Wildly original, inspired!

Rating: 10/10 (10 September 2004)

Watching this again on DVD what really impressed me was the special effects in this film which were leaps and bounds ahead of their competition and still some of the best to date, it deservedly won the Oscar.Many people believed that in should have also won Best Picture.But a science-fiction film has never won this award, which perhaps shows that the Oscar Academy Board is still filled with people who are a little behind the times! The film has all the physical energy of an action film: shoot-outs, hand-to-hand fighting, and acrobatic stunts.This is complemented by imaginative visual work that includes the use of shadows, slow motion and quick cuts.But the film does not rely on the special effects alone.As well as a lot of computer generated effects, the film also has great tradition stunt action that put the Bond films to shame! The film touches on many interesting philosophical questions: do we exist? How do we know we exist? Is what we perceive real? How can we know this? In one scene Neo receives a lesson on human perception and reality from a child. It takes place while Neo is waiting for an interview.The child is in deep concentration, using his own mind to bend spoons.He tells Neo:"Do not try and bend the spoon. That is impossible.Instead, only try to realize the truth. What truth?There is no spoon. Then, you will see that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself". In another provocative scene, Neo has a "deja vu": a black cat passes in front of him and arches its back,then another identical cat does exactly the same thing. Morpheus explains that deja vu is really a glitch in the Matrix. Then, what is real? Unfortunately the two sequels failed to surpass the greatness of this wildly original film, unlike the Rings trilogy which went progressively from strength to strength.