The Matrix Reviews

'The Matrix' may not be one of the very greatest examples of its genre (like '2001', 'Metropolis', 'Blade Runner', 'Back to the Future', 'Star Wars Original Trilogy', 'Alien' and 'Aliens'), but that it is revolutionary in how its visuals and use of sound broke boundaries like had never been done before cannot be denied.

It is not a film to be seen if people want character depth or relationship depth, with the forced and underdeveloped love subplot between Neo and Trinity being 'The Matrix's' sole weak spot. This ended up not being that huge a problem for me because everything else is so well executed.

Particularly striking about 'The Matrix' is its production values. Simply put, the film looks amazing in its audacious production design, dazzling special effects that are some of the most ultra-cool and imaginative to exist, super slick editing and often jaw dropping cinematography. So much more than a film with ground-breaking special effects and use of camera work that broke boundaries.

Use of sound was also striking, and how the pulsating and hypnotic music score was used. Andy and Larry Wachowski direct adeptly, while the script is an intelligent mix of complex and well-explored themes, mysticism, philosophy and even Lewis Carroll and the story is often invigorating and intensely taut with a smart concept brilliantly done.

Action is superbly shot and edited, and the way it is choreographed is relentlessly intense and breathless in its energy, Kung Fu has rarely been more vertigo-inducing (despite how this sounds, this is not a bad thing as it added hugely to the intensity and paranoia of the story's atmosphere) on film.

Keanu Reeves is in one of his best and most iconic roles and has never looked cooler, certainly has not looked this comfortable for a while before then. Carrie Anne Moss is strong. Even better are an imposingly charismatic Laurence Fishburne (also in one of his best roles), an amusing Joe Pantoliano and a deliciously wicked Hugo Weaving.

Summing up, not one of the best of the genre but a mile-stone nonetheless and a great one. Followed by two sequels, both nowhere near in the same ball-park. 9/10 Bethany Cox

'The Matrix' may not be one of the very greatest examples of its genre (like '2001', 'Metropolis', 'Blade Runner', 'Back to the Future', 'Star Wars Original Trilogy', 'Alien' and 'Aliens'), but that it is revolutionary in how its visuals and use of sound broke boundaries like had never been done before cannot be denied.

It is not a film to be seen if people want character depth or relationship depth, with the forced and underdeveloped love subplot between Neo and Trinity being 'The Matrix's' sole weak spot. This ended up not being that huge a problem for me because everything else is so well executed.

Particularly striking about 'The Matrix' is its production values. Simply put, the film looks amazing in its audacious production design, dazzling special effects that are some of the most ultra-cool and imaginative to exist, super slick editing and often jaw dropping cinematography. So much more than a film with ground-breaking special effects and use of camera work that broke boundaries.

Use of sound was also striking, and how the pulsating and hypnotic music score was used. Andy and Larry Wachowski direct adeptly, while the script is an intelligent mix of complex and well-explored themes, mysticism, philosophy and even Lewis Carroll and the story is often invigorating and intensely taut with a smart concept brilliantly done.

Action is superbly shot and edited, and the way it is choreographed is relentlessly intense and breathless in its energy, Kung Fu has rarely been more vertigo-inducing (despite how this sounds, this is not a bad thing as it added hugely to the intensity and paranoia of the story's atmosphere) on film.

Keanu Reeves is in one of his best and most iconic roles and has never looked cooler, certainly has not looked this comfortable for a while before then. Carrie Anne Moss is strong. Even better are an imposingly charismatic Laurence Fishburne (also in one of his best roles), an amusing Joe Pantoliano and a deliciously wicked Hugo Weaving.

Summing up, not one of the best of the genre but a mile-stone nonetheless and a great one. Followed by two sequels, both nowhere near in the same ball-park. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Matrix es de esas películas que se consideran revolucionarias por tener algunas de las escenas más icónicas del cine mainstream moderno.
Me parece justificado, el ingenioso uso de muchas cámaras a la vez sirvió para redefinir el slow-motion, y crea escenas de acción muy memorables que reflejan una nueva forma de ver el mundo como una realidad virtual, la variación de las velocidades y los marcados efectos sonoros enfatizan cada movimiento individual, y nos recuerdan que el espacio-tiempo es sólo una ilusión. Así al menos la acción no es sólo un festival de efectos especiales porque sí, como en 300, por ejemplo, sino que está muy bien excusada.
Pero la filosofía manejada en la película tampoco va mucho más allá. La idea de que el mundo que conocemos es una ilusión que sólo refleja el mundo verdadero es de las ideas más básicas de la filosofía tanto occidental como oriental. Pero Matrix innova en que, para liberarte de la ilusión, para salir de la caverna, no es necesario dedicarte a debatir ni a seguir la doctrina divina, sino que simplemente hay que tomar una pastilla.
Sí, la decisión de tomar la pastilla roja es bastante difícil, hay que abandonar todo en lo que solías creer y adentrarte en un mundo de nuevas complicaciones que a lo mejor no te afectarían si no fueses conciente de ellas, siendo tu único consuelo que conoces la Verdad. Pero el salir de la caverna está muy simplificado. No se explora la posibilidad de que haya más ilusiones, que haya más pastillas, o hasta qué punto se puede confiar en lo que sabemos. Todo es literalmente reducido a dos polos, la Ignorancia y la Verdad. Una vez fuera de la Matrix, la única verdad que falta descubrir es si Neo es el Elegido o no, lo que se confirma en el clímax. Y en la lucha en blanco y negro de humanos contra máquinas, el único dilema moral interesante que queda es si vale la pena ser feliz si se vive una mentira, en lo que tampoco se profundiza.
Al final toda reflexión sobre las limitaciones del conocimiento empírico y el mensaje sobre cuestionar todo lo que acostumbras a dar por hecho se mezclan con un mensaje escapista sobre "No me gusta mi vida, a lo mejor algún día recibo una llamada de un grupo de agentes a decirme que todo es falso y en realidad soy un mago, o el vecino de un Jedi, o el nuevo mesías." Y todo dilema filosófico queda delegado por la fantasía de empoderamiento con la que la película apela a los jóvenes enojados con las autoridades, no tan diferente de lo que The Hunger Games fue para la década siguiente.
Matrix nunca deja de ser sobre un Elegido que puede hacer de todo si cree en sí mismo. Neo es un protagonista bastante aburrido, apenas tiene personalidad y es importante más por lo que le pasa que por quién es. Y Morfeo y Trinity, aunque tengan sus propios conflictos, son igual de insípidos y no aportan más que siendo el mentor y el interés amoroso obligatorio. El agente Smith es quien mejor funciona, puesto que el diseño simple y la sutil actuación de Hugo Weaving encajan a la perfección con el concepto del personaje como un programa de la computadora, pero no es más que eso, funcional.
Y esto sin considerar los problemas con la lógica interna de la película: De alguna forma los humanos sirven como fuente de energía para las máquinas sin que se gaste más energía en mantenerlos vivos, por alguna razón los propios agentes de seguridad de la Matrix están restringidos a las mismas limitaciones físicas que las personas, salvo cuando no, los personajes pueden esquivar balas sólo cuando a la trama le conviene, y Neo puede volver de la muerte con el poder del amor. Las conveniencias sustentan toda la historia.

Si hablamos de adaptar la alegoría de la caverna a la vez que se critican las mentiras de nuestras sociedad, The Truman Show lo hizo de mucho mejor manera años antes a la vez que critica a todos aquellos que forman parte de la mentira, sin tener que dar discursos pretenciosos tan seguido, y con personajes por los que sí podés dar un carajo.
Pero al menos The Matrix es más entretenida que eXistenZ, que juega más con la idea haciendo que siempre haya otra capa de verdad a la que llegar, pero a la vez hace que todo lo que sucede en pantalla pierda importancia por no tener efecto alguno en las capas superiores.

En cuanto a The Matrix, en definitiva está sobrevalorada.

La gente se cree muy inteligente por ver Matrix, pero al menos les puedo decir que sí hay algo de ingenio en esta película. Este concepto de que la realidad que vivimos es una ilusión y está siendo manipulada es interesante y puedo ver como también es acertada. Este es un concepto explorado de manera ingeniosa con la misma trama de la película aludiendo a estos mensajes.
Pero más allá de esto, Matrix es sin lugar a dudas una película sumamente sobrevalorada. Quiero decir, podrá tener su ingeniosidad, pero se queda corta con películas que son increíblemente ingeniosas, lo que hace que todavía menos pueda ser llamada "profunda", como la mayoría dicen que es.
Matrix es, en esencia, una película con personajes sin características o personalidad, todos son monos serios inexpresivos y esto no es con algún propósito en particular. No puedo empatizar con nadie y dudo mucho que alguien pueda empatizar con alguien de la película debido a lo vacíos que son los personajes. Por ello, si bien la película logra retener mi atención por las geniales escenas de acción y dirección, no pasa más allá de "retener mi atención", porque nada de lo demás en la película me importa.
Pero bueno, al menos, a diferencia de sus secuelas, The Matrix tiene muy buenas escenas de acción y es una película disfrutable como obra palomitera.
Dejando los personajes cero-dimensionales de película, la historia tampoco es realmente buena. Todo el conflicto se soluciona con una conveniencia argumental que es excusada con el poder amor, mientras los protagonistas cero-dimensionales luchan contra los malos cero-dimensionales que son malos porque sí.
Al final Neo vuela de la nada porque sí, una escena que representa perfectamente lo incoherente que es esta película. Pero bueno, tampoco es terrible, al menos está entretenida y no es dañina en ningún sentido, tiene mensajes buenos y conceptos filosóficos interesantes, más la película no pasa de eso.

'The Matrix' is a classic ride! It should entertain you for the entire movie! It's a masterpiece thanks to its interesting plot, cutting edge visual effects and amazing performances by the whole cast! The action is also really good! No wonder this kind of movie won four Academy Awards! Definitely a must-see!

Films like The Matrix do not come often. It boasts a complex storyline and fascinating concept. It creates an alternate reality so tangible, one could truly believe in its existence. The Matrix is a film as ambitious as they come. And while it's is not without flaw (and indeed, there are many), The Matrix is so refreshingly original and delightfully entertaining, that many problems can be overlooked. What cannot be overlooked, however, is the final 5 minutes, which is among the worst endings in memory.

Spoiling as little as possible (though it's rare to find someone these days that haven't yet see this film), The Matrix creates the idea that the world we live in, is not real. It is, in fact, something called, The Matrix. The audience explores the true world with the protagonist, Thomas A. Anderson, as he struggles to comprehend the extent of this revolutionary discovery.

The concept is terribly fascinating. It's hard to explain anything at all without spoiling things, but it is ingenious. Many have argued that it's not entirely original, and I agree, there are definitely elements lifted from other Sci-Fi films, but they're arranged in such a way (and given enough subtle changes) to make a satisfying and intriguing concept.

The story is complex, and confusion is almost necessary. The film possesses an almost dream-like quality, in which little makes sense (likely intentionally). Scenes cut to and fro with little transition or fanfare, adding to the dream-like aesthetic of the film.

One would be forgiven for criticizing the film for suggesting far too many questions (and supporting them with far too few answers). And while it is a tad irksome, many of these questions are probably better left to the imagination. Other notable flaws include some expository lines (that do a poor job of concealing themselves), and some weak writing at times.

But the biggest problem with this film (and the only really significant detriment) is the ending; specifically the last 5 minutes. To explain everything that's problematic with the ending would take a far greater deal of time than anyone has to write nor read about. Never mind the fact that this is a spoiler-free review!

To put it as simply and spoiler-free as possible, the ending is inconclusive. Not in the way that inspires sequels (though this film has spawned two add-ons to date), but rather, it doesn't resolve anything. The dilemma created at the beginning of the film is not dealt with, and the film doesn't acknowledge this. Even had it been left as a cliffhanger for a sequel, I might have forgiven it. But instead, it looks at the sky and whistles innocently, completely ignoring the fact that it's fascinating concept has been left alone. In fact, after the concept is established, The Matrix reverts to a high-level heist film - that is still engrossing, and smashingly put together, but it's lacking the brilliance that it initially promises.

On top of that, the ending gives way to a lot of conveniences and cop-outs, and is both very un-cinematic, and highly anti-climatic.

There are a good number of action sequences, and they are exceptionally crafted, though there are certainly too many of them. The Kung-Fu is cool, and even some of the shoot 'em ups are neat, but they become exhausting after a while. And one can only watch nameless henchmen miss the protagonists so much before becoming skeptical. Also, the gratuitous amount of slo-mo just comes across as dated, and the excessive amount of destruction in the last hour just makes the film seem like it's trying too hard; especially when there's a very interesting concept that feels like it's been ignored in favor of said action and destruction. Still, there's an excellent chase sequence at the very end that's among the best in recent memory.

Keanu Reeves is engaging in the lead, and Laurence Fishburne is solid alongside Reeves (though he talks in an odd, robotic way - perhaps intentionally). Hugo Weaving also has an odd speech pattern in the role of the antagonist, though he pulls it off much better. He's as menacing as Sci-Fi villains get. The supporting cast is good, but not great (Matt Doran as Mouse fares the best).

Don Davis' score does what a good score does; and that is improve the film. Many scenes are significantly improved through Davis' music, as it provides tension and texture. Though it occasionally gives way to too much drums and not enough melody, it's an admirable effort that gets the job done.

The Matrix is the kind of film one can talk about for days. It has a lot of depth and substance, and the plot is hugely complex and open for interpretation. And yet, the pros and cons also merit discussion. The Matrix scores a lot of points by simply being entertaining, smart, and original. But the ending is so hugely unsatisfying that the 2 hours preceding the final five minutes is nearly undone as a result of its incompetence. The Matrix is a weird, wild ride. It's just a shame that the payoff (if it can be called that) is so abysmally weak.

The original matrix was so awesome. I remember when it first came out wanting to run up walls, get in fist fights, and I always kept an eye out for the rabbit tattoo.

Overall one of keanu's better movies I think & if you are an action/fighting/gun play fan then the first matrix probably made you happy.

Absolutely mindblowing sci-fi material. Makes me want it to become a reality. Amazing technical visuals with solid pacing.

One of the first DVD David Feingold ever bought. I remember how amazing bullet time was and having watched it back second time after learning about the whole green tint easter egg. I never saw the other two so as not to taint the memory of the first Matrix.

this is a superb movie.. my first hollywood movie that I watched.. keanu reevs as superhero is superb.. I'll very happy if any other series of matrix will come..