マトリックス : The Matrix @ シネコン: CineMa Complex

/ 2005-12-02 "No one can be told what the matrix is. You have to see it yourself," exclaims Morpheus. Indeed, you have to see it. Suggest that the DVD itself is the red-pill; by purchasing this, you are gulping down that red pill with an icy cup of water and you are tumbling down into the computerized rabbit hole, the Matrix. Ultimately, you get to join the unbelievable quest of Neo once again, dodging bullets, doing Kung fu kicks and finally, wearing a good-looking outfit and a cool pair of sunglasses.
The movie The Matrix, created by the Wachowski brothers Andy and Larry, is one of the best science fiction movies out there. While other sci-fi movies are filled with cute beeping sounds of robots and zaps of laser guns which have been repeated so much that it is almost disgusting, this movie decides to portrays a closer, a more plausible reality, a reality where humans are defeated by A.I (artificial intelligence) and are trapped unknowingly in a virtual reality named Matrix. It is a feast to the eyes with its impressive graphics including the ever so popular `Bullet-time", while it also manages to grasp the audience with a very philosophic and religious tale about a Messiah of computer programs.
The story begins with the introduction of Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves), who lives a striking double-life; at morning he stays as the typical Mr. Anderson and works for MetaCortex, a major software company. At night, he prefers being Neo, a hacker selling illegal programs. However, he is taken custody by Agent Smith, a guardian program of the Matrix who sees Neo as a potential threat to the system. Fortunately, Neo is saved from his clasps by a band of rebels including Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), who frequently wreck havoc in the Matrix system by hacking into it. From them, he realizes that the world around him actually is a computer program made by A.I robots to keep humans imprisoned in a dreamland, while their bodies are used as a means of energy sources. Neo also learns that it is he who will presumably be the One, an almighty figure powerful enough to destroy the Matrix itself. Thus begins Neo's path to brighten reality, but things get wobbly right from the beginning; there is a traitor in the midst.
The Matrix is compact of greatly improved actors. Keanu Reeves, the rookie star of the action-movie "Speed", is done with stopping bus explosions set up by a madman. Instead, he now faces a much bigger, heavier burden; he has to rescue the whole humanity! As I watched the movie, I could not hide my amazement; Reeves seemed to have matured considerably, confronting such a humongous task of being the One. His acting of utter shock and awe as he first learns of the Matrix is thoroughly realistic; I just wondered how I would have reacted, seeing Reeves muttering "No!" and then falling to the ground, spinning around in shock. Carrie-Anne Moss also does a great job; she depicted Trinity's character successfully. It's interesting to see a bit of a contrast between Trinity of the real and the virtual; a soft, sincere and caring woman turns into a fiery combat machine! My heart thrilled when she said, "Dodge this," shooting Agent Smith right on the head. Laurence Fishburne, as the leader of the rebels Morpheus, creates a sense of authority and acts a spiritual supporter of Neo. His gentle conversations of Neo are filled with confidence, and his voice creates a tranquilizing effect when there is great danger ahead; that is what he has his name for. Lastly, oh, I can never forget him, Hugo Weaving! He does an unbelievable job being Agent Smith, whose goal is ever so simple; to eradicate the One. "I hate their smell!" He cries out to Morpheus, showing his terrible dislike for humans. He is the perfect rival against Neo, also armed with a snappy suit and the strangely cruel smile of his.
Also, one cannot easily go over the cinematography of the movie. The Wachowski brothers certainly make us open our mouths at the right beginning. When Trinity faces a mean-looking policeman (who is luckily not an agent), she evades his gunshots by walking sides along the wall and then leaps right infront of him. Just at this moment, time stops, and the scene is rotated 360 degrees in slow motion. And as the rotation stops, Trinity delivers a fatal kick at the policeman's head. The whole progress of this single action scene is so slow, so simple yet so beautiful. Such beauty is shown again at the scene where Neo manages to `dodge' the bullets shot from Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving)'s gun. Again, time freezes and the bullet slowly moves towards Neo, who bends his body backwards to evade the bullets. The cinematography used in this scene is so famous that it even has it's own distinctive name; "Bullet-Time". Ever since this movie, this method has been used by way too many other movies. Finally, I would pick the lobby battle scene as the epitome of the Wachowski brother's skills. Neo and Trinity slowly kill the policemen, doing somersaults and cartwheels, and wasting plenty of bullets, It almost glorifies violence; I didn't feel sorry for all those men being killed. I actually hummed along with the exciting music, hypnotized by such artistic fight sequences.
The DVD, apart from such a masterpiece, also features a satisfactory introduction on how the movie was made. It also explains some of the cinematography involved in the movie, especially how `Bullet-time' was created. I was amazed at how the Wachowski brothers arranged at least 60 cameras around Keanu Reeves to create the effect.
Despite such greatness, movies after all, are made by humans, not by robots nor the One. The Matrix does have some tiny flaws. While I watched the movie, I just had to admit that the movie was mainly created for the mass population, who are easily lured and fascinated by some tricky graphics or cool action scenes. I had hoped that the movie might focus more on the tone and seriousness of the whole situation (that robots rule the world), rather than concentrate on the video game-like fight scenes. I had hoped that the movie would really pull us into the rabbit hole and emit a strongly philosophical topic, which would permanently stay fixed on one's mind, but when the movie ended, we were forcefully popped out from the hole, and the philosophy evaporated. Though it was a good attempt, The Matrix wasn't able to satisfy people who were really puzzled about the world, whether it is real or not. Watching it is like having a soup that is neither hot nor cold; it is just `it'.
Overall, The Matrix is quite an awesome movie. It presented to us a whole knew theory; that the world one is living in might not be the world that another knows, with the help of great actors. In addition, some spectacular action scenes spiced up the movie, thanks to the innovative minds of the Wachowski brother. As the first tale of the Matrix trilogy, this movie has great significance. One would be buying the DVD with the pleasure that he is going to `see' the matrix itself, ensured that he is going to enjoy it. Come on, take the red pill, and `hack' in!