The Matrix (1999)
★★★★ — The Matrix (1999)
The Matrix arrived in March 1999, the work of the Wachowski siblings (then both still publicly presenting as men, though Lilly and Lana have since come out as trans women), who had made only one previous feature, the stylish neo-noir Bound in 1996. Warner Bros. took a considerable gamble on a $63 million science-fiction film built around a relatively abstract premise, shooting almost entirely in Sydney, Australia, to manage costs. The production is perhaps best remembered for pioneering "bullet time" photography, a technique that became one of the most imitated visual ideas of the following decade. Keanu Reeves had spent much of the mid-1990s in patchy form before this restored him to genuine leading-man status, and the film went on to gross over $460 million worldwide.
Scientists believe we may actually be living in a simulation. No single film has probably had more impact on my conspiracy theory side than the Matrix. The fact that all of reality is literally holographic as it is (looking at you, string theory) and the recent leaps in quantum computing, I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Matrix (or at least elements of it), is real. Anyway, onto the film. This was the 2nd major Keanu Reeves film I saw after Speed 2 and I think he did a great job as the lead here. For 1999, when we had PS1 level graphics in video games... the effects here were absolutely mindblowing. They have aged somewhat by today's standards but they still hold up well. If we judge the story of this first instalment by itself (and not on the various plotholes of the sequels), it's a fantastically written story. This is one of those films you could easily rewatch every few years and enjoy.
Rating: ★★★★ | Year: 1999 | Watched: 1999-11-03
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from Lana Wachowski: The Matrix Revolutions (2003) · The Matrix Reloaded (2003) · The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
More with Keanu Reeves: The Matrix Revolutions (2003) · The Matrix Reloaded (2003) · The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
More from the 1990s: Lessons of Darkness (1992) · Shinjuku Boys (1995) · Blue (1993) · Cemetery Man (1994)
More action: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · The General (1926) · Hand of Death (1976) · Daredevil (2003)
More science fiction: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) · Fantastic Planet (1973) · Nightmare City (1980) · The Long Walk (2025)
