Yes, it really is as good as you remember

Rating: 10/10 (23 March 2013)

With all the imitations, spoofs, parodies, rip-offs and sequels that have come from it, it is easy to forget just how groundbreaking 1999's revolutionary film The Matrix really is. Yet even 15 years later, it still has the power to amaze and shock as much as it did on the day of release - power not wielded by many since, and certainly not the two cash-inspired sequels.
Back in 1999, the Matrix was a genuine original - something rarely seen in the movies in the latter decades of the twentieth century. It was a film that took such an interesting concept that it seems amazing that it hadn't been done before, and coupled it with genuinely mind-blowing special effects to produce something very special indeed.
The story itself is almost so simple it's genius. The film's premise rests on the idea that the entire world is an elaborate construct of machines, and that we are unaware that the entire population of the earth is simply plugged into a virtual reality which feeds the sentient machines which now rule the earth. Those few who have escaped are now able to re-enter this 'Matrix' at will, and bend its rules of gravity and physics as one would bend the rules of a computer program. This leads to spectacular shootouts, furiously fast fight scenes, jumping and dodging that would put an Olympic triple jumper to shame, and all of which featuring the now much-parodied slo-mo camera spinning that became synonymous with the film itself, and which made it stand head and shoulders (and knees and toes) above the rest.
It seems odd to think that Keanu Reeves was not the first choice to play the lead role of Neo. Usually being able to display only a single emotion might be a drawback, but in the sepia-tinted dulled colours of the grimy world of The Matrix, Reeves' constant single expression of permanently mildly perturbed seems a perfect fit somehow, and the thought of Will Smith's excessive personality in the lead role (as was apparently the first choice) seems like a completely incongruous thought now. Meanwhile Lawrence Fishburne's presence as a 'Morgan Freeman-in-training' mentor with muscles role is perfect, while Hugo Weaving's minimal yet menacingly effective turn as the villainous Agent Smith nearly steals the show from the effects gurus' noses. His understated delivery is at times positively chilling - in particular his addressing of Reeves' Neo as 'Mr Anderson' in a manner ice-cool yet dripping with malevolent intent. Interestingly now, this role seems perfect preparation for him for his role in a second monumental trilogy of films, as shades of his performance as Agent Smith are apparent in his similarly brilliant role as Elrond in the similarly blockbusting Lord of the Rings. It's just a shame that other roles aren't similarly fleshed out - particularly Joe Pantoliano's potentially fascinating role of 'Cypher' - leaving the central quartet as the only real roles with significant screen time. Additionally, Carrie-Anne Moss lacks the warmth and charm to be a convincing (and inevitable) love interest.
Yet these are only relatively minor quibbles. Which brings us on to the special effects themselves - which are, quite simply, the most visually impressive since Terminator 2's T1000 morphing, if not ever. A number of standout shots have made their way into popular culture - including the camera-spinning freeze-in-midair kick which forms the standout part of the opening scene. Having been imitated so much in numerous subsequent comedies and spoofs such as Scary Movie and Shrek, their impact has perhaps been diluted over time, but to go back and see the shots in their original context still will transport an audience to a state of wonder that only the cinema can bring.
The Matrix is a film that is always well worth a revisit - whether it has been a few weeks or a few years since you have last seen them. It's just unfortunate that it raised the bar so high that few films were able to subsequently raise their game enough to match it - including two average, serviceable but pale-in-comparison sequels that inevitably thought that more equals better. But as a stand-alone film, The Matrix is one that will stand the test of time, and will no doubt come to define the era in the way that classics such as Casablanca, Gone With The Wind and The Godfather have defined theirs.
A true masterpiece.