Movie-A-Day #325: The Matrix

[Chaplin]

Ah, what the hell... one more... The original AND BEST...

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Amazon.com Synopsis/Review:

By following up their debut thriller Bound with the 1999 box-office smash The Matrix, the codirecting Wachowski brothers--Andy and Larry--annihilated any suggestion of a sophomore jinx, crafting one of the most exhilarating sci-fi/action movies of the 1990s. Set in the not too distant future in an insipid, characterless city, we find a young man named Neo (Keanu Reeves). A software techie by day and a computer hacker by night, he sits alone at home by his monitor, waiting for a sign, a signal--from what or whom he doesn't know--until one night, a mysterious woman named Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) seeks him out and introduces him to that faceless character he has been waiting for: Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne). A messiah of sorts, Morpheus presents Neo with the truth about his world by shedding light on the dark secrets that have troubled him for so long: "You've felt it your entire life, that there's something wrong with the world. You don't know what it is, but it's there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad." Ultimately, Morpheus illustrates to Neo what the Matrix is--a reality beyond reality that controls all of their lives, in a way that Neo can barely comprehend.

Neo thus embarks on an adventure that is both terrifying and enthralling. Pitted against an enemy that transcends human concepts of evil, Morpheus and his team must train Neo to believe that he is the chosen champion of their fight. With mind-boggling, technically innovative special effects and a thought-provoking script that owes a debt of inspiration to the legacy of cyberpunk fiction, this is much more than an out-and-out action yarn; it's a thinking man's journey into the realm of futuristic fantasy, a dreamscape full of eye candy that will satisfy sci-fi, kung fu, action, and adventure fans alike. Although the film is headlined by Reeves and Fishburne--who both turn in fine performances--much of the fun and excitement should be attributed to Moss, who flawlessly mixes vulnerability with immense strength, making other contemporary female heroines look timid by comparison. And if we were going to cast a vote for most dastardly movie villain of 1999, it would have to go to Hugo Weaving, who plays the feckless, semipsychotic Agent Smith with panache and edginess. As the film's box-office profits soared, the Wachowski brothers announced that The Matrix is merely the first chapter in a cinematically dazzling franchise--a chapter that is arguably superior to the other sci-fi smash of 1999 (you know... the one starring Jar Jar Binks).

A huge leap for those lovable brothers, The Wachowski's, this is the ultimate cyberpunk movie and a huge accomplishment in science-fiction, regardless of how bad its two sequels were.

It's hard to imagine anyone other than Keanu Reeves in the role of Neo, which is saying something, as it is generally accepted (even by Reeves himself) that he is a terrible actor.

But think about it: Can anyone really see anyone else as Neo, or Ted, or even John Constantine? He may not be a great actor, but he does have a way of making roles his own.

The supporting cast is equally superior, starting with the great Laurence Fishburne and ending with Hugo Weaving, who went from unknown to frequently quoted star literally overnight. And would he have landed the role of Elrond if it wasn't for his Agent Smith?

The effects are spectacular, as can be expected, and the music is second-to-none. It's not the best movie ever made, but it certainly can consider itself one of the best science-fiction movies of all time.

 

[Bada0Bing]

Fun, fun movie. One of the best of all-time.

 

[arthurracoon]

Ive only seen the first one. Never bothered to see the other two.

 

[D-Dogg]

Man, this movie was amazing. The others were good, and ok, but not even in the same league as this movie.

Great choice.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Great, great movie. The others were not as bad as people say they were. It was just so hard to live up to the quality that is The Matrix.

 

[Bada0Bing]

I recently re-watched this. Still my favorite Sci-Fi film of all time.

It's hard to imagine anyone other than Keanu Reeves in the role of Neo, which is saying something, as it is generally accepted (even by Reeves himself) that he is a terrible actor.

I agree, thankfully these options didn't work out (although I could see Leo):

Ewan McGregor was offered, but turned down, the part of Neo to work on Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999). Leonardo DiCaprio was also considered for the role of Neo.

Nicolas Cage turned down the part of Neo because of family commitments.

Tom Cruise was also considered for the role of Neo.

 

[DemsMyBoys]

Loved this movie so much I named my cat Neo.

 

[Pariah]

Reeves was good in it, certainly. But I think lots of other actors could have done a great job with it, too. In fact, I would have loved to have sen someone with more chops in the role.

As for John Constantine....hell yes I could see someone else in that role. Reeves was a horrible choice, IMO.

 

[Bert]

Didn't this come out that same year when hollywood was on fire just cranking out great films? I think it was the same year when The Matrix, American Beauty, Sixth Sense, Fight Club, Almost Famous, etc. Yeah, that was a good time to be a movie fan.

The Matrix will always be one of my all time favorites. I loved everything about it. I remember the watching the first time when Neo "woke up" and I'm thinking; 'what is going on, what did they do to him?' lol it was great. It also had a great soundtrack. Like I said, there was nothing I didn't like about The Matrix.

Great, great movie. The others were not as bad as people say they were. It was just so hard to live up to the quality that is The Matrix.

I agree. The second and third films were nowhere near as good as the first but they still aren't as "bad" as everyone cried about them being.

They were still quality sci fi flix IMHO. The only thing I really, really disliked was the final Zion scene of the 3rd film where it turned into a very prototypical hollywood 'popcorn flick.'

 

[Cheesebeef]

Didn't this come out that same year when hollywood was on fire just cranking out great films? I think it was the same year when The Matrix, American Beauty, Sixth Sense, Fight Club, Almost Famous, etc. Yeah, that was a good time to be a movie fan.
'

Three Kings, Being John Malkovich, Magnolia, Election, Iron Giant and of course... THE OTHER SISTER!

Seriously though, you this generation's most respected/innovative directors all hit home-runs this year, The Wachowskis, Sam Mendes, M. Night, David Fincher, Brad Bird, P.T. Anderson, Alexander Payne... all made great to classic films that year.

 

[Gaddabout]

The problem with the sequels is it couldn't live up to the groundbeaking nature of the original. I think the shark-jumping point was in the second movie when Neo suddenly showed mystical powers in the real world, and the Wachowski's post-modern meta-whatever philosophy became the focal point.

I still find the entire Trilogy compelling enough to watch again, but I don't think I'll ever have an experience like I did the first time I saw the original Matrix. That was a flabbergasting moment -- good storytelling, first-to-the-punch next-gen visual presentation that's become an action movie standard. If all they had brought to the table was bullet-time FX, that alone made the movie something worth putting in the history books. Not sure the homages to Citizen Kane and such were as cool as the Wachowskis thought, but it's still fun to watch and catch the references.

 

[Bert]

The problem with the sequels is it couldn't live up to the groundbeaking nature of the original. I think the shark-jumping point was in the second movie when Neo suddenly showed mystical powers in the real world, and the Wachowski's post-modern meta-whatever philosophy became the focal point.

I still find the entire Trilogy compelling enough to watch again, but I don't think I'll ever have an experience like I did the first time I saw the original Matrix. That was a flabbergasting moment -- good storytelling, first-to-the-punch next-gen visual presentation that's become an action movie standard. If all they had brought to the table was bullet-time FX, that alone made the movie something worth putting in the history books. Not sure the homages to Citizen Kane and such were as cool as the Wachowskis thought, but it's still fun to watch and catch the references.

Well said Matt.

 

[Cheesebeef]

The problem with the sequels is it couldn't live up to the groundbeaking nature of the original. I think the shark-jumping point was in the second movie when Neo suddenly showed mystical powers in the real world, and the Wachowski's post-modern meta-whatever philosophy became the focal point.

I still find the entire Trilogy compelling enough to watch again, but I don't think I'll ever have an experience like I did the first time I saw the original Matrix. That was a flabbergasting moment -- good storytelling, first-to-the-punch next-gen visual presentation that's become an action movie standard. If all they had brought to the table was bullet-time FX, that alone made the movie something worth putting in the history books. Not sure the homages to Citizen Kane and such were as cool as the Wachowskis thought, but it's still fun to watch and catch the references.

agreed on the experience the first time I saw The Matrix. Was expecting another Johnny Pneumonic and was just BLOWN AWAY. Not only were the special effects revolutionary, the action sequences were just unbelievable, escalating perfectly. throw in great characters, a really high concept seemingly fully thought out, good twists and a hell of a bad guy and it's almost shocking to think it could have gone so wrong in the next two movies.

that had the makings of another Star Wars but then the series kind of fell on it's face after the first one.

 

[mojorizen7]

Ive only seen the first one. Never bothered to see the other two.

Same here. I was content with leaving it be. A brilliant film that jump-started a new style of flim making...and the music was a big part of that.

On a related note,for anyone that owns the blue ray digi-book.....there's an extra called the music of The Matrix. Its an outstanding extra IMO....there's about 40 songs(that honestly most of them i don't even hear in the film itself) that are all done by various techno artists.
Most of these tunes are short,but some are very moody....almost like a blend of techno and ambient sound. Good stuff.

 

[Gaddabout]

agreed on the experience the first time I saw The Matrix. Was expecting another Johnny Pneumonic and was just BLOWN AWAY. Not only were the special effects revolutionary, the action sequences were just unbelievable, escalating perfectly. throw in great characters, a really high concept seemingly fully thought out, good twists and a hell of a bad guy and it's almost shocking to think it could have gone so wrong in the next two movies.

that had the makings of another Star Wars but then the series kind of fell on it's face after the first one.

I saw Blade Runner for the first time in the early 90s, and even by then the FX in that one were woefully stale. And that was a movie many considered to have carried its weight into the next generation in terms of FX standards. Not even close, IMO. Even a movie like Roger Rabbit, which was hailed as a technological marvel, looks ridiculous compared to today's work.

I think it's really rare in this age of fast technological advances that a sci-fi movie makes it 14 years and still looks fresh. There have been a lot of CGI-crazy movies lately, and I would put the Matrix up next to all of them. I think this has a lot to do in large part that what we think of as FX in the Matrix were largely live-action shots. The second and especially the third installment were laughable in comparison considering how much CGI they used -- the CGI clones in the third one were embarassing. But the original Matrix looks like it could have been made today. The only person who might see anachronisms in the technology would be an expert in the field.

About the only thing its lacking is HD camera technology, but it still looks gorgeous to me on screen.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I think it's really rare in this age of fast technological advances that a sci-fi movie makes it 14 years and still looks fresh. There have been a lot of CGI-crazy movies lately, and I would put the Matrix up next to all of them. I think this has a lot to do in large part that what we think of as FX in the Matrix were largely live-action shots. The second and especially the third installment were laughable in comparison considering how much CGI they used -- the CGI clones in the third one were embarassing. But the original Matrix looks like it could have been made today. The only person who might see anachronisms in the technology would be an expert in the field.

About the only thing its lacking is HD camera technology, but it still looks gorgeous to me on screen.

agreed. T2 is another one of those sci-fi flicks that redefined special effects as we know them and that one still completely holds up as well.