This week I'm starting my series of Throwback Thursday Reviews over The Matrix trilogy with my thoughts on The Matrix. In the next three weeks I'll review The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, and John Wick to coincide with John Wick: Chapter 2 since it will see a reunion between actors Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne. In the meantime, reviews you can expect to see relatively soon include Patriots Day, Live By Night, Split, The Founder, A Dog's Purpose, Gold, The LEGO Batman Movie, and John Wick: Chapter 2.
'The Matrix' Review
Nominated For: Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, and Best Visual Effects.
Won: Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, and Best Visual Effects.
In The Matrix machines have fabricated a false reality for subjecting humanity as they harvest humans to fuel their campaign of world domination. Computer hacker Neo learns the truth about the warped reality from a rebel insurgent group who reveal to him that he's prophesied to be the "One." Neo then must join the fight against the Matrix if humanity is to be saved.
Confession: I had never seen The Matrix prior to watching it for this review, I had heard about it practically my entire life and knew enough to understand references but had never really gotten around to watching it. Therefore, I had some lofty expectations and must say the film holds up surprisingly well despite being nearly eighteen years old. The Matrix was originally written and directed by the Wachowski brothers, Andy and Lawrence, however the two are now the Wachowski sisters, Lilly and Lana, and I don't want to get into semantics so for the purposes of this review I will refer to them purely as the Wachowskis.
The Wachowskis' imagination can't be paralleled as the two pushed the boundaries of action blockbuster filmmaking with The Matrix. The visual effects were definitely groundbreaking for the time but don't quite hold up as well as one would hope. The practical effects look incredibly authentic but early CGI simply wasn't up to what the Wachowskis envisioned when compared to what we see today. The Wachowskis and cinematographer Bill Pope shoot action in such a dynamic and interesting fashion that it's nearly impossible to not get engaged despite limited character development.
The action sequences are almost 18 years old yet still maintain high energy and robustness about them to remain iconic. This is helped by the score from Don Davis, which has a digital DNA with poppy beats and a synthesizer to (re)boot. Elsewhere, the concepts and world building present in The Matrix are exceptionally well laid-out and the Wachowskis' screenplay explains nearly everything but the characters can't help but feel hollow in contrast to the limitless world surrounding them.
Keanu Reeves plays the role of the reluctant "Chosen One" with enough uneasiness to make Neo's disbelief viable while also maintaining an air of confidence needed by an action hero. The main supporting cast fill the standard tropes with Carrie-Anne Moss' Trinity standing in as the romantic interest, Laurence Fishburne portraying the keen insightful leader, and Hugo Weaving as the sinisterly robotic Agent Smith. While all the aforementioned actors fit the roles and play their parts well they can't help but feel limited to the boundaries of their paper thin characters.
In conclusion, The Matrix isn't the best action film but its influence on action is virtually unrivaled. The Matrix's technical prowess, direction, performances, and conceptual notions stand tall but the lack of necessary character depth keeps The Matrix from reaching its highest potential.
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