I Took The Red Pill (And Got High On The Matrix!)

The Matrix, directed by the Wachowski Brothers is now an established classic. It frequently turns up in Best Films of All Time compilations and it's Joss Whedons favorite film. I totally agree with those that hold that opinion. So why do I think it's so good?

1/ It blends complex concepts in an easy to understand story. So many movies have tried this and it's got mind-bendinly confusing for mass audiences (Dark City, I'm talking to you). Up until the Matrix, no one had figured out how to talk about complex philosophical topics like 'what is real?' and put it in the context of a relatively-simple to follow narrative. The Matrix's strategy was to introduce you to the story concepts very gradually, while referencing familar stories that covered similar ground (like Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz). Once they got the concept of the dream world communicated, the rest follows easily.

What's staggering is how many philosophical concepts are layered into the story. There's examination of the systems of control, perception of reality, destiny vs freewill, faith vs doubt and ignorance vs enlightenment.

There's also commentary on religion, sociology, politics, history and psychology.

2/ It takes Asian cinema to next level. The Wachowski's obviously have a love of cinema from Asian countries and have integrated several techniques and styles in the movie. First off, it is taking John Woo's balletic, slow-motion, two-handed gunplay up several rungs. By including slow motion acrobatics with the gunplay and by heightening the movements with the revolutionary special-effect of 'bullet time', the film-makers changed shoot 'em ups forever.
Then there's the use of wire work, rarely used in western films up until The Matrix, to allow the characters to perform superhuman moves. Martial arts, rather than bar brawling, is used as the signature fighting style... and it defines the movie. Western cinema (and myself) was reeling after these two action revolutions.
Finally, The Wachowski's direction is still and understated; prefering a longer, clear quality shot than lots of messy shorter ones....a trademark of Asian cinema, especially the horror movies.
So having these beautifully choreographed fights, enhanced with wire-work and bullet-time effects, and shown in all its beauty with perfectly composed long takes delivers a style of action that was new to world cinema.

3/ Sucessfully adapts Manga. Manga comic often create massively complicated far-future worlds that has really only been atempted in western cinema with the original Star Wars trilogy. The Matrix was to illustrate a future Earth society that was dominated by an agressive machine foe. These weren't simple nuts 'n' bolt terminator baddies but complex Squiddies and impossible high skyscrapers of sleeping human batteries. No one since has quite had the vision to pull off something this unique visually in science fiction.

4/ Modern myth. The story has a certain power because it adopts the very familiar narrative threads that define a myth. There's the hero from an unexceptional background that is destined to save the world, with the help of a love interest and a wise man, and who will have to sacrafice his life (and be resurrected) to achieve that goal.

5/ Uses Techno/dance. The Matrix was one of the first of a handful of films to successfully integrate dance music into an action film. Prior to that action was general accompanied by a traditional music score or with guitar-ridden rock songs. Starting with Mortal Kombat and improved by Blade, dance music made the action relentless and the movie hip. The Matrix perfected this with great, perfectly integrated tracks from Rob Dougan ,The Propellerheads and The Prodigy.

On top of that you have a top notch cast. Keanu Reeves is finally directed in a way that makes him credible in a non-valley dude persona. But its the Hugo Weaving and Laurence Fishburne that run away with the awards. Fishburn is magnetic and larger-than-life as Morphius, the father figure to Reeve's Neo. Hugo Weaving is miraculous as Agent Smith; all precisely delivered sentences and quirky pauses. It might be theatrical but it works within the film's context.

The FX are top notch, the photography ground-breakingly bleak (everybody copied the near-monotone look after this) and the production design magnificent. The matrix set stuff is brilliant in it's simplicity while the future stuff is impossibly detailed.

The ultimate praise for an action and special effects movie of this magnitude is the story and how its told. You can take out ALL of the action and all of the special effects in the production and you would still have a unique, facinating and entertaining film. That's something 1999's other fantasy epic, The Phantom Menace couldn't boast. And the great thing is, it works on so many levels, it has great broad appeal. If your thick...or just feeling lazy, you can watch a fast fun action movie. If you feel like stretching your noggin you can contemplate phillosophical issues until the cows come home. In fact, it's one of those rare works of art that is so detailed that you can find something new on every viewing that you didn't see before.
Joss Whedons favorite film of all time? Clever man.