THE MATRIX
Added 2023-09-18 19:00:00 +0000 UTCI hadn't seen the film since I reviewed it quite a few years ago. Watched it with my brother, and my mom a several weeks ago. For my brother and me, it was just returning to an old favorite we've each seen many times over the years. My mom on the other hand, had never seen it. I was surprised she sat through the entire thing, since it's not exactly her thing. But man, this most recent viewing simply reiterated in my mind yet again, why The Matrix is one of the great American mainstream blockbuster movies of my generation. It ages like fine wine. It's near perfect by my estimation. Nearly every element in it works. It never overshoots its concepts. Every story beat, every plot twist, all of it lands in such a satisfying way. It's the perfect showcase of a how to structure a Hollywood script. I know its lame but, I always get emotional at the end of the film when Neo finally self-actualizes. I think because of just how strong the arc carries through, and just how satisfying it is when the whole film comes together in that moment. It's like a Christmas tree lighting up. I dunno...the film continues to impress me more and more as the years go by. I think I wanted to revisit it partially because of how the Barbie movie spoofed a lot of its concepts, yet a lot of it wasn't thought through nearly to the degree that it was in The Matrix. I wanted to watch it again, just to be sure that this feeling I've always had about it, still felt true. Anyone caught up with it lately? Had a change of feelings towards it or anything?
Comments
I dont think they feel forced. I think they actually keep it very subdued. It's the sequels where the acting starts to get really hammy. But I actually really like many of the performances in the original. Carrie Ann Moss has a wonderful subtlety to her here, and she never loses that femininity through the hardness. A slight withdrawn melancholy that I like from her. Keanu too, I think does a very good job. A few moments feel forced from him, but very minor. The only thing that feels forced to me, is the stuff that is supposed to feel forced, hence the whole Alice and Wonderland exaggerated tone at times. Yet its still something one can buy into, before going fully into a cartoon by the second film. Some complain about the Y2K aesthetic but...to me I think it ages very well. People in black long coats and shades just...is cool. It has always been cool. Just like a black cape is cool. And it's how you build around that iconic image that I'm interested in. There are a lot of films where the time in which it was made, both gives a sense of charm, nostalgia, and sophistication. I think the matrix commits quite strongly to its concepts, and therefore, it doesnt feel silly to me or out of place. I believe in the film, because it is more than aesthetic choices.
Deepfocuslens
2023-09-18 23:26:33 +0000 UTCYou oughta see Joe Pantoliano in the Wachowskis’ first feature Bound. It’s about a pair of lesbians who plot to steal money from one’s gangster boyfriend and run off together. He plays the gangster. For me, he steals that movie. It might be the best thing he ever did apart from Ralph in The Sopranos.
Bennett Oliver
2023-09-18 23:21:01 +0000 UTCI have not. I tend to really like matrix parody videos so, I'm surprised I dont know it
Deepfocuslens
2023-09-18 23:19:38 +0000 UTCThat's kinda how I felt when I finally saw Office Space. But hey, better late than never. Glad you enjoyed it.
Deepfocuslens
2023-09-18 23:19:08 +0000 UTCso glad you enjoyed it
Deepfocuslens
2023-09-18 23:18:38 +0000 UTCI used to agree about the heroe's journey feeling watered down. But after this last viewing, I found myself disagreeing with my former self. I agree with you overall on the second one. Third one is a convoluted mess. Resurrections is.....oh man...that's a whole discussion.
Deepfocuslens
2023-09-18 23:18:19 +0000 UTCHaha always quite interesting to hear how people got into it. I think the matrix was best when it was just a singular film, and hadnt built the lore yet that was inevitable. That said...I enjoy aspects of how they built that world over the years.
Deepfocuslens
2023-09-18 23:16:57 +0000 UTCI think you like them because they are such crucial scenes that mark major turning points for our characters. The oracle scene really stuck out to me this time. And yes, seen Animatrix many times. Some of the shorts are better than others.
Deepfocuslens
2023-09-18 23:15:55 +0000 UTCI tend to be in line with Matrix being the Star Wars of our time in some respects, and in others not. But I think it's definitely better than A New Hope. For me though, it's Joe Pantoliano that nearly steals the whole film. I was never a huge fan of Agent Smith. I see him as a function more than anything. But Cypher is truly a great villain imo. And a great actor. The second film is cringe camp but...it's kinda fun. I can watch it in bits and pieces just fine. But the whole film is a bore. Saw the third one twice and hated it both times. Dreary and tired. But yes...all a crash and burn. But the original for me is still a masterpiece,
Deepfocuslens
2023-09-18 23:14:38 +0000 UTCI haven’t watched it lately, but it still holds up. I remember when it first came out in the spring of 1999 and how it became the cool cultural event of the year in the way that Phantom Menace promised to do but failed. Someone I knew had in fact called it the Star Wars of the ‘90s. I wouldn’t go that far—The Matrix lacks the original SW’s timeless folkloric quality nor did it have quite its seismic cultural impact—but I understood what he was talking about. The Matrix took the hero’s journey of Joseph Campbell followed by Luke Skywalker, threw it into an inspired melange of cyberpunk, anime, Kung fu, and philosophy, and quite simply…created something we’d never seen before (at least in live-action). It was trippy and mind-bending and thrilling and dazzling all at once. Keanu Reeves, never the model for actorly prowess, proved to be the ideal man to play Neo, with his endearing surfer dude quizzicality giving way to Zen levels of serene blankness as the movie goes on (his iconic “Whoa” moment could not have been done by anyone else, least of all Will Smith). Fishburne gets to exude a cool smooth authority as Morpheus, and Carrie Anne-Moss as Trinity was, at least for a time, the iconic badass heroine on everyone’s mind. And this was also the film that introduced most of us to Hugo Weaving, the great Australian actor whose angular features and insinuating lilt made himself perfect for villainy as Agent Smith. So yes, with all that and the way it laid out story structure perfectly, I’m confident it’s aged very well. Tyler’s right though: the love story was the weakest, most unconvincing part. As for the sequels, I think the problem the Wachowskis created was that, with the ending of the first one, they had written themselves into a corner. With Neo self-actualizing himself into becoming the all-powerful One, where does he go from there? His hero’s journey is over. All he has to do is defeat the antagonist. The solution that the Wachowskis crafted for the sequels was, to put it mildly, not very satisfying. So it’s no surprise that the legacy of the franchise crashed and burned. It was that dilemma, along with the endless philosophizing that did it.
Bennett Oliver
2023-09-18 22:47:44 +0000 UTCThe three scenes in it that just stick with me endlessly is when Neo initially wakes up, the backstory of what happened as told by Morpheus, and especially the ending when he comes back to life and literally bends reality. Just the full realization about how he’s in control of the fake world around him is so good. It’s probably one of my favorite christ allegories in film. Also watch the shorts The Second Renaissance parts 1&2 from the Animatrix if you haven’t already! They are amazing and chilling!
kron
2023-09-18 21:41:38 +0000 UTCGods this post has reminded me how badly I need to rewatch it! I think I’ve more recently rewatched Animatrix. When I was a kid I always saw this sitting on the shelf at blockbuster, but I had no interest until I started getting into anime. I guess I always thought it would be just a weird knock-off, but when I finally discovered the truth… oh wow! A wonderful anthology of sci-fi short fiction? Scratched a profound itch for sure and fleshed out the lore and background of the Matrix setting in a way that the sequels fell far short of doing for me.
LazyDoomShine
2023-09-18 20:24:59 +0000 UTCI rediscovered The Matrix maybe 5-6 years ago which really cemented its status as a cultural powerhouse and basically a perfect film. Prior to that revisit, I hadn't seen it since the sequels came out (I tried rewatching the sequels and they remain terrible, philosophy majors can fuck off with their analysis), so I didn't know what to expect. It was incredible finding it again. The main takeaways I have in retrospect: 1) Tangible sense of danger. The agents in the first movie feel so LETHAL. Every scene with them is anxiety-inducing. Less so if you've seen the movie, but when Morpheous goes toe-to-toe with Smith there is so much dread because it's clear he's going to get wrecked (and does). It's rare for a movie to accomplish that. I still don't really understand how they did it so well. I guess it's because the agents win 100% of the time with the exception of two moments 1) [see point #3] and 2) the very end of the movie. It's so effective. When Neo turns to face Agent Smith in the train station it's such a mix of fear for the character and "hell yeah, let's do it baby." 2) Trinity. There was a post on reddit recently that asked "who is your favorite sci-fi female star that isn't Ripley or Sarah Connor" and the top post was Trinity. Someone noted it's weird because everyone forgets about Trinity but when you bring her up there is universal praise and adoration for the character. She's incredibly capable, likable, and unique while still serving as the somewhat stereotypical "love interest" of the story. I kind of moan at love interests in hero's journey stories because they're so contrived, but they really integrated her into the film. Especially with the oracle's prediction. They hold onto that forever and the payoff is excellent. 3) If you have one memorable line you enter the movie fall of fame forever ("I'm walking here") but The Matrix has like... 8? I know kung-fu. The red pill. There is no spoon. Mr. Anderson. Dodge this. Human beings are a disease and we are the cure. Guns, lots of guns. Not like this. They really tapped into the cultural psyche. 4) The diversity of the cast. I don't want to get all _political_ but you can tell how the public obsession with diversity has done a disservice to diversity because absolutely no one noticed or cared about The Matrix casting literally one of each person on the planet. They even have a trans character in Switch (although altered because producers thought it was too weird). Strong contrast to the legion of agents who are all white dudes. 5) The Matrix never stopped being cool, they just went in a direction no one wanted to go. I was really excited about The Matrix Resurrections because it felt like it gave whoever took up that brand in the future complete license to do whatever they want. That franchise has a lot of interesting opportunities for an array of storytelling that doesn't need to be sci-fi action, but for whatever reason it didn't get picked up like that. I really love that movie. I heard young people think it's "dated" and it made me sad.
Arthur Augustyn
2023-09-18 20:13:51 +0000 UTCMy relationship with it has definitely evolved over the years. For the longest time, I had only seen the first one and my friends would be jealous of me saying “Dude you are so lucky the sequels suck!” I liked the first one a lot but thought the hero’s journey structure of it kind of watered it down for me. Then one year I finally buckled down and watched the 2nd and 3rd ones actually liking them fine. The 3rd one in particular was still a disappointment but I liked it just enough. Flash forward to the year Resurrections is going to come out and I watched all three again. I appreciated even more, just appreciating the world-building not letting the more conventional story elements bother me to much. Then when I re-watched the 2nd and 3rd ones again, I fell more in line with the general public. I don’t hate the 2nd one but I had a lot more issues with the story and tone fluctuations. Overall it just doesn’t come together. Then when I got to the 3rd one, I was frustrated. Too much action, not enough development or coherence in the story, annoying characters, and an unsatisfying conclusion. Then of course, when it comes to Resurrections, it’s basically a shrug. The meta moments are fun, but beyond that it’s a rehash of the first movie, with terrible action & effects.
Stephen
2023-09-18 19:51:31 +0000 UTCI, for whatever reason, can't come to love this movie. I really admire its philosophy, action and sci-fi concepts which are undeniably thought provoking but just can't seem to fall in love with the style of it. To me, a lot of it feels very dorky and like nerdy cool to the point I can't take it seriously. I also just never believe any of the performances expect for Fishbourne and Weaving. Love Carrie-Anne Moss and Keanu Reeves in other stuff but to me their performances feel so forced and laughable here. Plus the more romantic stuff just doesn't work and I don't think they have chemistry at all. I do like the movie but to me it's an interesting on paper that's covered by this weird veneer of awkward faux cool Y2K aesthetics that just haven't aged well in my opinion. I want it to click one day cause I've probably seen the movie a good 3 or 4 times in the last few years but just don't love it yet.
Tyler Shobe
2023-09-18 19:43:26 +0000 UTCI still haven't seen it. It's one of those films where I'm one of the only people in this generation to have not seen it. I finally got around to watching Suspiria (1977) last night for the first time. I loved it. The atmosphere was incredible and that scene with the blind guy and his dog got an unexpected jump out of me.
Wolfman Brandon
2023-09-18 19:29:19 +0000 UTCI actually watched The Matrix for the very first time last year. I put off seeing it for years because I just assumed it was overhyped. Also, it’s been parodied so much and showcased on flatscreen tv’s in Best Buy for years, I felt like I had already seen it lol. I was shocked at how much I was invested with the story and characters. The action in the second half was great but not really my favorite part. I agree, the writing and story is just so perfect, and for me, outshines the action.
Henri J. Mertens
2023-09-18 19:25:37 +0000 UTCSpeaking of Matrix spoofs, have you seen lasagnacat take on post Matrix early 2000's phenomenon? They've nailed it perfectly, it's hilarious as any other of their videos (with obligatory mocking of Jim Davis so called sens of humor). As it was said many times, Matrix is a perfect movie, that never had any sequels to follow. Too bad our reality is a glitch to this statement.
Mateusz
2023-09-18 19:07:16 +0000 UTC
