The Matrix (1999)
Andy and Larry Wachowski
Unfortunately, No One Can Be Told What the Matrix Is
Or rather, you really have to see it to believe it. The biggest anticipation of 1999 was, without doubt, the first episode of the Star Wars saga. It was also the biggest disappointment (see other review). When "The Matrix" came out, it blew away the yet-to-be-released prequel and set the standard for sci-fi in the next century. It isn't just the dazzling special effects---we have seen a carnival of those already. It isn't the acting skills---although one cannot complain about them. It isn't the story---we have seen variations of it and yet it was refreshingly amusing, like the favorite novels you always go back to. One thing in particular stood out, and that was the cinematography. This movie will surely define the modern editing and photography. From cartoonish violence, to comic-style shots (see, for example, the one where Trinity is about the blow the brains out of an agent---looks like a frame out of a comic book), to superb mixture of various tempos to emphasize action and enhance its dynamics, to the high-flying Hong Kong martial arts (always a good thing), to bizarre sets; it's all there and stay it will.
The Gap commercials---remember the ones where the dancers jump up and then the camera circles around them as they stay suspended in midair---could not have prepared us for the physics-defying extravaganza of "The Matrix." Keanu Reeves, as usual, is particularly suited for the role of a futuristic hacker-cum-hero a-la Johnny Mnemonic. Laurence Fishburne is cool, and Carrie-Anne Moss is divine (especially die-for in the leather outfit). As a whole, the acting is way above and beyond what you would normally be subjected to in a sci-fi movie, even of the wholesome sort.
The story is another strong point for this film. Briefly, at the beginning of the 21st century, man has finally created AI (i.e. the billions of taxpayer dollars poured into MIT labs finally produced more than a chess-playing Eliza). The artificial intelligence apparently got pissed at the stupid humans (it's either that or we get conquered by aliens with atrocious hairdos, cf. "Battlefield Earth") and demanded more voltage. Being enamoured with the Energizer Bunny, humanity declined to surrender the batteries and instead nuked the bastard solar-powered machines out of existence. Unfortunately, the humans (did I mention they were stupid?) neglected the fact that they also lived on the planet. The aftermath---machines rule the world, harvest humans for batteries, and what's left of humanity lives underground, "near to the core, where it's warm" (tm) in a city called Zion. One cannot ignore the cheese factor here. Anyway, in order to keep the batteries running, the machines put on a show for the humans (who float in nutritious mucus) making them believe they live in a real 1990s world. When some humans wake up, all hell breaks loose.
Now, it may sound stupid, but there's far more to the movie that this bare bones summary. First, the idea that we do not know what reality is, is quite disturbing. If everything is just electronic impulses stimulating our brain cells, then anything, anything, can be simulated, including an entire world (obviously, not with buggy Pentiums). Another cool notion is the simile between humankind and a virus, with people as a kind of plague that infect mother Earth. There are more than few people, not all tree-huggers, who would share this very sentiment. Not to mention William McNeil, who wrote an entire book on the subject. Finally, one should not forget the wonderfully subversive message of the movie---the only way to beat the system is to change the rules. If you can't win, cheat. I particularly enjoy this one, and it fits with the "thinking outside the box" mantra that has been shoved onto the unsuspecting youth, who is quite happy being individualistic in a sort of a standard way.
This is one movie that is worth seeing over and over. The DVD release is also decent but I would have preferred more extras on that disk. After all, it's the future of cinema.
Rating: 10/10
May 22, 2000, BLS