Whoa. I know kung fu. Keanu Reeves as Neo

What would you do if you suddenly realized your life was a lie and everything around you was a computer-generated illusion? This is the question posed by writers/directors the Wachowski Brothers in the 1999 blockbuster The Matrix.

Keanu Reeves stars as Neo a man with two lives; by day a mild mannered software programmer; by night a computer hacker par excellance guilty of nearly every computer crime they have a law against.

Through his nocturnal computer activities Neo becomes aware of one Morpheus who advises him to "follow the white rabbit" a reference to Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass. Just after this cryptic message a girl with a white rabbit tattoo shows up at his door so he accompanies her to a party where he meets Trinity (Carrie-Ann Moss), one of Morpheus' band. Trinity takes Neo to see Morpheus who offers Neo his choice of two pills, again referencing Alice in Wonderland. Once he chooses the "truth pill" there is no turning back and the viewer is in for a roller coaster thrill ride that Hollywood achieves all too seldom, it seems.

When Neo awakes he finds that Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) is the cap'n of a rebel cruiser (Star Wars) that navigates the supply and waste systems (sewers) of the real world which has been destroyed by machines a la Terminator. Morpheus' crew is mainly composed of ethnic minorities and women. Their opposition is comprised of agents, bad white guys, led by Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving).

The agents wear similar green sport coats and Ray Bans, like Men in Black. These agents are machines that serve the Matrix, a virtual reality program that fools mankind into thinking they are living lives while actually their bodies are producing electricity to power the machines that enslave them. The agents can access any computer program and derive all sorts of strength and special powers from them, morphing between their various identities like Terminator II.

Morpheus is convinced that Neo is "The One," a messiah who will lead the deluded masses out of the Matrix and into Reality. How all these plot ideas play out I will leave to your viewing pleasure.

The story is written by the Wachowski Brothers, who also directed The Matrix, and borrows ideas from many areas of pop culture; cartoons, comic books, fairy tales, movies, and so on. The biggest problem with the story is that it doesn't have a satisfactory conclusion; it builds up a great expectation by revealing what the Matrix is and who Neo is and then it devolves into a Hong Kong-John Woo-type Kung Fu shootemup between Neo and the Agents. Of course, if they were thinking in typical Hollywood fashion the brothers were probably anticipating a sequel to further explain their story…

Acting was good by all concerned with basically undemanding cartoon character roles. Carrie-Ann Moss played the '90s strong woman with aplomb. Keanu's non-acting fit right in with the strong silent Neo character, while Laurence Fishburne played the Shaolin monk/Jabba the Hut Morpheus very well (Snatch the pebble from my hand…).

The real star of The Matrix is the camera/editing/special effects, many of which have been seen before but seldom so many so well done in one movie. A particularly neat technique was the many entries of the camera through solid surfaces like mirrors and computer screens. The directors also made great use of reflections in mirrored surfaces.

A minor peeve is the green tinting of much of the film. What is with the filmmakers tinting their films these days? I guess if they look bad to begin with they won't need to restore them in years to come!

Anyone who likes sci-fi, Kung Fu movies, or Schwarzenegger-style shootemups will enjoy The Matrix.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening