Released in March, 1999, The Matrix was the Star Wars of its
generation, a digital beacon that shone very brightly, penetrating the
consciousness of all who saw it. The film begins with a black leather clad young
woman named Trinity (Carrie-Ann Moss) being arrested by a group of police
officers. While the arrest is underway, a group of Federal Agents--the type of
cold, distant characters who wear sunglasses after dark--show up at the scene of
the crime, miffed that the cops went ahead and arrested Trinity without their
presence. When the police commander sarcastically informs Agent Smith (Hugo
Weaving) that he thinks his men can handle a little girl, Smith tells him that
his men are already dead.
Sure enough, before they can even get the handcuffs on her, Trinity easily wipes
out the entire group of armed police officers, using superhuman speed and
strength. However, when Agent Smith and his comrades pursue her, not only are
they just as powerful and fast as Trinity, they are virtually unstoppable.
Trinity just barely makes an impossible escape inside a telephone booth just as
it gets rammed by a truck being driven by one of the agents. But while she may
have escaped, the agents still managed to discover the focus of Trinity’s
attention: a man known as Neo.
Neo (Keanu Reeves) is actually a computer programmer named Anderson who works at a large, faceless
corporation, but in the online world, he’s better known by his Neo alias. Neo is
a hacker/program designer of great renown who is told by an instant message on
his computer to follow the white rabbit. When he sees a white rabbit tattoo on
the shoulder of a woman inviting him to a rave, Neo attends. Once there, he
meets Trinity, and this encounter invariably leads to a meeting with Morpheus
(Laurence Fishburne), the leader of a wanted band of terrorists who gives Neo a
very special decision to make: whether to take a blue pill, or a red pill.
The Matrix is a successful film--both financially and artistically--because it
works on so many levels. First and foremost, it’s the classic hero myth, such as
what scholar Joseph Campbell described in his book The Hero With A Thousand
Faces. Neo is the classic hero who comes from nowhere that challenges the
tyrant--in this case, the all-powerful Matrix. His journey towards becoming a
superman--both literally and fugitively--is an epic one, with one of the biggest
roadblocks being his own self-doubt. The second level on which the film works so
superbly is a subliminal one, that which speaks to the disenfranchised among
us--and at times, that’s usually the majority of us--who feel that life is
really nothing more than a sham; that regardless of what is presented to us as
being reality, it is nothing more than a façade designed to keep the masses
under control.
The DVD is equipped with a commentary by star Carrie Ann Moss, editor Zach
Staenburg and visual effects supervisor John Gaeta. There’s also a separate
soundtrack for the music with commentary by composer Don Davis. There are
several behind the scene documentaries, and special pop-up Easter eggs--in this
case, they’re red pills--that allow you to view further behind the scenes
content. However, you view it, The Matrix is just supercharged fun. Filled with
amazing stunt work and special effects, and held together by a gripping story
that still enthralls after all these years, this is one dynamic movie that never
loses its charm.
--SF
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