"The Matrix"- An excellent and often-clever Sci-Fi adventure. Though not quite the classic it has been idolized as.

Rating: 9/10 (20 January 2017)

Even nearly twenty years after it was unleashed onto the masses, "The Matrix" has remained one of the most beloved and cherished Sci-Fi feature films of all time. For its time, it was a revelation... not only in its incredible achievements in cutting-edge visual effects, but in another unique way: it made a lot of people realize just how awe- inspiring and thrilling the science fiction genre could be. For many people, it is a modern cinematic classic. A benchmark in movie-going history against which many other movies are judged.
Me? I think it's a darned good film. Even a great film. But I was never quite as in love with it as many others. I don't necessarily think it's quite the classic it's been built up as. Though it is definitely one of the best action-extravaganzas of the 90's. That is something I can say for sure.
We follow Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves), a computer programmer who lives a double-life as an infamous hacker known by the moniker "Neo." Troubled be feelings that the world is not what it seems, he soon encounters a group of freedom fighters including another hacker called "Trinity" (Carrie-Anne Moss) and a mysterious man known as "Morpheus." (Laurence Fishburne) Neo eventually discovers that he is living a lie- the world as he knows it is actually an advanced computer simulation known as "the Matrix", where humans are "plugged in" and live normal day-to-day lives while their flesh-and-blood bodies serve as sort-of organic batteries to power an advanced artificially intelligent legion of machines. Freed from the Matrix, Neo joins the other freedom fighters in a post-apocalyptic world, where they lead a brave resistance against their machine overlords and attempt to free more and more people from their grasp. Whenever they "jack in" to the Matrix, their knowledge that it is merely a computer program allows them to perform superhuman feats, which is a key in their battle against the program's dreaded line of defense known as "the Agents"- lead by the nefarious Agent Smith. (Hugo Weaving)
The film is renowned for it's high-end and cutting-edge action and visual effects, in addition to it's often philosophical and metaphorical storytelling. And I do very much think these aspects remain strong and vibrant even to this day. The film was written and directed by the Wachowski siblings, and they are definitely incredibly gifted visual storytellers. The weave wickedly exciting sequences of action and suspense with ease, and are able to craft identifiable and enjoyable characters to populate their tale. Their keen ideas in pushing the bounds of Computer Generate Imagery are also just magical, and the film's sequences of what is now known as "bullet time" were absolutely spellbinding when the film was initially released. There's also plenty of symbolism and references in the writing that are a lot of fun to analyze and look into, which adds another layer to the proceedings. In a weird way, it is an oddly religious film, though not in that it is trying to push an agenda so much as it tries to draw parallels with biblical figures to hammer home the story being told.
The cast is also phenomenal in their performances. Reeves might have started out in humorous roles early on in his career, but here he proves himself to be a capable and enjoyable action hero with just enough pathos and self-doubt to keep him grounded in reality despite the broad and intricate concepts of the story. Moss makes for a good supporting lead, and is able to kick butt with the best. Fishburne is phenomenal as a sort-of prophet for the freedom fighters, and his booming voice and imposing figure make him a worthwhile and powerful leader. Supporting roles by the likes of Joe Pantoliano and Gloria Foster are also exceptionally well cast and played. But the breakout star is definitely Hugo Weaving's wonderful mustache-twirling villain Agent Smith. Weaving is just such a delightfully vile presence, and he's ideal in the role. He's the sort-of character you just adore hating. Wonderful work on his part.
So, with an excellent cast, first-rate direction and clever symbolic storytelling, what can there be to dislike in the film? How can I deny that it is a masterpiece of modern filmmaking? Well, it's the fact that the movie isn't nearly as clever as it likes to think it is, and the fact that as a result of this, it comes off as a bit forced and pretentious a bit too often. As complex as it can be, and as clever as certain sequences are, it unfortunately tries a bit too hard and comes across with all the subtlety of a brick to the face. Subtle religious imagery can add a lot to the film as it does in some sequences here... but it isn't exactly subtle when our heroes' name is literally an anagram of "one" and he's literally called someone's "personal Jesus" at one point. A bit on the nose, don't you think? One scene, you'll have a very tasteful reference to a philosophical concept or a piece of religious iconography... but in the next scene, it'll get spelled out for you all too clearly. And it makes the film seem a bit shallow. As though the Wachowski siblings didn't trust the viewers to be smart enough to understand what they were doing. Which then makes it feel like you're being talked down to. It really bugs me, because so many people are so in love with the symbolism and philosophy on display... but they don't seem to realize that it's actually pretty basic and being force-fed to us. It's clever, sure. But it's not that clever.
Still, I cannot deny that outside of this issue, everything else functions perfectly. "The Matrix" is a thrilling, entertaining and exciting adventure with quite a bit going for it. It just isn't quite perfect. And so, I give it an excellent 9 out of 10.