The Matrix

The Matrix, as I have stated before, is a great film. Much better than it's successors. It takes one of the oldest, and certainly most popular stories in our history, and turns it into a blockbuster film about something that may seem different, but has many ties to Christianity.

You've got Neo, or Thomas Anderson, who seems lost and doesn't know what is going on, just knows that something is wrong with the world around him. He has heard only rumors of Morpheus, and searches for him for years. Morpheus allows Neo to see him, and he explains that 'life' is much more complex than we know, and that the Matrix is just a holding world, more or less. I know I don't have to explain this, but Morpheus is very obviously portrayed as God, and Neo is portrayed as Jesus.

When Morpheus allows Neo to meet him, he immediately lets him know that the pleasure is all his, and that he has been searching for Neo his entire life. He tells Neo that he is The One, and in sense bestows the weight of the world on him. Sound familiar? If not, go back to Sunday School. So Morpheus gives Neo a "choice," which isn't a choice at all because he knows exactly what the response will be. Enough religious talk, time to delve into the film itself.

The film fits into a few different themes. It fits into Technical Achievement because it had such great special effects and graphics. Even now, ten years later, you see people bending backwards and saying "MATRIX!!!" It was something that we hadn't seen before, and it was cool. It sticks out in everybody's mind when the film is mentioned. The other theme that it is would be Philosophical. It causes us as viewers to reevaluate ourselves, and shows that one person can do something. This is a very inspiring film, one that has much more depth to it than many people give it credit for.

How Keanu Reeves got this role is beyond me. Not that he didn't do well in it, but his portrayal as Bill or Ted or whoever the hell should have put him on the Naughty List for many many directors and production companies. I think that for Thomas Anderson, he was casted very well. He is a lanky individual who looks stoned all the time. I wouldn't have guessed that he'd play the commanding role of Neo terribly well, but he held up pretty good. Carrie-Ann Moss is an athletic woman, so visually she fit the role of Trinity. She also did a pretty good job with the acting. I think the most impressive casting choice by far was to cast Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus. He is a big dude!! He has a presence about him that commands respect, so this role was very fitting for him. They were all dressed in rags, but it would be obvious that Morpheus was the main man if one were to guess.

This was an action film. Although there wasn't completely nonstop action, the movie grabs you from beginning to end. The first scene of Trinity running away from the Agent was badass, the type that makes you sit up in your seat. This reminds me of something I've always said: "I can only read a book if it really grabs me in the first 10 or so pages." This movie does that. It doesn't start slow, wait around for awhile, then pick up speed. It starts out at 100 mph and doesn't stop til the credits roll. Even when Neo went to talk to the Auricle, which was arguably the most sombre point of the film, the audience is in the films grasp, just waiting to see what she says. This is a great movie that I always love to watch.

The music in it was my type of music. Pretty intense, and it kept the heart rate high. I really liked also how they played with slow-mo. When Tom Anderson's new little phone fell from the office building, when Trinity jumped to the adjacent building, when Neo jumped out of the way of the train; all these were intense and awesome.

Overall, it was a great film. It may not be for everybody, as some people don't like to look for symbolism in movies, as well as many people's dislike for violence and imaginitive film. Let them tend to their CareBear collection while we adrenaline jockeys of the world watch kickass movies like The Matrix. The last thing that I have to say is that at the time, directly following my first viewing of the Matrix, I was very excited for the next installation. I was definitely let down by both of them, however. Looking back, I think that Neo flying off into the heavens at the end of The Matrix should have been the end of the entire story. It showed that he had the situation all wrapped up, and it definitely would have sufficed in my mind.

Mike, just a reminder to watch Changeling, and also I watched Requiem for a Dream yesterday, blew my frickin mind!!