A movie that makes you question reality

Rating: 10/10 (2 July 1999)

I'll be honest here, I had no interest in seeing The Matrix. It was my opinion that this was going to be a convoluted mumble jumble film. I had pre-conceived notions going into the film and I tried hard to stick with them. It is a strange thing really, because I try to like a film more than dislike, but I had such ( at the time ) an anti computer film attitude. I have always thought that computer films were the same. But I am happy to say that I was so wrong. Man was I wrong.
First let's get the comparisons out of the way. The 13th Floor and The Matrix have similar themes, but that is where the similarity stops. I don't think the makers makers of either film copied each other. After all, with this subject matter, there is enough to easily make two different films. Both films are excellent in their own right and as I said when I reviewed The 13th Floor, the only reason that The Matrix did better business is because it was marketed better. And don't forget they seemed to copy a previous film that came out earlier called Dark City.
Keanu Reeves plays Neo. In his other life, he is a computer hacker with a seemingly normal job. But he has inner demons. There is a part of him that believes something is wrong with the world. And then finally one day, he is given an ultimatum by a stranger. He can learn all the secrets that he believes are out there or he can stay in his drab life and never know the truth. What do you think he does? Hmmm.
He is taken into a world by a bunch of renegade freedom fighters led by Lawrence Fishburne, who plays Morpheus. And this is where I think the strength of the film lies. It is here that we learn what the Matrix is. And of course I don't think anyone reviewing this film is going to give away what that is, but just saffice it to say that it will stay with you for a while, especially if you are like me and occassionally question reality every now and then.
The true strength of this film is not just Reeves, but Fishburne. I remember seeing Fishburne in a little known film called Deep Cover. I thought he was outstanding in that film and I was convinced that was his best work. That is until the Matrix came out. Here, he has a similar job as Michael Biehn had in the original Terminator. It was his job to explain to us, the audience, what was going on and how it was all possible. And a script like this is a delicate thing to handle. There is so much information that it would be easy for another writer and another director ( fortunately they are the same here ) to give us a condensed version of what is in the film. But they are brave enough and have confidence in their material to tell it the way it should be told. And for that I am so thankful because it is really an intelligent story.
So much has been made of the visuals in this film and I guess I would be remiss if I didn't at least comment on them here as well. They are outstanding. You will never see better stunts in any movie. The choreography is so perfect it really is like watching a perfectly executed martial arts routine. It flows so well that it makes you feel like you are there experiencing what is happening. I don't think I will ever forget some of the fight scenes in this film. They are sheer brilliance.
But mostly what is enjoyable about The Matrix is the questions that it asks and how it answers them. What is the Matrix? Well, well I'm not going to give it away. As I said it is one of the parts of the movie that will keep you intrigued and will astonish you at the same time. This is a very good film and it's visionary outbursts are worth the price of a rental alone. But it has a great story to it as well and that should be enough for anyone to want to see it.