‘The Matrix’ bends the rules of sci-fi cinema
By Jesse Burchill Staff Writer First hitting theaters in 1999, “The Matrix” is a sci-fi action film starring Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne, and Hugo Weaving. Directed by Lily and Lana Wachowski, the film focuses on the journey of Neo (Reeves), a computer hacker who suspects something is inherently wrong with the world itself and is searching for answers about something called the Matrix, hoping they lie with a man named Morpheus (Fishburne). Morpheus’ agent Trinity (Moss) finds Neo and takes him to meet Morpheus, who reveals that the world Neo knows is in fact a digital simulation called the Matrix. In the real world, Neo - and the rest of humanity - is enslaved by sentient machines of humanity’s own creation as power sources, and the Matrix was created by the Machines to keep them subservient and unaware. Morpheus tracks down and frees people from the Matrix’s control, using the system’s own rules against it. Neo joins Morpheus and his crew in the real world aboard their ship the Nebuchadnezzar, and finds himself interwoven with a prophecy that predicts a savior called the One is fated to free humanity once and for all from the Machines’ control. This was Keanu Reeves’ breakout role as an actor, and it’s clear why. Reeves sells every beat of Neo’s journey, from confusion at the Matrix’s nature to understandable horror and shock at the truth of the world he wakes up in, to a gradual and calm acceptance of his role in liberating humanity. Reeves vanishes in the character. One could be glad that Will Smith turned down the role, as it’s difficult to imagine Neo as being played by anyone else. Moss as Trinity is a veritable action star in her own right from the film’s very first scene and is just as important to the story as Neo and Morpheus. Her journey to accepting Neo as the One, her determination to save Morpheus, and her dynamics with the rest of the cast make it clear how Moss’ effort in the role put her on the map as an actress. Fishburne as Morpheus is arguably the standout star. Throughout the film, Fishburne changes between a stoic enigma, a trusted leader, and a mentor who believes in Neo wholeheartedly. He knows how terrifying the unplugging process is, and is just as capable as those on his crew. Weaving as Agent Smith is the film’s primary antagonist, the face of the Matrix’s methods to keep humanity in check. He gives a commanding performance in every scene he has, speaking with a deep, almost unwavering monotone that emphasizes Smith’s inhuman nature even when Smith gets angry with a captured Morpheus. It’s no wonder why he was brought back for the sequels in a larger role. The supporting cast, namely the rest of the Nebuchadnezzar’s crew, all feel like real people as well, even though they get less focus than Morpheus and Trinity, and Tank can easily become a favorite thanks to Marcus Chong’s performance. The traitorous Cypher is also a standout thanks to Joe Pantoliano making him unsettling in a subtle way before the reveal. Switch and Apoc feel like the most underutilized, however. They don’t quite get the same amount of little character moments as the others, and even viewing the film as a one-off, they can feel like they deserved more development. The film’s setting is masterfully designed and presented. It’s arguably a horror movie at times, especially when Neo wakes up in the real world - his scream as he makes the transition to reality echoes into a creepy dial-up-like tone, and he finds himself in a liquid-filled pod that’s only one of many in an impossibly tall human farm, where he and countless others are being held to power the Machines as batteries. Furthermore, the Agents - the Matrix’s enforcer programs who relentlessly hunt down any who come close to learning the truth - are feared by the entire resistance, can hijack the bodies of anyone who’s still trapped in the Matrix, and have killed everyone else who’s directly fought them. As an action movie, “The Matrix” does not disappoint. From Trinity’s introduction where she does the impossible within minutes of the film’s start, to Neo and Trinity going back into the Matrix to rescue Morpheus from Agent Smith, to Trinity crashing the helicopter, to Neo and Smith fighting in the subway, the cinematography and choreography for the film’s fight sequences are astounding throughout. The storytelling never feels subservient to the action - the film manages to strike a balance between the two that feels natural, and the breaks between the action never bore thanks to the writing and progression of the story. The movie explores the concept of humanity developing true artificial intelligence in the early 21st century, leading to a future where the environment is destroyed and much of humanity is enslaved by the very machines they made. The idea of AI being less than benevolent has been explored in other works before, such as “2001: A Space Odyssey” and the “Terminator” movies, but “The Matrix” makes use of the trope in a manner and scope that still feels unparalleled in implementation with the imagery of the human farms and the Machines hunting down escapees. The movie’s visual effects were awarded an Oscar in 2000, and it is quite obvious how much it deserved the win. From the Sentinels, the Machines’ mechanical hunting squids from hell, to every shot of the real world, to the lobby shootout’s practical effects including actually ripping apart the lobby’s pillars into pieces, to Trinity flying around to land Neo and Morpheus on a roof with a subsequent helicopter crash, everything looks absolutely spectacular. While this film is undeniably a landmark work, it’s not perfect. Cypher’s betrayal can feel lacking in development, Trinity and Neo’s romance was hinted at throughout the film but still felt a bit underbaked when it came to fruition, the characters can be rather concerningly ruthless about the lives of the people still hooked into the Matrix, and the ending - where Neo informs the Machines of how he’s going to free the rest of humanity - still bears the weight of humanity’s massively uphill battle in a devastated real world. However, this is one of those movies where the flaws do not detract from the viewing experience in the slightest. It still works very well as a stellar action flick with a unique interpretation of the journey to find one’s true identity in a world constantly trying to stop them and keep them trapped as someone they’re not. In the end, “The Matrix” remains as a classic of the sci-fi, cyberpunk, and action genres, and has left an undeniable influence in the time since.
