The Matrix: Hurawatch

The Matrix: Hurawatch

Blog Article

"The Matrix" has spectacular sights to behold within a journey through cyberspace, packed with thrilling action, but it folds back into a template as soon as things become engaging. It's frustrating when a film starts by attempting to expand the bounds of reality, only to end with a mundane shoot-out. What we're looking for is a breathtaking leap of creativity, not just one of those forced conclusions accompanied by heavy gunfire.

These mindless displays of violence have been showcased to me far too many times, and they are always constructed around the same mundane concept: The ‘bad guys’ have a thousand rounds to spend shooting at a ‘good guy’ and somehow manage to miss every single time. The so-called ultimate showdown of good versus evil comes down to a martial arts duel where the 'hero' gets mercilessly beaten to near-death before he magically discovers the strength to fight back. I have been through that, although it is rarely executed this well.

What a pity because everything else is set up nicely. “The Matrix” uses the base concepts of “Strange Days” and “Dark City”, turns it up in intensity and volume, and combines the choreography of Hong Kong action films that defy the laws of physics. Everything is enjoyable, but it does fall short of expectations. The directors are Larry and Andy Wachowski, who do know how to make films (their first film, “Bound,” made my 10 best list in 1996). After spending a huge budget with seasoned action producer Joel Silver, they seem to have played it too safe this time; while there is nothing wrong with succumbing to the Friday night action market, these films could strive for something more meaningful and still be profitable.

Caution: Plot revelations follow. The narrative features Neo (Keanu Reeves), who works as a quiet software developer and moonlights as a notorious hacker. He gets recruited by a cyber-rebel cell led by the famous Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and the warrior in black leather, Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss). They have made a world-shattering discovery: It does not exist. It exists as a Virtual Reality prison that’s engineered to enslave us into a robotic existence, obedience to the so-called “system.” They dutifully go to their dead-end jobs daily, clueless to, as Morpheus explains to Neo, “Matrix is the wool that has been pulled over your eyes— that you are a slave.” The rebels aim to shatter the structure which holds the Matrix, and free humanity. Morpheus is convinced Neo is the prophesized “One” who has the potential to lead this uprising but which needs mental resolve as much as brute force. The Agents, who are the primary antagonists in the movie and will often be seen suited up like Blues Brothers, are out to get them. The movie’s battles are set in Virtual Reality; the heroes’ minds are plugged into the boot.

"It's still possible to get killed: 'The body cannot live without the mind.'" “Jacking in,” a concept initiated in *Strange Days*, has also been visited in other works by authors like William Gibson (*Idoru*). The idea that the world is merely an artificial reality created by some out there to manipulate and exploit us is straight out of *Dark City*. But, as with these two films, the interesting thing is how they explore – as the best sci-fi often does – the implications. In Dark City the Strangers were fascinating with a poignant dilemma: They were dying aliens hoping to figure out some human ways of adaptation and survival.

They figured out some human ways of adaptation and survival. In *The Matrix,* on the other hand, there are no flesh-and-blood creatures behind the illusion - only a thinking, learning computer program. The agents are mainly opposing players in a highly competitive computer game. The movie offers no explanation as to why the matrix making program did all that. Of course for a program running is its own reward – but an intelligent one could bring terrifying logic to its choices.

Watch More Movies on Hurawatch

Both "Dark City" and "Strange Days" reveal compelling motivations for villainy. The "Matrix" is more like a superhero comic book, where the fate of the world hinges on a cataclysmic fistfight between the good and evil sides. It is rather cruel to put enchanting ideas on the table, only to trap the audience into accepting a gunfight and a game of martial arts showdown. Let's assume for a moment that Neo wins the fight. What then happens to the billions who have just been ‘unplugged’ from the Matrix? Do they, for instance, still have jobs? Homes? Identities? An ethereal voice makes a stunning appeal towards the end of the film, but that’s all we are given. The illusion is that the Matrix world resembles, in every respect, the pre-Matrix world. It makes me think of the animated film for kids, “Doug's 1st Movie,” where the protagonist has a VR simulation that is just like real life, only far more costly. Still, there's no denying the movie's compliments. It is aesthetically pleasing, both in its design and motion propelling it. Special effects and animation are flawlessly integrated to visualize many areas of cyberspace and the many regions of cyberspace. Terrifying mechanical creatures are also created, including octopi.

It combines body morphing with the neglect of “Terminator II.” The f/x effect enables Neo and Trinity to run vertically on walls and suspend themselves long enough to deliver karate kicks. It contains breathtaking leaps through space, as well as thrilling rooftop helicopter rescues and mind control battles.

And it contains performances that hit the right notes. Keanu Reeves adopts the impassive Harrison Ford approach and “acts” as little as possible. I guess that is the correct approach. Laurence Fishburne balances between action hero and Zen master. Carrie-Anne Moss gets the sensational title sequence as Trinity before the film remembers she’s a woman and relegates her to support mode. Hugo Weaving, as the chief Agent, adopts a flat, menacing tone that reminds one of Tommy Lee Jones in passive-aggressive overdrive. With Gloria Foster as the Oracle, who, like all Oracles, is frustratingly cryptic, there’s a well-acted scene.

I did not find “The Matrix” boring in any way. In fact, it stimulated me to the extent that I wanted an even greater challenge. It did not reward me; rather, I craved more from the material, including richer explorations through the wild possibilities of its mysteries and declaring not just winning but winning in revelation, victorious peace. Victory, but a testament that shocks the senses. Like “Dark City.” That's the kind of ending I crave, not a disorienting spectacle masquerading as action. To sum it up: I wanted a Third Act.