Movie Review - The Matrix (1999) by Daniel Kilgallon

The Matrix (R)

Run Time: 136 mins

With John Wick: Chapter 2 hitting theaters this weekend, it seems like an appropriate time to look back on Keanu Reeves’ most iconic movie, The Matrix. Released in 1999, The Matrix was written and directed by The Wachowski Brothers. In a year that was supposed to be highlighted by Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, this movie ending up standing out as one the best science-fiction films of the entire decade, taking home all four of the Academy Awards which it was nominated for. 

 

Being one of my favorite movies, I truly think that The Matrix is an incredible first time film experience. I am keeping my plot summary spoiler-free, for the sake of anyone who has not seen this masterpiece yet. 

In The Matrix, Keanu Reeves plays a computer programmer named John Anderson who lives a double life as a skilled hacker known as Neo. Early on in the story, he learns dark secrets about our world from a mysterious group of rebels and quickly joins their undercover alliance. 

This movie is well-known for its mind boggling visual effects that set the bar for every action movie that has come ever since. Before The Matrix, the famous “bullet time effect” was never heard of in Hollywood. This is a slow motion technique in which the viewpoint camera still appears to be moving at a normal speed. For reasons that include these incredible innovations, The Matrix is widely regarded as one of the greatest science fiction films ever made and even holds the eighteenth spot on the Best Films List, as rated by users of the Internet Movie Database. 

Beyond all of those accomplishments, I think that The Matrix is still a film powered by a truly awesome, ambitious story. Yes, the famous action sequences are amazing to watch over and over again, but the intriguing plot is what really makes this movie so great. Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Hugo Weaving and the rest of the iconic cast, crafted some memorable characters through their above average acting performances and really make this unique story come to life. I

If you haven’t had a chance to re-watch or even see The Matrix for the first time, check it out before seeing John Wick: Chapter 2 this weekend. Keanu Reeves has kicked ass so far in his new action series, but this is the revolutionary movie that started it all.