The biggest bomb from the new age of Hollywood

Rating: 5/10 (7 July 2019)

Technically, The Matrix was a movie of the last century (made in 1999), but it's a scarily accurate model of the 21st century person: Slick and great-looking, flashy, flaunting and proud, but as hollow and unaware as it can be.
The story, as everyone probably knows, involves a computer hacker realizing that "the world is not what it seems" and joining forces with other rebels to overthrow the robot overlords, or save the world, or fly in his long leather coat, depending on your interpretation.
The visuals, sets and costumes are truly impressive, still setting the standard even after 20 years of technical innovations in moviemaking. The special effects also stand the test of time. The direction of the Wachowski brothers (or sisters? What do we call them now? Will I be crucified if I get the slightest wording wrong?) is also excellent.
However, visuals alone don't make a film. The Matrix is a textbook example. It is so unbelievably, incredibly pretentious, tries to bite so much bigger than it can chew, comes off as so high-brow and assertive, that it leaves you scratching your head.
Read as many comments as you want (this will be the 4000th one if approved) and you won't find one which doesn't contain the word "philosophical." But mind you, The Matrix isn't "philosophical" in the general sense: it's philosophical in the millennial generation sense. Which means, it says "Things aren't always what they seem..." and that's enough philosophy to boggle your mind, so then moves on to fight scenes.
Which isn't an unfair assessment. The movie's deep, profound "philosophy" that so many fans have been praising for 20 years, doesn't go beyond having a ying-yang symbol in the background in one scene, or someone saying "life isn't what it seems..." for an audience that's all too ready to go "Whoo man, that's deep, man!"
You can almost feel the moviemakers saying "Hey, why not add a katana or a Chinese letter as well? There, we lapped up all 5,000 years of Eastern philosophy and reduced it to a spoonful for you. Now let's move to the next leather-clad CGI fight."
In this aspect, the movie reminds me of some celebrities who go on talk shows and say "I'm a very cultured person. In fact I just read a book. But enough of that, now let me tell about my latest breast implants."
I still gave it 5 stars for the great visuals and entertainment element, that cannot be denied. But it still feels like a missed chance, it could have been much more than a 90-minute long sunglasses commercial.