Hong Kong/American hybrid done right

Rating: 10/10 (7 July 2000)

Have you noticed over the past decade or so a lot of American films have been trying to capture that Hong Kong feeling but rarely succeed? Why do most of them suck so bad? Could it be the crappy stories? No, HK films have plenty of those (sorry Mr. Woo). I think it's the American's inability to totally go for broke in the action scenes. The Matrix could have been made without a huge gun battle at the end, but what fun would that be? That was just the iceing on the cake (the cake being the terrific story cooked up by the Wachowski bros).
Okay, buy now we all know what an amazing film The Matrix is, so let me sprinkle a few of my thoughts about it here. Let's start with Keanu. In one of the most interesting reviews I read in praise of this film, someone dissected why Keanu Reeves was the perfect choice to star in this film. Now, if you're like me, you're not a huge Keanu Reeves fan. Matter of fact, before seeing it my opinion of the Matrix was, "Looks cool. Too bad it's starring Keanu". Well, he didn't bother a bit, in fact I rather enjoyed his performance in it. Before seeing it, the opinion of a wide variety of people was "I do not buy Keanu Reeves as an action hero". Well, that's exactly why he works. Walking in to the movie we don't believe he could be the chosen one of anything. Gradually, he starts to win us over and by the end, even the hard core Keanu haters are cheering him on. Why? Because he doesn't believe he's the chosen one either. We don't buy it and neither does his character, Neo (anagram, anyone?), Which makes his transformation at the end all the more powerful. Making him just right for this movie.
Now, a word to critics who disliked the film because it "degenerated" into a mindless shoot-em-up in the last half hour. Some saw this film as a thought provoking science fiction movie on par with Dark City and Blade Runner that lost its brains in the third act. Let's clarify something. THIS IS AN ACTION MOVIE. That is what this movie is, it just confuses some people because it actually has a story (a first for most summer action movie fans). How can we beg for summer action blockbusters that actually have a plot, and then chastise it when it finally comes along? Is that fair? Instead of thinking of it as a smart Sci-fi with unnecessary action scenes, think of it as an action film with a smart story. It's just that easy.
And lastly, it needs to be pointed out that the Matrix is a total rip-off of Grant Morrison's The Invisibles comic book. I know, you're thinking, "Well, everything is ripped off of something and you can probably trace all stories back to the Holy Bible in some form or another". Well, that what I thought until I actually saw the book myself. To sum up the book as Grant himself did once, The Invisibles is the story of a group of people dressed in leather led by a bald guy in sunglasses that's trying to make humanity see that the world they know is not the real world, all the while being hunted by a group of inhuman "agents" who don't want this to happen. Eerie coincidences, eh? No, not really. The Wachowskis are former comic writers themselves (I even have a few of the Hellraiser stories one of them did). They frequently collaborate with comic artists, recently on The Matrix web site and in the comic book handed out at the Matrix screenings ('till it got pulled), and some top comic artists designed machines used in the movie and did story boards for the film. Oh, and Warner Bros owns DC Comics, publisher of Grant's Invisibles comic. I smell a conspiracy, Agent Mulder. Because of the Matrix, Grant will never get an Invisibles movie made without comparisons being made to the Matrix, and his movie would be seen as a rip off of Matrix, instead of the other way around. Grant himself admits that he loves the movie, but I think he's through with DC saying something to the effect of, "I won't be used as cheap source of ideas for Warner Bros movies". He still hasn't received any aknowldgement for his part, and of coarse he hasn't recieved any money from it. It's a shame, really. Would Grant's Invisibles have made as good a film as the Matrix? I doubt it, but it would have been nice to see.
That said, I loved this movie. Can't wait for the sequel(s?). 10/10 stars. G'night!