The Matrix

Starring: Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne

In what may likely be the Nth time in the past decade, audiences have been subjected to an innumerable amount of technological backlashes in cinema. From Terminator 2 to Virtuosity, films have constantly placed technology in a bad light, even iconicizing its anthropomorphisms in world class villainy. The Matrix, shall have its own notoriety as a film completely focused on "beating the computer".

The Matrix sets up a 23rd Century earth run by a computer that is enslaving mankind (sound familiar?) for the purpose of harvesting the human life essence to be used as a substitute for electrical power. Most humans aren't aware of this, and are instead living a virtual existence that subconsciously satisfies them and keeps them in the year 1999. The ones who are aware fight the war for mankind, in their search to fulfill a prophecy of finding "The One", the person able to defeat the Matrix and save humanity. Laurence Fishburne, in a very solid leadership role, plays Morpheus, who heads a band of fighters taking on the Matrix, while searching for their savior. Fishburne believes Neo (Keanu Reeves) may in fact be this person. Against them is the Matrix's security proponent, in the form of Mr. Smith (played freakishly well by Hugo Weaving), who tries to stay two steps ahead of the team in hopes of finding out where the other non-subdued humans live. All the while, Reeves is forced to absorb as much as he can (even fighting techniques), in order to beat the Matrix.

The Matrix, is surprisingly original, and yet unabashedly a knock-off. What separates this film from other notable cinematic rip-offs (examples of the Rambo and Scream franchises come to mind) is that this film manages to have no shame in cutting and pasting from so many films, because after it gets mixed together, it becomes a fluke that no longer resembles any parent. Yet it maintains the suspense or ingenuity of each and every scene it is derived from. This film does not pay homage to its predecessors; it assimilates scenes, situations and concepts from other films in their entirety, yet plays off each lift with conviction as if it were done for the first time. The deja vu one may feel has origins from films such as Aliens, Total Recall, Dark City, John Woo films, and most notably Terminator 2. Gluing the coolest scenes from the coolest films isn't such a bad idea at all. This brings up a new issue, that being the surreal resonance which this film gives off. The film is undeniably exciting and worth watching for the visuals alone. The action sequences are hyperkinetic; a mix of Bruce Lee kung Fu with John Woo's gunplay direction. It's nothing short of innovative, but more correctly, an innovative combination. People dodge bullets and defy gravity. It may not be original, but it hasn't been seen in a while. Audiences are bombarded with one type of action sequence after another so the drool quotient will leave any testosterone bearing gentlemen begging for more. It is quite an accomplishment for writers/directors Larry and Andy Wachowski who were able, after previously writing and directing the lesbian crime-thriller Bound, and co-writing the action film Assassins to create such a fine piece of entertainment. Qualitatively, the film's script isn't much to talk about, it being a rather inconsistent mesh of camp and cool. Credit should be given to the actors, who manage to find conviction in the ideas to express them in a manner that overrides its pretentiousness. The art direction, cinematography, and martial arts choreography is all notable. It is a successful expression of the comic-book mentality that has permeated cinema of late, and it should be hoped that this repairs the damaged name of blockbuster.