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| Directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski; Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Gloria Foster, Joe Pantoliano, Marcus Chong, Paul Goddard, Robert Taylor, Julian Arahanga, Matt Doran, Belinda Mcclory, and Anthony Ray Parker |
This may be one of the harder movies to review. In my on going trek to keep from spoiling the movie like Roger Ebert enjoys doing so much, I can’t help but say to do this film justice I can only say how much I liked it. I will say that it is science fiction with quite a bit of action. It is somewhat like Dark City, a more ambitious film (though I happen to have liked The Matrix a little better in the action department).
The Matrix is simply further proof of the directorial ability of the Wachowski brothers. If they are not familiar, they should be. This is only their second film, their first being 1996’s Bound, the best lesbian vs the mob film ever (yes, better than Switchblade Sisters). Here, as with Bound, they show off their cinematic expertise. The shots are unbelievable, ranging from slow motion bullets (brings to mind Richard Donner’s problems doing the same in The Omen) to wave-like exploding glass. There is one action sequence near the end that would easily be the best I’ve seen from a film this year. In fact, I’d call the film perfect if it wasn’t for my disappointment with two things. First would be the martial arts training scene which came off really over done and seemed to be more of a place for the Wachowski’s to have a little fun with the camera. The other problem is the final shot. I was happy with the ending, but the final shot (i.e. 1.5 seconds) annoys the hell out of me. I’ve seen this film three times now and every time that shot just gets to me. I’m not talking with what comes right before it in a turn for a little ploy at the audience, just the finale. Since the rules of my rating system state that to get an A+ or A the film must be perfect, The Matrix must settle with the next best thing.
