Movie Review: The Matrix

The Matrix

When The Matrix was released in 1999, it was like nothing anyone had ever seen before. The story, while not entirely original, still offered a fresh approach. And the special effects were utterly breathtaking both in originality and scope (the Wachowski brothers reportedly invented a few that didn't exist, and you can believe it when you see the movie). The execution of both story and effects was flawless. And not a few people, including me, fell in love.

The Matrix essentially asked the question: What is The Matrix? For Thomas "Neo" Anderson (Keanu Reeves) - computer programmer by day, top level hacker by night - the search for the answer was all-consuming. But on the night his computer screen began predicting the immediate future, Neo becomes less and less sure he really wants to know. Still, with the beautiful Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) as his guide, he determines to meet the revered hacker, Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) who he hopes will give him some answers. Morpheus offers Neo a choice: get answers he may not like, or forget everything and go home. Before he can regret his decision, Neo opts to learn the truth, and his life is subsequently turned upside down and changed forever. With the evil Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) at his heels, Neo attempts to cope with his newfound knowledge at the same time he tries to adjust to a life unlike any he's ever known. His new friends, including a whiz computer operator who goes by the name Cypher (Joe Pantoliano) work to help him; secret enemies try to foil him. And through everything, his self-doubt could prove the ultimate betrayal.

The script for The Matrix wasn't overly complex, but it still managed to be rife with implications. For those who wanted to think about it, religious symbolism was rampant throughout the film ranging from the blatant to the almost undetectably subtle. But if you don't care to dissect movies with that kind of obsession, The Matrix is still gripping entertainment with revelations concerning perceptions of reality that pack a significant punch even when you know they're coming (I've seen The Matrix perhaps a half a dozen times now). Reeves does a good job as the bewildered Neo, and Moss is competely believable as the tough girl who refuses to acknowledge a reading of her future might actually have any truth to it. Fishburne gives Morpheus both gravity and credibility, while Pantoliano is at times serious and at others almost manic as he worries his way from one confrontation to the next, and Weaving is very, very good at presenting himself as smarmy and menacing all at once (and if you've ever heard the man's real speaking voice and accent, you'll appreciate even more how much he's done to create his character).

I loved The Matrix on every level. The story kept me glued to the screen; the casting was perfect; the sets and set decoration were absolutely terrific down to the last details; and the special effects defy description. The Matrix is, without question, one of my favorite movies. Ever.

FAMILY SUITABILITY: The Matrix is rated R, primarily for some graphic violence although the topic of the movie is more than a little disquieting. Although small children should not be permitted to see the movie (they wouldn't understand it anyway), I know at least one 12 year-old who has seen the movie and loved it. I would say that those 14 and up, especially if they're relatively intelligent, will be mature enough to really enjoy The Matrix. And movie fans of all ages everywhere owe it to themselves to see - or see again - the movie that all but defined a genre as we moved into the twenty-first century.