Today's subject is the 1999 cyberpunk action smash-hit, The Matrix! The brainchild of the Wachowskis, The Matrix was a hip, new take on the humanity vs. machines theme that's been explored extensively in science fiction, driven by a capable cast and revolutionary special effects. It became a touchstone at the time of its release, having such a profound and immediate influence on the genre that its visual tropes had actually become hackneyed by the time the sequels came out four years later. In a way it was too big a hit for its own good, and the second and third films were viewed as a pretty massive disappointment (As of this moment I have yet to see the fourth film). But however botched the follow-through on this saga, the first film remains a visually engaging, conceptually neat sci-fi/action vehicle that could've been even more had the producers not dumbed it down for us popcorn-gorging slobs.
So let's take a look at what still works, and what still doesn't, about The Matrix!
The Awesome
Concept
The plot of this movie is super cool. It's a dystopian future and machines have become self-aware and taken over the world, imprisoning the human race as an energy source while plugging them into a virtual reality designed to keep them pacified and complacent. Nearly every person left after the apocalypse was born into this matrix, occupying a cryo-pod but under the impression they're all living normal human lives in the late 20th century. A few resistors like Morpheus got wise and dared to pull back the curtain, hoping to free the others and bring down the machines. Our main protagonist Neo is a highly sought-after computer programmer/hacker, whom Morpheus believes will be "the one" to free humanity. It's high-concept sci-fi fun, with lofty, existential themes that are eminently relatable; who wouldn't be able to get behind a small band of heroes trying to save the world? It's the cinematic embodiment of Rage Against the Machine!
Effects
The special effects invented for The Matrix were possibly the most influential of that era. Nearly every action sequence features "bullet time" effects, where a computer-controlled ring of cameras rapidly spins around a subject, firing off a single frame in quick succession. When blended with a CG-modeled background, the effect creates the illusion of time stopping as our hero manipulates space-time within the Matrix. The martial arts scenes made liberal use of this effect and it was unlike anything ever put to film at that time. It was so successful and popular nearly every action movie for the next few years ripped it off in some form, even when it didn't make sense in context (which was usually the case - see Charlie's Angels or Mission Impossible 2). The visual effects here were hugely groundbreaking.
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This move was so popular WWE wrestler Trish Stratus started using it. |