So...I went and saw it at the AMC, with its comfy bench seating, in a nearly empty theater, with a huge screen and DMX to blow out my ear drums. I also came alone and fully wound on a big pot of very strong coffee, alert and objective. This time I paid little attention to the acting and cheese, and went purely for the aesthetics of the script and the writing. This did indeed open up flood gates of observation:

This was arguably Keanu's best film since My Own Private Idaho...good acting.

The whole name game was interesting, from the religious perspective. Neo was indeed new and so did turn out to be the 'savior' of all, with his side kick Trinity - her name gave me a whole Catholic vibe, and she was indeed the one who was in love with 'the one', if that doesn't fit the Catholic church I don't know what does. In addition, the scriptures describe the church as 'The Bride' of the lamb or savior. Lawrence Fishburn's character was, of course, John the Baptist. He was a voice crying out in the wilderness, and was very much on the verge of dying the same inauspicious death as John. Zion was the mainframe computer, heaven itself. The Oracle or prophet was interesting, and gave us the only non-Christian twist with her Dali Lama like search for 'the one' among the psychically gifted kiddos in her lime green apartment. That whole scenario was right out of Little Buddha, which, ironically, also starred Reaves. Thank goodness one of the Lamas offered the wisdom of the spoon to our Jesus character (neo). We are even given a Judas-object, who betrays our savior for the mere thought of some steak and wine, quick and happy to take his bag of Silver.

We of course followed a bit of Alice in Wonderland with the White Rabbit leading him to the Disco, and then to Trinity. Lawrence Fishburn then offers him a red or blue pill, then the scum bag Judas gives our savior a sip of his home brewed liquor, at the moment that he reveals to him his displeasure in their current surroundings. This is almost a last supper reversal, where Jesus let Judas sip from his cup before the betrayal...interesting. Then of course the Oracle herself gives Neo a cookie, so that he will feel better. Cakes and Cups prevail throughout. They are even given what could pass for 'Manna' to eat. The Hebrew for Manna literally means, "What is it?" This surely fits the gruel that they ate in their bowls.

What else, the scene in the elevator is right out of Speed.... one of Keanu's best.

The submarine scene with them all sitting quiet, like 'Run Silent, Run Deep'. It is a sub marine classic to park the sub, go quiet, and then wait out the depth charges with sweat running down your faces.

The mouth scene was taken directly from the cover of the science fiction classic "I have no mouth, yet I must scream" by Harlan Ellison. It also reminded me of the cover of an old HP Lovecraft book I once owned.

The device that they used to suck the bug out of Keanu's stomach was this giant intricate machine, yet powered by plugging in to the cigarette lighter hole in the dash of the car. The car that they chose were these black Kennedy-administration limousine Lincolns (with tops), always black.

Finally, for now, the fact that the only escape were these forgotten hard copper phone lines by Bell or whichever phone company. The last vestige of the escape was actually low tech and hundreds of years old by then...no cell phone could save them.

This movie takes you very deeply into the heart of science fiction and gives you a glory ride down through the twists and turns of the dark and light sides of cyberian witch craft...an absolute must see for those who appreciate the post-apocalypse genre…(ie. Mad Max, 12 Monkeys, Blade Runner) – and the special effects are as good as it gets.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up to Age 4