THE MATRIX

The revolutionary film that wonders why we all feel as though there is something about this life we haven't been told.

Rating: 100/100

Original Release: 1999

Director: The Wachowskis

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne, Hugo Weaving

Favourite Quote:

“Let me tell you why you’re here. You’re here because you know something. What you know you can’t explain, but you feel it. You’ve felt it your entire life. That there’s something wrong with the world. You don’t know what it is, but it’s there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad.”

Favourite Shot:

Part way through James Dashner’s The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials (the second book of the Maze Runner series), the main character Thomas awakes for a second to find himself in a hospital room surrounded by people operating on him. The next second he is back in his normal reality. Ever since reading this section I have had a reoccurring dream in which I open my eyes and see through the 'manufactured reality' I was given. And in that second I see all sorts of otherworldly creatures looking down on me as I lay in a bed. Presumably studying me as I make my way through the reality they created. In The Matrix there is a very similar scene as well. Neo wakes up to find himself inside a pod submerged in some sort of liquid with lots of cord-like things attached to his body. He looks around to see millions of others in similar pods and realises that his whole reality was a lie. All of these images are spawned by the idea that the world we live in is not what it seems. The feeling that something doesn’t make sense. That something feels off. That there is something we haven’t been told. That we aren’t as free as we believe. And that is the whole idea behind The Matrix. Trying to explain why a lot of people feel this way.

The Wachowskis throw us straight into the deep end by beginning the film with a brilliant sequence following Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) as she tries to escape from agents trying to kill her. We watch her beat up some police officers, pull off some incredibly impossible jumps and finally escape through a telephone booth. All of this in the first five minutes. And then we meet our hero, Neo (Keanu Reeves), a pale looking guy with bags under his eyes sleepwalking through life. It is clear from the beginning that this is a character who is unsatisfied with the reality he is living in, and filled with the idea that there must be something else. As Neo literally begins to follow a rabbit down the rabbit hole he begins to find answers to his questions while simultaneously learning the danger he has caused himself because of his curiosity.

In one truly terrifying sequence, Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) is questioning Neo and seemingly sews his mouth shut with his mind. And then instructs a mechanical 'bug' to enter Neo through his belly button. It is hard not to be physically uncomfortable because of these two body horror images. They both seem to embody a subconscious fear that we all have. The fear of wanting to do something we usually can and not being able to. The fear of a creature entering our body. Like images pulled straight from our collective nightmares. Neo then meets Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), is given the classic ‘blue pill/red pill’ speech and is then taken out of the matrix and into the real world. The real world is dark. Devoid of colour, life and hope. The food is slop, the alcohol is hard to swallow and they all live on a small spaceship. At this point you begin to wonder whether taking the blue pill was the better decision. And so does Cypher (Joe Pantoliano), one of the crew members, who plans to betray the crew so that he is inserted back into the matrix.

"The film is an exploration of the idea that we are in a reality that controls us. And it seemingly shows us a way to escape and then doesn’t. Sort of like watching a movie. We watch a film, escape and feel as if we made it out for 2 hours before returning and wondering whether we really did anything at all. Did Neo really accomplish anything at all?"

Before the plan is put in place Neo is introduced to The Oracle (Gloria Foster) an all knowing, all seeing woman who will ultimately tell Neo that he isn’t ‘the one’ (which Morpheus so strongly believes that he is). This is another memorable scene, in a movie full of them, where the Wachowskis divert our expectations of The Oracle and show her as just a normal woman baking cookies. Cipher’s plan is put into place and we get some spectacular action scenes including the classic “bullet time” scene. The Wachowskis are some of the best to ever film action. They are always finding creative ways to film every piece and are not just including action for the sake of action. Morpheus is captured. Agent Smith provides a monologue on how humans are a virus to the world (which makes complete sense). Morpheus is saved. Trinity and Morpheus escape. Neo has a showdown with Agent Smith and is seemingly shot dead. Trinity reveals that ‘The Oracle’ told her she would fall in love with ‘the one’ and is in love with Neo. She kisses him. He is revived. He seemingly kills Agent Smith and becomes Superman. And the film ends.

But the Wachowskis leave you with the feeling that inspired Neo’s curiosity at the start. The question: Is this it? Neo conquered the matrix but what about the ‘real’ world? It is still dark, devoid of hope and light. The machines are still in control. The viewer is left wondering whether Neo really has done anything at all. There is a sense of accomplishment and at the same time a sense of nothingness. What was the point? The Matrix’ is a phenomenal science-fiction film that inspires many ideas and thoughts about the reality we live in. It is filled with terrifying images from deep in the subconscious as well as super interesting action scenes. And it is a film that doesn’t overstay its welcome or try to explain too much to the audience.

The film is an exploration of the idea that we are in a reality that controls us. And it seemingly shows us a way to escape and then doesn’t. Sort of like watching a movie. We watch a film, escape and feel as if we made it out for 2 hours before returning and wondering whether we really did anything at all. Did Neo really accomplish anything at all?