#43: The Matrix
Release Date: April 2nd, 1999
Format: Streaming (Netflix)
Written by: The Wachowskis
Directed by: The Wachowskis
4 Stars
What am I supposed to write about The Matrix? Is there a single thing that hasn’t been said about it that I’m going to be observant enough to say? Probably not. I’ll say two things anyway.
This is the greatest movie that I can think of for smart and dumb people alike. When I was 15-years-old and dumb as rocks, I loved this movie. But this is also a notorious favorite of philosophy professors. I remember valiantly attempting to listen to Cornel West’s commentary track on the DVD when I was in high school. Bless my heart, I understood about 10% of it. But if you are smart, this movie gets to the biggest of ideas, including fate, free will, the sentience of AI, simulated reality, the dark heart of humanity, and the restorative power of love. And it has Keanu Reeves doing hand-springs WHILE shooting a fully automatic machine gun.
I haven’t written about what a beast of a year it was for mainstream American cinema in 1999. In case you weren’t aware, here are just some of the films of that year: Office Space, Analyze This, 10 Things I Hate About You, Election, Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace, Run Lola Run, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, American Pie, The Blair Witch Project, Eyes Wide Shut, The Iron Giant, The Sixth Sense, American Beauty, Three Kings, Fight Club, The Straight Story, Bringing Out the Dead, Being John Malkovich, Princess Mononoke, The Insider, Sleepy Hollow, Toy Story 2, The Green Mile, Magnolia, Man on the Moon, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and finally, The Matrix.
I’m not sure where 1999 ranks in total box office, but as far as quality and diversity of film, I think it’s the best ever. You have young auteurs with their first major breakthroughs (The Wachowskis, David O. Russell, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, M. Night Shyamalan, Spike Jonze) along with established directors all making impactful entries into their filmographies (George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Michael Mann, Tim Burton, Milos Forman, Sam Mendes, David Lynch, P.T. Anderson). The plots were overwhelmingly unique, with storytelling stretched to imaginative lengths. The movies demanded the attention and intellect of their audience. They were challenging movies, but they were fun too.
The fact that The Matrix arguably stands out the most in this crowded field is a testament to its ambitiousness and vision. It’s a masterwork.
