The Matrix is a 1999 action sci-fi film that pretty much changed the landscape for the way movies are are made, becoming one of the most influential and beloved films in the genre.
THE STORY: Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) is a computer programmer by day and reclusive hacker by night, haunted by a feeling that not all is right with the world, repeatedly coming upon the words ‘The Matrix.’ After he is contacted by a woman named Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), he soon meets a mysterious figure called Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), who offers him a choice: live as he does or learn the truth about what keeps him awake. He takes the latter and finds that nothing about what he thought was real exists and is now not only part of a revolution to save mankind, but might be the prophesied ‘Neo,’ who will lead them all to freedom. No pressure.
Directors: Lana Wachowski (as The Wachowski Brothers), Lilly Wachowski (as The Wachowski Brothers)
Writers: Lilly Wachowski (as The Wachowski Brothers), Lana Wachowski (as The Wachowski Brothers)
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss
THE RUNDOWN: Even nearly twenty years later, it’s hard to put into context the impact of what the (then billed) The Wachowski Brothers film has had on cinema, the style, cinematography, themes, and dialogue not only becoming staples in the art form, but part of the pop-culture vernacular. Astonishingly creative and highly-innovative, the first in the what would become a bloated three-part franchise is still a modern marvel of movie-making, its complex and artistically-driven vision one that still leaves viewers breathless, not to mention several iconic story moments that resonant well after it’s over. It’s very nearly a perfect movie experience.
There’s a lot to like about The Matrix though it’s mostly the success of combining the a smart script with terrific action that makes this so watchable.
Forced to find fault, I’d say there’s a real lack of chemistry between Trinity and Neo, leaving some of the emotional impact a bit weak.
THAT MOMENT: Breaking down The Matrix to a single great moment is nearly impossible as there are a string of intensely memorable scenes that have had profound effect on filmmakers and sci-fi fans for close to two decades. If pressed, I still think one of the best lines ever written is “You’ve never used them before,” a line Morpheus says in response to Neo when he complains that his eyes hurt. Reading it here doesn’t quite have the same WTF? gut punch it does while watching it of course, but either way, it’s brilliant.
So let’s talk about action because despite the mind-bending and exceptionally well-handled philosophical tangles of the film, if we remember anything from the The Matrix, it is the pulse-pounding, hyper-realized, brain-busting bang of the chaos. What’s so good about the action is how the film uses it so purposefully, with it showcased best in an epic sequence involving a rescue and a helicopter.
Avoiding too many spoilers (even as I spoil), Neo learns that The Matrix is in fact a complex simulation where the minds of human beings are trapped, sharing a computer-created universe to make them believe all is normal when in fact, years before, a war between man and the machine saw humans fall, becoming bioelectric generators for their new masters. We’re pretty much batteries. People are harvested, locked in pods from birth, suspended in a gel that keeps them alive and tapped for energy to keep the machines running. However, not all humans are enslaved, with a small and secret society of men and women living in hiding at a place called Zion, a few entering The Matrix to try and defeat the system. They do this by bending the rules of the simulated world and it is said that Neo will the greatest to ever do so and because so, free humanity. Again. No Pressure.
At one point in the story, Morpheus is captured (intentionally) by Agents, sentient programs within The Matrix who serve as its protectors. They are led by Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving), who is after access to Zion, torturing him in a room near the top of a skyscraper. Meanwhile, Neo and Trinity plan and execute a rescue (featuring lots and lots of guns) that leads to a rooftop helicopter escape and crash unlike any seen on film before (though Tom Cruise‘s Mission: Impossible – Fallout brings an all new level of DANG! to helicopter movie madness).
WHY IT MATTERS: The gunfight at the bottom of the building is considered by many to be one of the most iconic battles of such ever made, and it’s truly a sight, built on style and incredible choreography that leaves the set in rubble and the audience (at least at the time) pretty breathlessly admitting, “nope, never seen that before.” It’s still one of the greatest rushes to be had while watching a movie. And yet, it only goes bigger once Neo and Trinity reach the top, where once again, another moment sees Neo (in slow-motion) bending backwards to avoid incoming bullets rippling through space as if in water. Even as parodied as this image is, it’s still great fun to see where it got its start.
After Trinity is uploaded the ability to fly a B-212 helicopter (if only it were so easy), they take off and head down to the room just below where the Agents have Morpheus bound to a chair. Sitting inside the chopper is Neo, resting behind a massive chain gun that he puts to very good destructive use, blasting just about everything in sight – and if you say you’ve never wanted to try such a thing, then go sit in the corner cuz you’re lying. Here we see some of the best of the Wachowski’s direction, making the firing of the mounted gun look like art, from the cascading shell casings to the very angles of the helicopter as it shreds the targeted room. I absolutely love this shot of raining shells.
Remarkably unscathed, Morpheus breaks from his bounds and leaps toward the chopper where Neo then does the opposite, leaping out (tethered to the copter) to grab him … but not before Smith puts a few bullets into the engine and puts it into a death spiral. Holding on by a hand, the two swinging like a pendulum through the cityscape, Neo releases Morpheus onto a nearby rooftop while still tied to the flailing helicopter, Trinity desperately struggling to keep it aloft. As it falls, Neo himself drops and gets footing on a rooftop. Gripping the cable wrapped around his waist, he watches as the chopper drifts to its side and sails over the edge, Trinity still inside. With that, she’s got only one chance before it crashes into the building on the other side. Grab the cable.
This lengthy scene is much more than the action that propels it, the thematic accomplishment itself worthy of praise, but the real takeaway is the Wachowski’s superb construction and delivery of what could have been a standard rescue. With surgical precision, they create a visual narrative that is both easy to follow and yet almost diabolically intricate. With barely a word spoken, we see the solidification of a number of previously unstable connections, with Morpheus’ steadfast philosophical belief in Neo coming to fruition and the growing bond between Trinity and Neo figuratively and quite literally tied together, the cable around Neo’s waist a physical and metaphorical umbilical to the nurturing emotional belief she has in him. This is deep and breathy stuff the likes few films ever achieve. And all within a bombastic Hollywood action scene. Who does this?
Moreso, this moment becomes the real evolution of Neo, as he learns to embrace the powers possible within The Matrix, starting with the guns and his control of the fight below the rooftop to his near mastering of it on top when he dodges what should have been Neo-ending projectiles, to his complete abandonment of his fear and doubts in what he is within The Matrix in rescuing Trinity. It’s incredibly satisfying and made more so by the filmmaker’s spectacular visual effects, ending with the helicopter smashing into the glass-sided building (a shot that took months of research and development in order to appear as authentic as possible) ripple-ing apart like a stone tossed in a mirror smooth pond. It’s mesmerizing.
The Matrix is one heck of a good time at the movies, a graphic novel come to life with a game-changing style and explosive story that still challenges to this day. What’s great is it asks a fundamental question about our own apathy, charging us to ponder, the red pill or the blue one? While the film is loaded with terrific action and brain puzzlers, it is a daring rescue and significant transformation that remains the best reason to watch. It’s a great movie moment.