THE MATRIX Reviewed by Jamie Peck
Rating: **1/2 (out of ****) Warner Bros. / 2:16 / 1999 / R (language, violence, icky sci-fi goo) Cast: Keanu Reeves; Laurence Fishburne; Carrie-Anne Moss; Joe Pantoliano; Hugo Weaving; Julian Arahanga Director: Andy Wachowski; Larry Wachowski Screenplay: Andy Wachowski; Larry Wachowski
Keanu Reeves as an alleged Chosen One destined to liberate the enslaved human race of a grungy futuristic setting instantly sounds like a bad idea to end all bad ideas - it's Ted "Theodore" Logan as Mad Moses Beyond Thunderdome! Any film capable of mining a casting coup out of this ripe-for-ridicule synopsis, however, promises to take a lot of people by surprise, and that's just what "The Matrix" will presumably do with Reeves and still more adventurous elements. While watching "The Matrix," the pulse is quickened, the eyes are dazzled and the brain is twisted beyond recognition several times over.
Unfortunately, this is also a movie that isn't as deep as it sometimes pretends to be, pleases viscerally more often than mentally and sports murky concepts up the wazoo. The latter flaw definitely detracts from the viewing experience, as important and much-needed exposition arrives in sudden bursts of dialogue too thick to take in all at once - even this typically story-savvy critic was left gasping for air (or at least a rewind button) in certain places. But is it really fair to criticize a film that boasts the imagination to create and continually play by its own rules? Maybe not.
"The Matrix" provides a great deal of intrigue in early moments, where Reeves' computer expert Neo slips into panic mode after being contacted by a group of underground hackers lead by shady types Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss). They freak him out with several disturbing bombshells - among them, 1999 is not 1999 (definitely), reality is an illusion created by malevolent robots that have enslaved the world populace for battery power (probably), and Neo is the dude who shall deliver us (possibly). Reeves' dazed, fazed and generally endearing demeanor works for him in this role.
Before long, Morpheus begins playing Yoda to Neo' Luke Skywalker, training him with a literal interpretation of the En Vogue dance hit "Free Your Mind" - do so and almost any physical feat is possible in this falsified universe (with the right computer upload, of course). Wanna learn jujitsu? Done. Wanna be able to vault from skyscraper to skyscraper in a lone leap? _Voila_. These sequences make for some genuinely exhilarating moments - namely a hand-to-hand match between Reeves and Fishburne that starts off in silly fight stances and finishes up with spectacular gravity-defying choreography.
Then comes the empty midsection, which would be a downright snooze if it weren't so hole-riddled and confusing. Not only are most of the weird explanatory bits forcefully spewed forth here, the thrills take an ill-fated detour with several head-scratching sidetracks involving a half-baked act of mutiny and a supremely strange visit to an all-knowing entity known as the Oracle. Brothers Andy and Larry Wachowski, co-scribes and -directors here, seem guilty of both over- and underwriting in these hazy passages, but their handling of most other material is pitch-perfect.
"The Matrix" isn't so weak as to be labeled a sophomore slump for those creative Wachowski boys, though 1996's nifty crime-drama "Bound," their feature film debut, came together more cohesively. Even if their second act doesn't live up to its awe-inspiring bookends, give them credit for regaining footing for a sensational final half-hour that finds Reeves and company infiltrating enemy headquarters and unleashing the Force - or whatever it's called - to the fullest. This includes further unique special effects like enabling the actors to run across walls and limbo under slow-motion bullet trails.
When it sticks to incomparable tricks and treats like these, "The Matrix" is deeply cool - perhaps enough to catch again if you're sure the narrative will flow better. In other words, the likelihood of running commentary by the Wachowskis addressing the huhs of the plot, as well as other behind-the-scenes extras answering the technical-related hows, on "The Matrix"'s sure-to-be-upcoming DVD release might be too good to pass on, even for those who don't find the movie very user-friendly.
© 1999 Jamie Peck E-mail: jpeck1@gl.umbc.edu Visit The Reel Deal Online: http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~jpeck1/ "The best possible argument for including [a shot of Bruce] Willis' genitals would have been that the movie, after all, contains everything else." -Roger Ebert on "Color of Night"
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