Trailer Note: The trailer for this film is great. Some of the effects we get glimses at include the tilting-freeze-frame currently seen in that Dockers commercial (with the swing dancers), and plenty of little optical illusion-style scenes (similar to effects seen previously in the first Mortal Kombat and Dark City). Very neat looking. (3/7/99) A longer version of the trailer was released with Analyze This, and its got even more "neat" stuff (though I still think that movies like The Matrix benefit from shorter trailers that don't give away all the best stuff...).

Greg's Preview Thoughts: With this movie, Keanu Reeves may be establishing himself as the poster child for "cyberpunk movies", as this is his second (following Johnny Mnemonic), and well, considering there aren't really that many cyberpunk movies, that's noteworthy. Keanu's role in this movie is also noteworthy, because it may be his chance at a really great role that plays to his strengths, and is also the next step in his growing bid to be a full-fledged action star.

There are only three sci-fi action movies coming out this Spring (the other two are Wing Commander and eXistenZ), and that may bode very well for this movie. Indeed, there is a lot of fan awareness of this movie growing, with most of the major movie scoop sites covering the production and development of this movie now for two years in fairly good detail. (I will defer to those sites if you want more in that direction)

 I'll admit that I wasn't really that impressed with the Wachowski Brothers' first film, Bound, which I thought was a little too self-aware. However, The Matrix is an extremely different movie, and may play up their strengths in a more satisfying manner. For example, advance word has it that there are several adrenaline-filled action scenes featuring bizarre special effects (two aspects that Bound, for example, had little of) So, expecting a really whiz-bang trailer (which will lead me to post more thoughts, I'm sure), this should be one of the rare chances for action and sci-fi fans to get their fix this Spring.

Review: At this point, in the final days of the 1990's, it's become fairly predictable that the biggest, most spectacular, special effects films generally receive critical reception of a level below those of smaller, films. The reason for this, unfortunately, is that generally, the critics are right (though some are just plain harsh). Leave it to the directors of Bound, however, to create a big budget film with an art house film mentality, The Matrix. (it's true that this is the description was also often applied to Titanic).

Though many members of the die-hard action crowd may be attracted to this film because the trailers sell it that way, that sector may be a little disappointed to find that this film is more like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea than Mortal Kombat.

 Admittedly, that's an odd comparison, and not entirely active, but it might give you an idea of the kind of ground this amazing work of spectacle covers. Within the expected frame of (mind-blowing) special effects scenes, The Matrix also weaves a winding tale of puzzles and discovery that doesn't end when you think you understand the film.

 More than anything, The Matrix succeeds because the Wachowski brothers borrowed a lesson from George Lucas, and wove a "mythos thing" throughout the film, all along paying knowing homage to dozens of other films and genre references.

 From Magneto to Yoda to Jackie Chan to Alien, and far beyond, self-proclaimed experts of trivia will probably notice a few of the (usually) subtle bits that they throw into the mix. In many films, this sort of tribute comes across as uberhip and yet tired, but in The Matrix, we have a well-woven saga that somehow ties up what we think are plotholes before we even thought of asking the questions.

 I'm trying very hard not to go into details of the film, but I usually pride myself on asking the questions I think a film can't answer, and oddly enough, I find myself finding that they did indeed answer the question somewhere in the film. Even such things as "Where do they get their food?", and "Where are the kids?" that sometimes stump science fiction films are possible to reason out within the logic of the world that the Wachowski brothers have created.

 The special effects seen in The Matrix are of course, necessary to be mentioned in a review of such a film.  Though they are indeed amazing, many of the film's best displays of "eye candy" are in fact just clever new uses of techniques that aren't that new... they're just clever. There are, of course, many new techniques, including the effect called "Bullet Time" in the credits which is similar to an effect also seen in recent Gap commercials. I think my favorite effect was one seen early in the film, where the camera follows the electronic path of digital characters on the screen back to their roots, which I give as an example of something that's not particularly original (this was also done in Enemy of the State), but within the context of the plot and puzzle of The Matrix takes on a whole new level.

 To get this far into a review of a film without mentioning the cast will hopefully not be interpreted as any kind of message that the cast is not important or powerful. They certainly are. The cast is relatively small, and although there are many special effects scenes, these effects do not distract from the characters, and so we really do have a film with nine memorable and (mostly) unique characters (as brief as some of them are). Hugo Weaving, as the voice and representation of the "bad guys", is one of the most memorable men in black hats in years. He's also as cool as the good guys, which all the best bad guys are. Though his role loses its impact as the film progresses, Laurence Fishburne's Morpheus is still one cool cookie, embodying a level of mystique and mastery that we understand more after the film than we do at first. Carrie-Anne Moss, in her feature film debut, manages to stand her ground in the very testosterone-driven arena of big action, in a smooth, reserved manner that many men will probably love. (Supporting cast member Belinda McClory, in a smaller role, will likely attract the same kind of male fan base). Finally, there is Keanu Reeves himself, who in this film has found another role that fits his talents well, much better than a few of the films he's done of late (Bram Stoker's Dracula, for example). Keanu is believable as a "hacker" who slacks off at work, and that background (brief as it is) sets us out on a character path that is believable because Keanu has the air of both inexperience and bravery in his eyes and demeanor.