Rating: 
 

The Info

Directed by: The Wachowski Brothers
Written by: The Wachowski Brothers
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Gloria Foster, Joe Pantoliano
Produced by: Joel Silver

The Nutshell

A computer hacker finds out that what he thinks is reality is really a life-long dream being fed to humankind by computers that have enslaved us.

The Review

    The Matrix poses a serious question for film critics. Can a film that is sensually brilliant, but lacking in an engaging plot, be considered a good film? Before seeing this film, I'd have answered no. No film could be acclaimed if its plot were secondary to its special effects. For such a film would merely be a placebo for the senses, making you feel like you were seeing brilliance, when in reality you were seeing an empty shell masked by bombastic sound effects and digitally-rendered tricks. Right? Wrong.

    As with all other information media except perhaps newspapers, the film industry's goal has steadily changed over the years. Granted, one could argue that the only goal studios have is to make profit, but that misses the point. More directly, why do filmmakers, the directors, screenwriters and producers, make the films they do? During World War II, many films were made as propaganda to convince an American population that going to War was a good thing. At other times, films have been made to teach a lesson (Saving Private Ryan), or to entertain children (any Muppets film). Now, with the availability of digital effects, a new reason for making films has arrived: to dazzle the viewer with technologically brilliant effects onscreen. The Matrix is one of the main vanguards of this new branch of film.

    Many critics aren't willing to accept this new development in film, and regularly trounce such effects bonanzas for their lack of more traditional film aspects, like character development and moral message. For every new development in film to be successful, there has to be a corresponding audience to grow along with it. Films such as Bonnie & Clyde and Easy Rider would never have changed the film industry had they been shunned by their young audiences. And so it is crucial, for The Matrix to succeed, that it reach today's young audiences, something that, judging by its brilliant television ads, it will have no trouble doing.

    The plot is as complex as it is hilariously silly. It turns out, our reality and existence is actually a dream being piped into our heads by computers who have taken over the world. As in many other films (the Terminator series comes to mind), the creation of artificial intelligence leads to computers becoming smarter than humans. They take over the world and realize that the energy our bodies give off can provide them with more energy than any electrical or even nuclear power plant ever could. Thus we as a species are placed in harvesting pods and given a happy dream which serves as reality until we die. This is the large pill you have to swallow to accept The Matrix and enjoy the film.

    The excitement starts when Neo (Reeves), a leading computer hacker, gets a call from a terrorist-at-large named Morpheus (Fishburne). Morpheus tries to get Neo out of trouble, since he somehow knows that a group of bad guys is walking down the hall, preparing to abduct him. Neo gets caught however, and, not understanding why, is subjected to a vicious interrogation about things he doesn't know. Morpheus eventually helps him get out, and Neo is brought into his confidence. Morpheus, you see, knows the truth, as do the other members of his team. He then spends about half of the film slowly explaining the concept to Neo and to us, the viewers. Meanwhile Neo is put through various forms of marital arts training, and the computer masters try to find and kill them. The film's final twenty minutes are some of the most exhilarating and beautiful in film history, and filmgoers will leave feeling like they've just got off of a roller-coaster.

    The Wachowski Brothers, who both wrote and directed this thrill ride, have obviously been studying John Woo 101. The action sequences are similar to Woo's graceful, almost ballet-like gunfights, with the camera focusing on individual bullet casings and pieces of marble as they chip off of a businesses walls. Combatants don't stand there like Rambo, nor do they run around like crazed commandos, but rather they... glide... Once Neo learns about the Matrix, the substance that our false reality is made of, he learns how to move through it in a superior way. Suddenly he can move faster than a fired bullet (almost), and run up walls. This unreal addition to the characters movements adds an original dimension to the battles. No words can adequately describe the feeling you get while watching this film; it's technical and visual brilliance must be seen to be appreciated.

    None of the minor problems with The Matrix, like the uber-complex plot, the hokey love interest between Neo and Trinity (Moss, playing one of Morpheus' troops), or the at-times laughable martial arts training scenes, can take away from the point of this film. The Matrix was made to stun your senses and it succeeds utterly. If you find yourself shaking your head, thinking that this film sounds stupid and not worth your time, I implore you to see it anyway. The Matrix is one of a handful of films taking the industry in a new direction, and it should not be missed. Whether you will like it or not is not guaranteed, but then, it never is. Take a chance, and see The Matrix.

Copyright - Tim Chandler

Press "back" to return to the previous page, or click on a link:

Adventures in Cinema front page        The O.F.C.S.       Max'd On Movies