Review of Matrix, The

Introduction

"Let me tell you why you are here. You have come because you know something. What you know you can`t explain but you feel it. You`ve felt it your whole life, felt that something is wrong with the world. You don`t know what, but it`s there like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad. It is this feeling that brought you to me. Do you know what I am talking about?"

The Wachowski brothers love kung-fu flicks. They love comic books. I love The Matrix. The best way to describe it is to say it is a thriller full of ideologies about life that appeals to not only people who like deep meaning in their films but also to action junkies who like the way comic books tell stories, interspersed with kung-fu fighting.

The plot revolves around smalltime hacker Neo (Keanu Reeves), a guy who works at a computing firm, whose life is nonexistent. He goes to work, he comes home from work, he goes to work, and so it goes on. One day, after waking up in front of his PC, there is a series of strange messages on the screen in front of him. Before long, he meets Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) - a woman who is evading the law for some reason, a woman who must find and talk to Neo. She takes him to see the infamous Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne): a guy that every law enforcement agency want, and before long Morpheus shows Neo `The Matrix`...a computer program spun by machines in order to take control of the world. And now, the fight for the future has begun...

Video

It is presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic, and as you would expect from a big-budget transfer, the visuals are crisp and clear, with no artefacts to speak of. This was one of the first DVD`s to turn heads, and this is a testament to what DVD can really do: great definition, no compression signs, and good use of the palette.

The CGI in the film is mindblowing - because no matter what context it is used in it will fit due to the narrative, some really intelligent methods can be employed. The most famous is `bullet time`: where everything slows down so the characters can perform some pretty amazing stunts. Excuse for kung-fu trickery? But of course.

Considering the Wachowski`s aren`t that experienced (their most famous other film was Bound) their directing in the film is good, concentrating on the action enabling the somewhat complex plot to come across well and the whole production looks very stylish.

Audio

A DD 5.1 track is on offer, and the surrounds burst into life just like the gunfire bursts around the locations during the action set-pieces. The ambience levels are great, the sound envelopes you so you feel as if bullet time really has been engaged around you, and the main audio stream is crisp and clear for the dialogue.

The script is hard to comprehend at first, but is worth persevering. The Wachowski`s have written an intricate look at life from a modern perspective, and the characters are all interesting and developed, with some great banter exchange.

Features

On the surface there isn`t much on the extras side, but hopefully they`ll all be so good quantity just isn`t needed, right?

They kick off with "HBO First Look: Making The Matrix", a fairly short documentary looking at behind-the-scenes, and is good, but, as said before, is a bit sparse.

There are also featurettes entitled "Follow The White Rabbit & Take The Red Pills", which, whilst watching the film, an icon will appear which when you press Enter on your remote will tell you how that certain scene was achieved. Good use (The Matrix was the first to employ this extra) of an interesting feature, and amplifies the viewing experience on repeat viewings.

There are also some filmographies - static CV`s of the main players. Bland, uninspiring but I suppose useful if you want to see other film`s of the cast and crew.

There is a selection of DVD-ROM features, ranging from the script (with storyboard comparisons) to weblinks, and they are good and add some insight to the production.

The menus are animated well with music in the background and clips from the film. They are easy to navigate - another bonus.

Conclusion

The film is predictable yet unpredictable - a film that bends the rules only to follow certain story rules. However, even though some aspects won`t be as original as others, the film itself is an excellent blend of action and drama, enough to satisfy the viewers brought up on John Woo as well as viewers brought up on David Lynch.

The acting is full of conviction, from Reeves` performance as the troubled hacker to Fishburne`s calm as the experienced leader. The supporting actors also contribute to form a believable world (most notably the incredibly creepy and skulky Hugo Weaving...he was the most under-rated actor in the film) where evil and good both stalk each other, where machines and humans oppose each other.

This stands up to repeat viewings very well indeed, and there is no reason why someone won`t get at least modest enjoyment out of it.

One to buy, and, although the disc is sparse extras wise (where oh were is the commentary?) what we get is good.

I, and no doubt others, are counting down for 2003: and the arrival of The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.