The Matrix Review

 

        It’s January and you know what that means, I get to look at a film series that’s bad. Last time you may recall that I reviewed the DCEU films from the 2010s. And while those are the times that I will never get back, I’ve decided to look at another series. This time The Matrix series, and wouldn’t you know it, the new entry is already out. With all that, here’s what I think of The Matrix.

1. Neo

        It’s without a doubt one of the most famous roles that Keanu Reeves has portrayed. Aside from his other characters like Ted Logan, John Wick, and Jack Traven, Neo was the one to give Keanu a sudden spike in another popularity among action film buffs. 

        To really make a character likeable, especially in a movie like this, you need to have him be an average joe. In the real world Neo is Thomas Anderson, a run of the mill hacker who works in a dead beat job. He is interrogated by the mysterious Agent Smith, by accusing him of being in contact with other hackers, notably one named Trinity. 

        Soon, Trinity and Morpheus manage to free him and help explain that everything that he knows is a lie. What makes Neo work in this film is that he is representation of who the audience wants to be. To give an example is me bringing up Luke Skywalker. He’s just a farmboy, but unintentionally becomes part of something bigger than him. The reason why audiences like him is that people want to be him. Saving the day and getting the love interest, although Leia was his sister but you get what I’m trying to say. 

        And there’s a similarity between Star Wars and The Matrix due in part that they follow the same story but tell it different. Such as having that one moment of explaining what the force and matrix is. And the teaching moment of how to fight. Those things while similar show that this type of storytelling works and the films needed to have interesting characters worth caring about. 

        Neo learning that everything he knows is just a simulation comes as a smack in the fact to all of us. Knowing that he is used as a battery really takes him out of the world, literally. From there, Morpheus and Trinity among other resistance fighters try to stop the machines from wiping them out. This part is when our hero decides to join. It’s one of the levels that is associated with the thing called the Hero’s Journey. A series of character levels that makes our protagonist really embrace who he is and become a hero. 

2. Into The Rabbit Hole

        Even if you’ve never read Alice in Wonderland or watch the various adaptations, you know that the film takes its inspiration or just how it tells the story which mirrors the classic story. Hell, it’s even referenced in the film by a line and a visual cue. To me it works since the Wachowski’s at that time set up an interesting world where everything seemingly is real. 

        The type of genre that the film is going for is called Cyber punk. What that is a sub-genre that focuses on scientific achievements and the decay of society. Which the film is famous for due to the heroes having to fight against the machines. I might as well bring up that in the 90s, there was various movies about going into different worlds. Movies like The Lawnmower Man and Johnny Mnemonic, which had Reeves in it, didn’t do well since the internet was roughly becoming a new idea. 

3. Groundbreaking Action

        The various moments of action steal the show and offset the philosophical elements of the film. The directors were influenced by classic Hong Kong action films when shooting the gun fights and martial arts moments. The type of kung fu that is used for the action sequences is called wire-fu. Since the main characters fight feel like it’s defying gravity. Simply put they are done masterful and established itself as an action movie itself. 

        Now for the gun fights. I brought this up when I reviewed John Wick last year, but the type of gun actions scenes is called gun fu. Due in part that both Neo and Trinity use acrobatics and cool gun maneuvers to stop the agents. At that time, when Neo was fighting against the agents, the use of bullet time, when Neo dodged the incoming bullets was revolutionary for its time. It became a staple for the series and derivative for various action films and video games. 

4. Legacy

        The film was a massive success in 1999. It’s often considered one of the best years in film due to how this film among others really broke box office records and made an impact to the general audience. As you may have known, there were sequels that have came out and video games that tied into the main series. 

        The various ideas that is talked about during the film started to get a lot of academia attention. Speaking from experience, I had a philosophy class that featured sci-fi films and this one included. Mostly talking about the idea of choice and determining what is real. The whole film series sparked loads of books that really analyzed the themes and concepts of The Matrix. 

5. Overall

        The Matrix still holds up 20 years later. It was only inevitable that Warner Bros. made sequels to further elaborate on the idea of the matrix. For better and worse.