"Alice in Wonderland" in the electronic era

Rating: 10/10 (3 May 2007)

DOWNLOADING COMPLETED...
FILE OPENING...
What is the Matrix?
How many times do we hear that phrase in the movie of the same name? And do we really know everything we have to know on it once the movie is finished? "The Matrix" owns many characteristics that could appear inconceivable. Because it's at the same time a movie with an incredibly complex story, a philosophical festival, an homage to many genres of film and literature and an explosive blockbuster as well.
"The Matrix" is directed by two near unknowns, the Wachowski Brothers (Andy and Larry), and stars Keanu Reeves as Thomas Anderson, a software programmer whose main hobby is to hack different computer systems, under the pseudonym of Neo.
Neo soon meets Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) who learns him that the world where he's living isn't real. It seems that it's rather a virtual world created by the Matrix. So the Matrix would be an immense artificial intelligence system that "sucks" the energy coming from the humans and locks their minds inside a virtual world where the most fundamental laws (such as the laws of physics) seem to be hardly applicable.
Morpehus believes that Neo is "the one", that is the person who owns the power of stopping the Matrix and thus freeing humans from their cybernetic prison. Morpheus brings Neo along with his crew towards a Star Wars-like adventure in order to accomplish his destiny.
"The Matrix" is some kind of "Alice in Wonderland" set in the electronic era. The parallels with the Lewis Carroll classic are very obvious in the film and the Wachowski Bros. are fully aware that their work can be linked to Carroll's.
And like "Alice", "The Matrix" astonishes and entertains with its infinitesimal quantity of surrealist elements that make the people asking if it's possible to completely understand the movie (and/or the world that it describes).
In fact, "The Matrix" is nothing but a genuine feast of spectacular and revolutionary special effects which already elevated the film to the rank of legend. The movie makes a clever mix of techniques which require the use of sophisticated computer programs, which is ironic with the anti-technology message that prevails in the film. Some passages strikingly reminisce the George Lucas odyssey. The difference is that instead of traveling in the infinitely big, we travel in the infinitely small.
And the final addition to this virtual jaunt: nothing else than action scenes directly taken from the oriental genres... Kung-fu sequences, especially those which take part during Neo's training, evidently come from Hong Kong martial arts films, while many other action scenes with superhuman movements seem to come from Japanese mangas and anime.
The whole movie lays almost entirely on presentation, and for once, it's the only thing that is needed in order to provide a good movie. Characters are cool, but too much two-dimensional to my taste. They can thank their sunglasses. But it doesn't prevent them from being interesting. Neo is the best example. We can feel his questioning, his fear and also the acceptance of his fate throughout the progression of the story. Honorable mention to Hugo Weaving who plays the sinister and almost-unbeatable Agent Smith. In his case, his sunglasses don't make him cool, but even more terrifying.
Just like "Fight Club", released a few months later, "The Matrix" is at the same time a pollution of explosions and fights and a philosophical must. In the Matrix case, the viewer has to ask himself about the notion of reality and the importance of machines on human life. This latter theme is very popular nowadays because of the quick industrialization process by the developed countries. Presented the Matrix way, we want to get the farther from our computers... at least for the moment...
With its open end, it was obvious in 1999 that the movie would turn into a full series. And it was the case with the release of two sequels both in 2003. But nothing is worth the original... Because the sequels usually use the same techniques and they're not as striking as the first time we see them.
Overall, "The Matrix" is a set of breathtaking special effects which owns the merit of having a story that is solid enough to make all pieces hold together. And it's not even worth searching to understand everything. The only thing to do is to watch. And you won't be disappointed. And remember that what you see is real (way of talking, evidently...), so take benefit of it...
FILE SHUTTING DOWN...