Happy Birthday Dear Neo, Happy Birthday To You
In 1999, the Wachowskis (formally known as the Wachowski Brothers before their sex-change operations) released a Sci-Fi movie so awe-inspiring, it has become an iconic phenomenon. “The Matrix” is celebrating its 20-year-old birthday, and why don’t I give you the scoop on it?
This is a complicated movie, the kind with the IQ of a computer hacker. In fact, it’s about computer hackers and anyone inside the internet. But it’s complicated in a fun and visually stunning way. Movies of its kind can go off the rails, and movies of its kind can earn fans. I’m no expert, but I throughly enjoyed this movie for the fantasy world it lives in, and the people who are willing to fight to get out.
We meet Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves), who lives a double like as a computer program and a computer hacker by the alias of Neo. He then gets tracked down by a mysterious people by the names of Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), who both warn him that he’s in danger from the ruthless sentient agent named Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving). What is a sentient?
Matter of fact……….
He’s also in seek of the answer to his question: “What is the Matrix?” Morpheus tells him that it’s everywhere, and everyone is a slave to it. The point is: he’s trapped inside a computer-generated dream world.
At the end of the 20th century, robots waged war against the humans by stealing their bioelectric power. Morpheus also tells Neo that he could be the One to free everyone from this harsh reality.
If you enjoyed “The Terminator” or “Blade Runner,” then you’ll enjoy “The Matrix.” It’s a throwback to the greatest Sci-Fi movies of all time, and yet it takes many great risks to be original.
The visual effects are incredible, as they allow them to adjust to reality. Neo can fall to the street, which starts off rubbery; he can perform martial arts with Morpheus; and a kid can bend a spoon with his mind. But best of all: there’s a shoot-out during the third act: Neo and Trinity vs armed guards. All of this is obviously done by computers, stunts, and professional training. After all, it’s also a martial arts movie.
You also have some intelligent work from Reeves, Fishburne, Moss, Weaving, and Joe Pantoliano (as a weasel). They’re characters, who know their game, even if some of us can’t really follow. But then again, that’s what makes the movie so fun. The Wachowskis knew their stuff back then, and even today, their movie still hold our attention.
Happy Birthday to “The Matrix”
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
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