The Matrix Review
by Jerry Saravia (faust667 AT aol DOT com)May 18th, 1999
THE MATRIX
A review by Jerry Saravia
Has there been a halfway decent science-fiction picture beyond the spectacular "Dark City" in the last ten years? The mind boggles. In one word: no. And the senseless, monotonous "The Matrix" will hardly qualify as anything but pure visual candy, yet the candy will rot rather than cleanse your cinematic spirits.
In an unsuccessful attempt to make us forget "Johnny Mnemonic," Keanu Reeves plays yet another emotionless, stone-faced cyber hacker nerd named Neo who sells illegal jack devices for virtual reality games. It turns out that Neo is living in a world that is a virtual reality game itself, an artificially created environment designed by aliens in Reservoir Dogs suits, otherwise known as The Matrix. The Matrix designed this world to learn about...human nature? What makes us tick? Who knows, yet a group of leather-jacketed freedom fighters with superhuman computer powers (and sunglasses) intend to fight the aliens and prevent more humans from being...programmed? They are Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and the attractive, interesting Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), along with the aptly named Cypher (bald-headed Joe Pantoliano). Later, it appears that Neo is in fact the Matrix...or so we would think. Yes, in typical sci-fi glory, the Matrix will restore the world to what it was before becoming a live-action computer game.
I admire directors like David Lynch who take us into Byzantine labyrinths - endless mazes with circular loops that ask us to make our own interpretations. But "The Matrix" is not that film. The movie simply has an idea - the Matrix - but no story or fleshed-out characters worth caring about. The idea simply sits there while we watch fantastic special-effects fill every inch of the screen. There are some beautiful slow-motion shots of guns firing and bullet casings grazing every inch of concrete on building rooftops - a keen reminder of John Woo's wild comic-book pyrotechnics. I also enjoyed watching the flips in the air and the frozen movements suddenly turning back into motion. If "The Matrix" were simply a financial ploy for an incredible, imaginative sci- fi picture, I would have said that I loved it. But the movie is an exercise in pyrotechnics, nothing more.
Instead of some intelligent dialogue and imaginative story structure dealing with the mysteries of virtual reality and real life, the movie opts for straightforward action, predictable, formulaic thriller elements, and bland characters. Keanu Reeves can't even smile or wink, much less emote any expression (What happened to this actor?). Fishburne, one of the most distinctive actors on the silver screen, mostly stands around and utters epiphanies about the state of the world. The one actor who stands out is Carrie-Anne Moss, who turns from a full- fledged kung-fu expert to a simple girlfriend for the seemingly indifferent Neo. What a sham!
"The Matrix" simply recycles elements from "Dark City," "Strange Days," and every other tired sci-fi thriller in the last year or so without investing any interest outside tentacled spider robots and kung- fu fights. If this is the state of the genre now, what can we expect in a decade?
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
