The movie totally ROCKS!

Rating: Null/10 (13 April 1999)

I admit initially being drawn to see The Matrix primarily to see the doe-eyed Keanu Reeves make his Hollywood comeback, as well as take in Laurence Fishburne's latest fine performance. I expected to see an entertaining movie, high on special effects and low on plot (a la Godzilla, but not as pathetic). But I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the movie, not only on the eye-candy level, but more importantly because the directors actually assumed that the majority of the movie-going public has some brains and likes to be intellectually stimulated. What is really surprising is that the Wachowski brothers managed to do this using an action picture as the backdrop. I was totally blown away during and after the film (a very rare occurrence), and I can't wait to see it again. With only a couple of exceptions, I have never before wanted to see any movie more than once. The Matrix is an exception. Beautiful to watch as he is, Keanu Reeves was totally believable as Neo. Naysayers claim that he can't act and that he wasn't the best person for the role, but I beg to differ. Reeves was able to pull the leading role off, not only because of his acting ability, but also because of the fact that he's been out of the public eye for awhile. His long absence makes the viewer want/have to reacquaint themselves with Reeves as they simultaneously get acquainted with Neo, which helps to make the storyline more buyable and digestible. Can you imagine, say, the over-exposed Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt or Will Smith in the part of Neo? I can't, even though each was supposedly an early contender for the Neo role. In the cases of Leo, Brad and Will, their big Hollywood personas would have only distracted the audience from a rather inventive plot and story arc. Reeves' participation allowed the audience to absorb the more complicated aspects of the story line and to pick up on the "oh, so that's what that means" nuances discovered in the second half of the movie. Carrie-Anne Moss holds her own as Trinity's I'm-a-woman-but-if-you-mess-with-me-I'll-kick-your-butt persona. Secondly, it was very refreshing to see at least four ethnic actors take on important (starring and co-starring) roles in a film that tried to take a peek into the future, particularly for a science fiction film where viewers are typically hard pressed to find anyone who doesn't look like Leonardo (a la Starship Troopers, and for the most part Star Wars, Billy Dee Williams and Samuel L. Jackson not withstanding). It was also impressive to know that the directors/producers decided to cast Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus, the pivotal, totally authoritative, new millennium prophet who really drives the story. Marcus Chong (Tank) and Julian Arahanga? (Apoc), put in rare, non-stereotypical performances as tech-savvy, anti-Matrix rebels, while the influential part of the Oracle is played by veteran actress Gloria Foster. Finally, a Hollywood film that doesn't resort to the usual ethnic drug dealer-criminal stereotypes, and finally a sci-fi film that actively promotes the idea that people of color will actually have a presence in the future. Lastly, the special effects were just mind-blowing. I was totally freaked- out (in a good way) by Trinity's mid-air preying mantis kick, Neo's back- bending bullet-time sequence and Neo and Morpheus's balletic judo match. Other people in the theater actually "oohhed," and "aahhed" along with me during these breath-taking visuals. Sure The Matrix has flaws, but what movie doesn't? I can't wait to see this again. And there's definitely room for at least one sequel. Rating: 10 out of 10.