An Incredible Film Whose Influence Is Changing the Industry

Rating: 10/10 (2 June 2002)

Certain films define their times and set a standard for look, drama, and special effects. These films seem to come along every decade or so. 50's - Forbidden Planet 60's - 2001: A Space Odyssey 70's - Star Wars 80's - Terminator II 90's - The Matrix. Each of these films became possible by some technological breakthrough. For example, without the motion control camera, Star Wars wouldn't have been made. Without advances in CGI software and rendering speed - no Terminator II. In the case of The Matrix, it owes a lot of its style to electronic non-linear editing, which allows the picture to go from slow motion to fast motion (undercrank for the old timers) with the click of a mouse. In case you haven't noticed television editing tries to copy the Matrix - just look at CSI. When the Warshawski Brothers made the film it took a computer and 121 cameras to create the whirl-around effect. Now three years later it can be done with one camera and some Vi(Z)rt software.
Let's put aside technology and look at the film. It's plot is a bit convoluted but certainly accessible. The sub-plot which follows the transformation of Neo is there for all to see. The sub-text, which few people ever get from a film is also up-front. Our reliance on computers has become total. Put enough high speed computers into a grid system and you have a world as imagined in Collosus: The Forbin Project. The idea of automata taking over really goes back to the imagination of Czech writer, Karol Capek and his play "R.U.R." Capek invented the word Robot, from the Czech verb "robotus" meaning to serve.
Matrix put a fresh spin on reality that puts a question mark on the end of Descartes dictum, "I think therefore I am". The concept was superbly realized. If the acting wasn't world class level, the picture made you think. Not many films do. Personally, I can't wait to see the sequels. Incidentally, this film's opening is on a par with "Raiders of the Lost Ark". It hooks you in the first five minutes. Something aspiring screenwriters should consider.
10/10