# Matrix, The (1999)

### reviewed by
Vince Yim

    The Matrix
    At theatres everywhere
    By Vince Yim

(originally for The Ubyssey, the student paper of the University of British Columbia, April 7, 1999)

What do you do when you wake up one day and realize that your entire life is a lie?

After countless movie trailers that blow too many secrets and ultimately fail to deliver, we finally have a product that far outweighs the hype. The Matrix tells the tale of a computer hacker named Neo (played by Keanu Reeves) who unknowingly holds the key to an effort to bring down a mysterious organization that is manipulating reality and the collective minds of humanity. Using high-tech implants and weapons, Neo and an underground movement jump between reality and the manipulated world. However, the question still remains. What is the real world, anyway?

Due to the film's dark atmosphere and the premise, The Matrix will inevitably garner comparisons to 1998's underrated Dark City. While Dark City is a well constructed sci-fi thriller, one glimpse of The Matrix and it is clear which one will win out more fans.

While the special effects and art direction in Dark City are nothing to sneeze at, the visuals of The Matrix must be seen to be believed. Despite a small budget (in this post-Titanic world, anything costing $70M or less is considered small budget), the filmmakers truly push the envelope, using technology that was beyond reach not too long ago. Not relying solely on CGI, directors Larry and Andy Wachowski call for some very complex camera work, leading to bizarre visuals once seen only in comic books and Japanese animated films such as <> Ghost in the Shell.

As the story involves characters that have found out how to manipulate "reality", this leads to agonizing slow-motion sequences and bizarre freeze frames in which a character jumps into the air and seems to freeze in place as the camera flows towards another angle. In terms of visuals, <> The Matrix breaks a lot of ground with the camera effects and computer renderings. This is largely due to the background of the directors, who wrote comic books along side Vancouver based comic book artist Steve Skroce (who also provided storyboards for the film).

Apart from comic books and Japanese animation, the film also has inspiration from Hong Kong filmmakers, thanks to HK martial arts director Yuen Wo-Ping and three months of hard work and training by the actors. When combined with the computer aided effects and gratuitous slow-motion effects, it leads to many incredible action sequences, especially a wild shootout that comes close to putting action maestro John Woo to shame.

While the film is a dazzling spectacle that leaves the audience gaping in disbelief, The Matrix could have benefited from at least one more re-write of the script. While the storyline explores many interesting ideas and bizarre concepts, there are a few noticeable holes and inconsistencies, and some of the dialogue is unintentionally laughable. Regardless, these flaws are immediately smoothed over as soon as we see something really cool on screen. And there are a lot of really cool things on screen.

And of course, the film would not be much without the actors. Surprisingly, Keanu Reeves comes off pretty well, although he does have a tendency to degrade into a Bill & Ted type character at some moments. Canadian newcomer Carrie-Anne Moss plays a rather unemotional role, although that is pretty much all that the script calls for. Still, one has to keep in mind the dedication that the characters put into the roles, especially since within the three months of martial arts training, they could have easily made another film.

In a movie industry where just about every surprise is already blown and nothing is new, The Matrix easily blows them all away. This film will easily keep the most jaded sci-fi fans and movie buffs happily satiated until the release of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace in May.

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