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| 5/5 Stars |
In 1999, my brother recommended to our dad and me that we rent a movie that had just come out earlier in the year. Dad and I rented “The Matrix” and we were instantly hooked by its cyberpunk appearance, awesome fight choreography, and brilliant storytelling.
The movie follows Thomas Anderson, a hacker who also goes by the alias Neo. He feels like there is something off about his world and this is not helped by the fact that a mysterious group is trying to reveal something to him about said world. The leader of this enigmatic group is Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and eventually Neo meets with him.
Morpheus reveals that the world around Neo is a simulation known as the Matrix. In the real world, humans are in pods where they are harvested for their bioelectric energy for the AI Machines that overthrew humanity decades, maybe even centuries ago. Morpheus pulled Neo out because he believes that Neo is “The One”, a man prophesied to bring about the destruction of the Matrix in order to free humanity.
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| Carrie-Ann Moss and Keanu Reeves prepare to fight against the Machines in 'The Matrix'! |
That is if they can escape the Sentinels in the real world and the Agents in the Matrix. The Agents are programs built to hunt down those who know the truth and are part of the human resistance outside of the Matrix. The most sinister of these is Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving), a program that actually hates humanity and being in the Matrix. He believes if he can find a way to stop the Resistance, then he’ll be freed from the simulation himself.
25 years later, this movie still holds up, though I will admit that the soundtrack does date it somewhat. The special-effects are surprisingly still good and it is all helped by the fast paced choreography of the action scenes. Of course, to anyone who has seen this movie, who can forget “bullet time”?
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| Apparently, Neo can dodge bullets in 'The Matrix'! |
This effect, where time slows down to a crawl and you can see the ripple-effect of bullets flying through the air, impressed filmmakers so much that it was featured in other movies, video games, and commercials. It was even parodied in the first “Scary Movie” film in 2000. We’ve since gotten over the effect, but its impact was very real at the time.
The Wachoskis created a film that was also a thinking person’s film. It made us question the very nature of our reality and what it means to be human. The movie has philosophical underpinnings, but thankfully we weren’t beaten over the head with these themes like we were in the later sequels.
The cast is also great, including Reeves as our primary protagonist, Neo. At first, he is seemingly a man without purpose but soon learns his larger role in the universe. Fishburne is great as his “mentor” as Morpheus guides Neo through the new rules and what is real and what is not. Then, there is Carrie-Ann Moss as Trinity, the female protagonist that also helps Neo throughout his new path.
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| Laurence Fishburne's Morpheus attempts to teach Neo about 'The Matrix'! |
Finally, you can’t have a great hero without an equally great villain. Weaving is perfect as the monotone yet sinister Agent Smith. He is a formidable threat and has the look of a slightly psychotic man who couldn’t care less about humanity itself. His interactions with our characters and other Agents is always worth watching.
The tone and atmosphere of the movie definitely give off cyberpunk vibes that would make William Gibson proud. However, with all of the gunplay and Kung-Fu featured throughout in highly stylized fight sequences, the movie also feels like a live-action anime. The now famous lobby shootout is high-energy and a hell of a lot of fun. I remember dad and I rewound the tape so that we could watch the sequence again before moving on with the rest of the movie.
“The Matrix” has been out for a quarter of a century now, so I think I can say that its status as a classic film is secured. The Wachowskis made a movie that was a genuine blockbuster with fantastic action and performances. They also didn’t forget to tell an engaging story that keeps you thinking long after you’re finished with it.
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