Matrix

The Matrix...when I first heard about it, I expected just another sci-fi action thriller. Good and filled with insane stunts, but not terribly intelligent.

Boy, was I wrong. Oh, the stunts are there in spades, all right, and yes, they are awesome. And the special effects are absolutely amazing (even if similar ones have been used in other movies as a result- and not explained as well).

But the movie has plot as well. It has characters that I cared about. From Keanu Reeves' excellent portrayal of Neo, the man trying to come to grips with his own identity, to Lawrence Fishburne's mysterious Morpheus, and even the creepy Agents, everyone does a stellar job of making their characters more than just the usual action "hero that kicks butt" and "cannon fodder" roles. I cared about each and every one of the heroes, and hated the villains with a passion. It has a plot, and it has a meaning...and lo and behold, a plot does help the fight scenes! Just try it, if you haven't seen the movie before. Watch one of the fight scenes. Then watch the whole movie. There's a big difference in the feeling and excitement of the scenes- sure, they're great as standalones, but the whole thing put together is an experience unlike just about everything else that's come to the theaters. Think about it next time you're watching one of the more brainless action flicks...think how much better it COULD be.

All I can say is WATCH THIS MOVIE. If you haven't, you're missing out on one of the best films of all time. It isn't just special effects, folks.

When this came out, I was living with a roommate. He went out and saw it, came home and said, "Dude, you have to go see The Matrix." So we left and he sat through it a second time. This movie is splendidly done. The mystery about what the Matrix is, unravels and you see a dystopian future unlike any we as a race would want. I have watched this over and over and never tire of it. Everyone does a great job acting in this, the special effects are above par and the story is engaging.

What if I told you the Matrix is not a Sci-Fi but a Documentary movie?

The story of a reluctant Christ-like protagonist set against a baroque, MTV backdrop, The Matrix is the definitive hybrid of technical wizardry and contextual excellence that should be the benchmark for all sci-fi films to come.

Hollywood has had some problems combining form and matter in the sci-fi genre. There have been a lot of visually stunning works but nobody cared about the hero. (Or nobody simply cared about anything.) There a few, though, which aroused interest and intellect but nobody 'ooh'-ed or 'aah'-ed at the special effects. With The Matrix, both elements are perfectly en sync. Not only did we want to cheer on the heroes to victory, we wanted them to bludgeon the opposition. Not only did we sit in awe as Neo evaded those bullets in limbo-rock fashion, we salivated.

But what makes The Matrix several cuts above the rest of the films in its genre is that there are simply no loopholes. The script, written by the Wachowski brothers is intelligent but carefully not geeky. The kung-fu sequences were deftly shot -- something even Bruce Lee would've been proud of. The photography was breathtaking. (I bet if you had to cut every frame on the reel and had it developed and printed, every single frame would stand on its own.) And the acting? Maybe not the best Keanu Reeves but name me an actor who has box-office appeal but could portray the uneasy and vulnerable protagonist, Neo, to a T the way Reeves did. But, come to think of it, if you pit any actor beside Laurence Fishburne, you're bound to confuse that actor for bad acting. As Morpheus, Mr. Fishburne is simply wicked! Shades of his mentor-role in Higher Learning, nobody exudes that aura of quiet intensity than Mr. Fishburne. His character, battle-scarred but always composed Morpheus, is given an extra dose of mortality (He loves Neo to a fault.) only Mr. Fishburne can flesh out.

People will say what they want to say about how good The Matrix is but the bottomline is this: finally there's a philosophical film that has cut through this generation. My generation. The Wachowski brothers probably scribbled a little P.S. note when they finished the script saying: THINK FOR A MOMENT ABOUT YOUR EXISTENCE. What is the Matrix, you ask? Something that's closer to reality than you think.

Either that or it's my personal choice for best film of all-time.

The first 45 minutes of this film had me very excited. It is so rare that I will go to the theater and be presented with something which is both original and intelligent. It managed to hang in there throughout, though the ending was too formulaic. In addition, the voice-over at the very end reminded me of the final scene in Saving Private Ryan. It almost ruins a fantastic film.

The only other objection I can come up with is that the you must know, you must be type philosophy being handed out was just a tad hokey. I must pleasantly admit though, since I don't get to admit this very often, that The Matrix is worth seeing despite these things.

The visuals are extremely impressive, particularly the "white room," the baby harvester, the training scene with the "red woman," the Reeves interrogation scene... I have to agree with some of the previous comments that the plot idea won't seem overly original to a fan of Philip K Dick, but then what is original after you've read him? The Matrix has more original things to say than two months worth of standard Hollywood fare. I have a great deal of respect for a film which will have someone say "they're turning humans into this" and hold up a battery. A plot which looks at man as machine will get a thumbs up from me just for trying.

I feel some hope for the future of movie-making in America to be able to recommend this film.