The Matrix

THE MATRIX (1999) ***1/2

Reviewed 4/4/99

With a premise partially lifted from The Terminator (both the apocalyptic and messianic aspects), elements taken from Dark City, usage of William Gibson cyberspace, and action patterned after Hong Kong cinema, the Wachowski brothers (Bound) have fashioned the most spectacular Hollywood film in recent memory. This is not to say that The Matrix does not have its hokey moments or bad dialogue -- it is after all a glorified B-movie -- but in terms of creating an engaging fantasy world, it succeeds vividly.

Keanu Reeves stars as a hacker named Neo who gets involved with a supposed terrorist named Morpheus, played by Laurence Fishburne. Morpheus thinks Neo is "The One," who can overcome the mysterious Matrix created by artificially intelligent computers. Keanu Reeves is actually quite good for this part. He has little trouble playing someone who has no idea what is going on around him. Fishburne does not get to show much range as Morpheus -- basically, he is either solemn mentor or pained prisoner -- though physically, he has a powerfully imposing presence. On the other hand, Carrie-Anne Moss shines as Trinity, Morpheus' right-hand, who gets to do loyalty, love, determination, worry, and horror. Other supporting characters are strongly brought to life by Marcus Chong, Belinda Mcclory, and Matt Doran, though their parts are brief.

The special effects are many and excellent, but the action sequences are what make the movie. Veteran choreographer Woo-ping Yuen does a great job bringing Hong Kong style action to an American film. Yuen has directed a host of Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh films. While his style is not the balletic form and grace of Ching Sui Tong and while Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne and their stunt doubles can be forgiven if they cannot duplicate Jackie Chan and Jet Li's speed and agility, it's hard to imagine these Hollywood stars doing action better than they do here. The wire work especially is used more carefully and believably than in any Hong Kong film. The tongue-in-cheek John Woo-style gun battles are also amazing. Neo and Trinity infiltrating a high security building to rescue Morpheus is the movie's highlight.

An already long movie at well over 2 hours, The Matrix actually feels longer. A lot of time is devoted to exposition, and The Matrix actually works quite well within its internal logic, unlike most science fiction movies of its type. Two quibbles I have with the film involve what the Oracle tells Neo and a miracle at the end. I suppose the latter was necessary to fulfill the Christ metaphor however.

An easy reading of the film could interpret the central conflict being between a patriarchal society (the AI computers are always embodied by white males) controlling and enslaving a population through technology-induced mass hallucination (today's trivial and trivializing media) and a rebellion led by a black man and two women (one black, one white). That the savior is a white male is obliged by messianic tradition (Luke Skywalker in Star Wars).

Ostensibly, the Wachowskis are on the side of Neo and Morpheus, but they revel in the technology represented by the AIs. They want us to revel in it as well, and so the Wachowskis have us indulging in their own matrix.

One last note of trivia, what is Neo an anagram for?