The Matrix Review
by "Rahul Prasad" (harry AT idl DOT net DOT au)April 15th, 1999
The Matrix
starring: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne, Hugo Weaving Directed by: The Wachowski Bros
Released By: Village Roadshow/Warner Bros.
Running Time: Approximately 2hrs and 40 minutes
Before I saw "The Matrix", I was only aware of the Wachowski Brothers earlier effort, the critically acclaimed "Bound". Now I wanna see it! This is probaly one of the better films of the year despite some labelling it's complex plot as too ambigious. Surprisingly, the best thing about the movie is not the stunning special effects, the stunts or Laurence Fishburne, but Keanu Reeves. The actor has consistently been given the thumbs down by critics, but his perpetual frown and quizzical look is exactly what the movie needed.
He plays Neo, a computer programmer/hacker, who is contacted by renegades led by Morpheus(Laurence Fishburne) who is convinced that Neo is the man to lead the people of Earth out of the Matrix. The Matrix is an elaborate and intricate program that depicts a make-believe world for humans. Everything in it resembles the real world but it is infact a prison for the mind. It is invented by machines who use the humans as Guinea pigs to feed their AI. With the help of Neo, Morpheus and Trinity(Carrie-Ann Moss) alongwith a bunch of others are out to break the stranglehold that the machines have on the human sub-conscious. Neo is upto the challenge, but is not so sure of his own ability until he realises in the movie's breathtaking climax that the human mind is too fast for the machines to keep up with. The make-believe world is however zealously guarded by agents, who are the gatekeepers of the Matrix and destroy anyone/anything that disturbs or tries to break out of the Matrix. Australian actor Hugo Weaving in his first major role as a baddie is delightfully wicked and is clearly enjoying himself! There are some stunning special effects, well-choreographed stunts and the fight scenes are fabulously worked out! The movie is a treat on the big screen and despite it's plot, not too many will walk out without a sense of amazement and awe. I know I did:-)
The acting is adequate at the most but it is not the driving force for the movie. The movie was shot in and around Sydney last year and is a welcome change, although mostly the setting is dark and brooding in keeping with the movie's premise of doomsday and it's aftermath. Go see this if you have'nt already done so!!! You won't complain about not getting your money's worth:-)
Rating: **** out of *****
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