There’s a version of this review that explores how we didn’t appreciate Lana and Lilly Wachowski’s genius at the time, and, in hindsight, The Matrix entered the zeitgeist at the perfect time in film history. In 1999, the film was a smashing success. In the following years, viewers locked into the detailed lore that evaded causal audiences and a deep love for the film evolved into a fandom.
The Matrix ages incredibly and all the camp and cheesy one-liners only add to the vibe. People dressed like Neo and Trinity for Halloween at a time when only a handful of properties had that kind of cultural grip. The Matrix is a near-perfect movie. Even 25 years later, there are no glaring weaknesses that can’t be explained or justified.
The Matrix Is A Highlight Of Keanu Reeves’ Hollywood Career
Keanu Reeves’ career trajectory has been fascinating, and The Matrix is without a doubt his most iconic movie. Both millennials and Gen X claimed the film, and he had success before and after its release, though it’s unclear what the franchise itself did for him at the time. The Matrix sequels came out very close together, yet between The Matrix Revolutions and John Wick, Reeves was only in a handful of films. Like Michael Keaton with Batman and Birdman, Neo, the biggest role of Reeves’ career at the time, did not move the needle… at least not until John Wick.
As Neo, Reeves was dedicated to the role and underwent intensive training for the action scenes. Reeves made Neo cool, playing up his initial confusion before morphing into a spectacular hero. It’s interesting to look back and see who was up for the role of Neo at the time — Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Smith, and Nicolas Cage among others — but it only solidifies Reeves’ perfect casting. He really nails Neo and makes him exciting to watch.
The Matrix Solidifies Laurence Fishburne As An Icon
Laurence Fishburne’s casting ended up being just as crucial as Reeves. As Morpheus, the veteran actor is the perfect foil for Reeves’ cynical, twitchy coder. Like Reeves, it’s fair to say that Fishburne’s heat in the industry generally cooled after The Matrix Revolutions. But when you look at his career in hindsight, it is clear The Matrix was the film he needed most to solidify that he could do anything in any film.
His acting resume — on screen and stage — up to that point was excellent and the cherry on top was reminding everyone that the teenager from Apocalypse Now and the sinister New Yorker from Deep Cover could be the best part of a billion-dollar franchise. The Matrix is not one for showy performances, but Fishburne finds a way to explode onscreen while playing in the same sandbox. The Wachowskis’ close-ups of his face covered in water as he breaks free of his shackles gives off so much energy you can feel the film expanding around him.
The film’s iconic monologue may belong to Hugo Weaving, but all the iconic lines belong to Fishburne. The red pill, blue pill line is nice but Fishburne’s delivery of the line, “You have the look of a man who accepts what he sees because he is expecting to wake up”, is magnificent. It’s Fishburne’s calm yet direct demeanor that sells the fact that what we are experiencing is real.
The Matrix Is A Meditation On The Human Condition
Its Action Scenes Remain Iconic
A trope of horror and disaster films is a slew of characters who appear to be part of the main cast but are immediately killed off, shocking us into accepting the danger of the film’s fictional world. However, the trope works best at the beginning of The Matrix. When used at the end, its success is dependent on our investment in the characters’ development throughout the film. The Matrix stumbles when it toes the line between the two. The murder spree of supporting characters happens with too much time left in the film, while severely underdeveloping those characters.
It’s a shame stunt coordination has shifted away from wire work because The Matrix will continue to age well as an action film with its realistic high-flying fight scenes.
But that doesn’t deter it from being a non-stop thrill ride with lots to say. The action in The Matrix remains undeniably great. It’s slick, exciting, and effective. Perhaps the most impressive feat is that no one has really tried to make a movie like The Matrix since. Films like Equilibrium tried to scratch the surface, but there were not a slew of pretenders in the immediate aftermath of its release. It’s a shame stunt coordination has shifted away from wire work because The Matrix will continue to age well as an action film with its realistic high-flying fight scenes.
Making a great film that’s a psychedelic, kung-fu-inspired meditation on the human condition as it relates to society and technology is a tall order. The Matrix delivers on all that and more, solidifying it as one of the most imaginative films of the 20th century.
In terms of tone, The Matrix feels like it fits perfectly between the first two Alien movies, with the cinematography and philosophical roots of Alien and the popcorn sensibilities of Aliens. And like the Alien franchise, The Matrix sequels eventually fall into self-serious mumbo jumbo, but the initial installment will forever be a bona fide classic.
The Matrix was re-released in theaters on September 19 for its 25th anniversary. The film is 136 minutes long and rated R for sci-fi violence and brief language.