The Matrix is perhaps one of my all time favorite movies. The sequels were somewhat disappointing, but that's another subject for another time. Let's take a look at what made The Matrix so awesome:The Storyline
The Matrix has an awesome storyline and a shocking, epic reveal. Some may think that this movie was little more than an excuse for cutting-edge CG effects and outrageous Western style Kung Fu combat. I disagree. The Matrix is a story about freedom, love, and adventure.
Here's the story in a nutshell: Our main hero, Neo, discovers that he lives in a world called The Matrix. He finds out that The Matrix is merely a computer program, a place where almost the entire population of Earth is held captive to the machines. In the "real world", the humans are waging battle against the machines, and The Matrix is merely the battleground where this war is waged.
The Effects
It's hard to talk about The Matrix without talking about the special effects. To summarize, the filming crew invented new and revolutionary ways of capturing combat scenes. Because it happens so quickly, it's easy to take for granted, but you can tell that they put a lot of work into it. This movie spawned many imitators, and remains ingrained in the minds of movie watchers everywhere.
The Combat
Without combat, this movie would have fallen flat. It has plenty of shocking psychological elements to it, but I don't think it would have been quite as exciting if they hadn't included all the combat scenes. Some of the more humorous scenes were the combat scenes, because of their spaghetti Western style implementation.
The Soundtrack
The Matrix has an awesome soundtrack that mostly consists of Alternative, Techno, Industrial and Metal. The ending track, "Wake Up" by Rage Against the Machine was a brilliant pick. You can't have a great movie without a great soundtrack.
In Conclusion
This movie is really a story about how most of us have deadened our hearts. We all live in a Matrix of our own making. There's something that resonates about "entering the real world" for most of us, and the debate about freedom vs. bondage that ensues. That's what I think, anyway. What do you think?
