Solid sci-fi entertainment, but still misses on wide opportunities.

Rating: Null/10 (27 February 2004)

*** out of ****
Five years I've held off writing a review for The Matrix. Why? For the simple reason of watching all its sequels and spin-offs before I determined my final judgment. Whaddaya know, my rating still hasn't changed, or at least not significantly (I like it a little less than my very first viewing, some three viewings back). This movie has been, through and through, a *** picture, no more and sometimes possibly even less.
By day, Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) leads a simple and uneventful life as an office worker who dwells in his little cubicle. By night, he's Neo, a first-rate computer hacker who feels there's something not quite right with his world. At a nightclub, he meets Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), a dark-haired woman who gives him even more cryptic answers to his questions. Curious, Neo pursues for further answers, leading him to a mysterious man named Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne).
And it's during a particularly dark and stormy night that Neo discovers the truth; the entire world is a program fabricated by machines of artificial intelligence that have overrun the planet. These machines feed off "sleeping" humans as a battery source to continue their own existence. When Neo is awakened, he's in for an even bigger shock; he's the destined hero to free the human race from the machines. Whoa.
There are a lot more intriguing plot elements, including the mention of an underground city called Zion, the last refuge of the human race with a population of approximately 250,000. The program the humans are in, called the Matrix, operates and keeps the fabricated world in order through individuals called agents, who have the ability to take over anyone connected to the matrix in the similated world. This is all a tad more complicated than it seems; unless you really hate science fiction with a furious passion, you'll probably find the plot fairly easy to absorb (then again, I'm still surprised by the number of those who find themselves completely confused by this movie's plot).
The central storyline, Neo's ascent to near deification, is interesting if not as well-handled as one would like. I enjoy the fact that most of the film focuses on the individuals aboard a ship called the Nebuchednezzar. Scaling down this epic tale affords more opportunity for character development, which writers/directors The Wachowski Brothers use to their advantage on several occasions.
As a sci-fi tale, The Matrix runs fairly smoothly. None of the ideas presented are particularly original, but they're fascinating concepts and they're presented in an intriguing fashion. It's through the visuals that The Matrix succeeds in delivering its plot; by giving us a world in which rules can be bent and even broken, there's ample opportunity to display jaw-dropping visual effects that have rarely, if ever, been used in this manner.
Unfortunately, there's still much about the sci-fi aspect that's sorely underused or unexploited. If the Matrix is, in fact, a world in which the A.I. could manipulate to their advantage, it's disappointing that all they do is put up a few brick walls and throw a few kung-fu skilled agents into the mix. I expect a lot more than just martial arts in a movie that claims to turn the world upside down as we know it.
Unfortunately, the story nearly falls apart at the point the Oracle (Gloria Foster) gives Neo her prophecy, and like the rest of the film, chooses not to give any clear-cut answers and istead merely mentions that Neo has to make a choice that could result in either his or Morpheus' death. She also mentions he's not the One but has the gift (uh-huh, makes it sound like being the One is an occupation open to application). Almost as bad is the fact Neo fails to pry further in his questioning. He just stands there with barely a single expression on his face.
If the Oracle can tell the immediate future, she should learn to actually do more than spout a lot of nonsense that proves pretty futile (this would later really mar the sequels). This scene completely insults me because it's obvious the Wachowskis only wanted to try and obscure the climax for us. If you actually believe either Neo or Morpheus will die at the end or if Neo isn't really the One, then maybe the Wachowskis know their target audience better than I do.
But by far the kneecapper of the whole picture and ultimately the reason why I can never muster more enthusiasm for it is the scene where Neo chooses to rescue Morpheus and risk almost "certain" death. What does he do? He loads himself up with heavy artillery and with Trinity's assistance shoots up a lobby full of security guards without showing the slightest hint of emotion. I understand this is for the Greater Good, but that our hero, who so previously had been in shock at the discovery of the reality of his entire universe, could kill dozens of innocents without even batting an eyelash is absolutely confounding. I almost didn't care about the rest of the film after this scene.
The action sequences afterward are thrilling enough to provide momentary distraction, especially the kickass subway martial arts battle between Neo and Agent Smith. But somehow the film sidetracks itself yet again with a melodramatic and overdone climax that would be more fitting in a daytime soap opera than an epic motion picture.
Still, most everything before that is entertaining and interesting enough that I definitely recommend this picture. I should also mention Hugo Weaving's performance; the man has carved a name for himself in this memorable role, crafting one of the best pure villains I've ever seen. He is, in fact, so good I'd almost choose him over the heroes.
Undoubtedly, The Matrix trilogy will be endlessly debated for the years to come, but I'm neither one who finds himself in ecstasy over this picture nor do I despise this film with seething hatred. It's enjoyable enough to stand up to quite a few viewings, which means there's plenty of worthwhile material on hand. You just have to bear through the subpar stuff to get to it.