"The Matrix" (1999) Movie Review
Saturday-Sunday, November 2-3, 2024
The Matrix (1999) Movie Review
The W household’s Halloween entertainment this year was The Matrix, a 25-year-old movie that I had never seen. I had a lot of little children in 1999, and I was pregnant, and we were moving. It’s a blur. Anyway, not only had I not seen The Matrix, but I had only the most basic understanding of the concept and the plot. I therefore watched it in a state of suspense similar to that of its original viewers, except that, knowing sequels exist, I was confident that things would ultimately turn out well for the heroes.
On to the review! I’ll start with the most important point: 25 years ago, Keanu Reeves was absolutely as cute as it gets. Cuter than Val Kilmer in 1997, that one year when he was really cute. I cannot overstate how cute Keanu Reeves was. The rest of the cast is also excellent. There was not a single performance that I didn’t think was effective, including the minor characters at the beginning.
Because I knew so little about the movie, I was surprised and impressed by the steampunk design aesthetic. The hovercraft Nebuchadnezzar was a particularly good example of the “used universe” concept pioneered by George Lucas in the 1970s. It was admirably wrecked, with some Gothic pizzazz and a definite Millenium Falcon vibe. The costuming was great: it was evocative and stylized without being dysfunctional, like “How do they even sit down in that?”
The execution of the High Concept of the Matrix and its escapees was quite good if you didn’t think about it too hard. Twenty-five years ago, the scenario of consumptive use of humanity by Artificial Intelligence machines was both more original and more “believable” than it would be today, when we know that “AI” is just stringing words together in common sequences. The 1995-96 TV series Space: Above and Beyond, which starred the incredibly cute James Morrison, who appeared later in 24, had android “AIs” as antagonists, but they were just trying to kill the people, not farm them as an energy source. (Pause to reflect on our perennial topic of “renewable energy.”)
As the movie progressed, the interactions of the independent human operators, the Agents, the Matrix milieu, and the real world grew harder to explain with any internal consistency. I was drinking wine and knitting and didn’t even try to figure out how it could “really” work. The climax was developed really well and without excessive violence, which I don’t care for. I don’t count lots of shooting at stuff as “excessive violence,” but some of those scenes went on a little long and lost my interest.
I recall reading that the movie can be viewed as a Christian allegory of sorts, and yeah, I could see some of that, but I didn’t feel like that lens was essential for it to be a very well-done movie with an excellent cast, especially the extraordinarily cute Keanu Reeves.
🚨Update 🚨
[Ed: The most heartfelt congratulations to CynthiaW and the whole W clan on welcoming their new female addition—and the start of a new generation—to the family late yesterday afternoon!
We wish profound joy, the best health, and loving happiness to everyone involved.]
For those who weren't watching this space, my granddaughter, Georgia Carolyn, was born Friday evening (Nov. 1). 5 lbs. 14 oz., 18".
Excellent job on the pictures, MarqueG! The grandparents (both sides) will be going to see the baby later this morning. Drama Queen has requested doughnuts.