Movie Review: The Matrix
Rating: 3 Stars
I wish I would have watched The Matrix when I was young. The film was heavily revered in the early 2000s. I have countless memories of friends in grade school mimicking the famous sequence in which Neo dodges bullets by leaning back at an impossible angle.
After years of telling friends I have never watched The Matrix and having to endure their, “Oh my God I can’t believe you’ve never seen The Matrix,” I can finally rebut and say it was certainly a movie of its time.
There’s a keen sense of style the Wachowski brothers deliver that makes this sci-fi realm fully realized and unique to its contemporaries. There is no shortage of green hues and shadows. The unmistakable oval-rimmed glasses with black trenchcoats and leather jackets provide the distinctive look I fathom the Wachowski’s desired to bring to life. The action sequences heavily feature martial arts duels interlaced with slow-motion bullet-time stunts. Some fights age well, others are heavily reliant on special effects.
My youthful exuberance tells me that Neo and Morpheus would be the characters my teenage self would’ve gravitated toward. While Keanu Reeves has reenergized his career with John Wick, playing Neo in The Matrix will always be the first line of his bio.
Ironically Neo is the weakest aspect of The Matrix. Reeves doesn’t necessarily do anything wrong but he doesn’t have the presence that Fishburne possesses. Fishburne’s Morpheus isn’t any less of a stereotypical archetype character but Fishburne commands attention when he talks and moves.
Joe Pantoliano is perfectly cast in a sleazy, ‘what does he have up his sleeve,’ role. Carrie Ann Moss as Trinity is a stock femme fatale who can’t help but fall for Neo’s unwavering blandness.
Neo is destined to save humanity in the far future when machines have taken over the world and begun harvesting humans for their survival. Trinity first pulls Neo out of The Matrix, a computer program the machines have trapped humanity in to imitate real life.
There are some jarring early scenes where Neo first comes into contact with the Agents fronted by the unyielding Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving). The Agents are the de facto secret police of The Matrix making sure no humans escape to present-day reality.
The first half hour of the film has some real stomach-churning moments including the infamous “I want my phone call” followed by a burrowing tracking device inserted right through Neo’s belly button. Even when poor Neo gets pulled out of The Matrix he has to endure painful cyberkinetic implants to return to The Matrix.
Morpheus is tasked with laying on the exposition and building out the state of affairs. There’s a vagueness in how much reality can be bent and broken inside The Matrix. The Wachowski’s rely on that vagueness to establish a balance between how threatening The Agents are and how imminent death is when the crew encounters them.
Hugo Weaving is the big winner of The Matrix. His role as Agent Smith is so sinister he encapsulates the perfect balance of a Bond villain mixed with evil authoritarian government vibes. Agent Smith is an absolute menace.
I’d be remiss not to give the Wachowski’s credit for their inspired filmmaking. While The Matrix doesn’t mind-bend like Inception, it does capture artistic shots and sequences that deserve recognition. The Matrix overindulges in slow motion, but unlike many action films that follow it, The Matrix doesn’t rely on quick cuts and shaking cameras to simulate action.
I was also a fan of the techno trip-hop soundtrack, another stylistic choice that fits well with the costume design. There’s a level of flair The Matrix has that generic action films miss out on and that’s why it’s been revered for decades since its release. On the flipside, the story is functional at best and the characters are lacking in personality. If you want an action film with flair and fantasy sci-fi, The Matrix has you covered. If you want an action film with compelling characters and story, I’d look elsewhere.
