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- Rating
Individual Star Ratings:
The Matrix (1999) - 5 Stars
The Matrix Reloaded (2003) - 4 Stars
The Matrix Revolutions (2003) - 3 Stars
I already discussed the awful fourth movie of the Matrix series, but I never discussed the main trilogy beyond that. Honestly, yet another egregious hole right alongside Pirates of the Caribbean if we're considering movies that could be considered key to TOTSE's and Sanctuary's identity. At very least, the first movie needs to be talked about. But before we talk about the first movie here, I actually kinda wanna break tradition here and talk about the trilogy movies in reverse order. I think I have some more interesting things to say about Revolutions and Reloaded than I do about the first movie, as utterly amazing as the first movie is.
Now, I've seen videos and articles already about how Revolutions and Reloaded is actually pretty jam-packed with symbolism and hidden meanings. I think there definitely was an intentional effort by the Wachowski siblings to make these absolutely symbolically loaded magnum opuses. But... Perhaps that's the issue as well with the two sequels. I think sometimes its intellectualism kinda gets in its own way at times. It's not enough to make something very highbrow and deep. We have to remember that we're writing a STORY, not a non-fiction book, and a story has its own demands that you have to meet. We must remember,
Robert Louis Stevenson said:
I feel that the first Matrix movie succeeded in this most of all out of all the films in the entire series. I will admit that the first Matrix may not be as "deep" as Reloaded and Revolutions, but even with that, it did and does still seem to be the movie that makes me think about it the most by far long after I've watched it. But still, I'm not here to shit on Reloaded or Revolutions as these movies absolutely do have their moments and do succeed in a fair few ways. Nevertheless, the missteps seem much more clear on Reloaded and especially Revolutions as compared to the first Matrix. If you asked me if I would change anything about the first Matrix, I wouldn't change a damn thing, but with Reloaded and Revolutions, well, I can think of a few things for sure. I could get into the details, but I'm not sure if anyone's actually interested in that, so I'll just pass over it for now. If I'm mistaken about that though, let me know.
So, with the sequels out of the way, let's talk about the first movie. Now, interestingly, The Matrix actually has a lot in common with Fight Club, themes wise. Both movies focus on the bucking of traditional authority in favor of alternative ways of thinking. I think where they differ though is that Fight Club takes a much more neutral stance on the issue whereas The Matrix is fully behind the "rebel movement" complete with a song from Rage Against The Machine at the end. But although Fight Club takes an, in my opinion, more intelligent stance in the end, I think when it comes to the actual journey, The Matrix can't be beaten. If we go back to the plot of Fight Club, the Narrator is in a kind of mental stupor. A jam that he either can't or won't extricate himself from without external help and pushing.
With The Matrix though, nobody is initially forcing Thomas A. Anderson, AKA Neo, to dig deeper into things. To investigate persons normally considered dangerous and go against the grain, metaphorically speaking. In fact, logically, Thomas has every reason to work with the Agents who arrest him and offer him a clean slate in exchange for bringing in a known public terrorist. But Thomas KNOWS something is wrong here. And not just with the government, with the world itself perhaps. So he CHOOSES to pursue the truth. He chooses to go deeper into that rabbit hole. And not because it will bring him happiness. With Fight Club, the Narrator's decisions are emotionally based and done to relieve pressure, but Neo pursues the truth for the truth's sake almost exclusively, knowing the great risk he's taking on. And that there is the difference.
One thing that is also interesting to talk about actually comes from something that happened long after the movie's release. As we know, The Matrix was the brainchild of the Wachowski siblings, and during 2012 or so, they came out as transgender. (Or at least, Larry, now Lana, did. Andy, now Lilly, came out as transgender too on 2016, but the dates don't really matter here.) On 2016, Lana made a statement after receiving a Best Outstanding Drama award for Sense8 at the GLAAD Media Awards that,
I think people got mad during this time because they thought the creators were trying to completely reinterpret The Matrix to say that it's entirely a movie about being transgender, but that's not what I'm reading here. I think all they're saying is that being transgender is just one POSSIBLE valid lens to view The Matrix with, and in terms of that, I can definitely agree with them. Like it or not, The Matrix IS about bucking authority and looking for truths hidden beneath the surface. This can include truths both outward (the government is lying to us) and inward (I'm lying to myself). Both are equally true and valuable insights and both keep perfectly in line with the main message of The Matrix.
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Before I close out here, I think it would also be fitting to say in this topic that apparently, Warner Bros. gave permission to Drew Goddard to do another movie in the series with Lana Wachowski as executive producer. I'm torn on this. The guy clearly has the chops to do this, but guys... Do we REALLY need more Matrix movies? Hell, you could make the argument that even the first movie didn't need a sequel whatsoever, much less two. But like it not, it's now getting made. Unless they decide to cancel it of course. We'll see about that then, I guess.
