Rapid Review: The Matrix (1999)

“What is real? How do you define ‘real’? If you’re talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then ‘real’ is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain.”
– Morpheus

SYNOPSIS: During the year 1999, a man named Thomas Anderson (also known as Neo), lives an ordinary life. A software techie by day and a computer hacker by night, he sits alone at home by his monitor, waiting for a sign, a signal – from what or whom he doesn’t know – until one night, a mysterious woman named Trinity seeks him out and introduces him to that faceless character he has been waiting for: Morpheus. A messiah of sorts, Morpheus presents Neo with the truth about his world by shedding light on the dark secrets that have troubled him for so long. – via IMDB

I’ve actually been itching to rewatch these for a while now, and there was no better time to do it than when the trilogy went on sale recently from my favourite online retailer. Whoop! It was time. I talked my fiancé into it (surprisingly easy) and we were off on our adventure. Wow! This movie is great! Totally understandable why it is so loved. It is just plain down super cool. The effects are amazing, especially if you are looking at the release date, the actors all worked together to pull of something different, unique, awesome, and they did it properly. This is one of those instances where Keanu Reeves just nailed it. You all know I am a fan, through the good times and the bad. His portrayal of Neo was just perfect – he didn’t believe too fast, he went along with it in a sense (as Morpheus cleverly likened it to a man accepting what he sees because he believes he is in a dream) and watching how he changed was well worth it. His interactions with Fisburne’s Morpheus and Moss’s Trinity were so good. He grew attached to these people, to their hopes and dreams, he took them on. Let’s not even forget about Hugo Weaving and his wickedly strange and creepy Agent Smith. He fitted that role and worked it fantastically. The Matrix is famous for some of the most revolutionary action sequences of all time (we have all seen that bullet time back bend dodge of Neo and jump up slow motion kick of Trinity in so many places since, and it is the one thing we all remember about the movie years later, even if the other details have faded). There is humour to the film, but it is dark and used sparingly, making it all the more effective. I thoroughly enjoyed the soundtrack (Zombie and Manson??? Heaven I tell you!) and I think it all worked very well. I am a big fan of the story and how it was implemented – slowly but surely you are given all the information, it isn’t all dumped on you at once, though there is still a lot of information to process. The Matrix is shot well, and it is easy to get sucked in and lost in the story that you are given. The Wachowskis created a gem when they gave us this film, and even after all these years it’s a great, innovative watch. Highly recommended for sure!