defining Success
- Action that is just as memorable on the tenth viewing as the first (with special emphasis given to the lobby scene).
- A sense of simplicity yet order to the plot that is constantly in motion even though it often goes into long explanations.
- The charismatic lead performances of its stars in particular Weaving and Fishburne.
- A preposterous, high concept script that takes itself far too seriously.
- It turned out The Wachowskis' madness was a one hit wonder, and we have been forced to go through a plethora of disappointments from them ever since. Not even mentioning the two Matrix sequels that actually made the original's mysteries more confusing, they also graced us with Speed Racer, Cloud Atlas, Jupiter Ascending, and Sense8, all just promising enough to disappoint.