Overview
With THE MATRIX, the Wachowskis have established themselves as innovative filmmakers who push the boundaries of live-action films. Like the groundbreaking STAR WARS, THE MATRIX (also the first film of a trilogy) showcases a unique visual style, one the Wachowskis achieved through an array of techniques and digital effects, some never before seen in mainstream Hollywood films. Although computer morphing technology had been used before in films such as THE ABYSS and TERMINATOR 2, the Wachowskis were the first to use "bullet time," a time-bending digital effect that utilizes both computer-generated imagery and still photography. The film itself is a complex story that aspires to mythology, focusing on a computer hacker named Neo (Keanu Reeves) who searches for the truth behind the mysterious force known as the Matrix. He finds his answer with a group of strangers led by the charismatic Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne). What they encounter in confronting that truth makes for a lightning-paced, eye-popping thrill ride of a movie. Packed with stunning fight scenes (choreographed by accomplished Hong Kong director Yuen Wo-Ping), astonishing visual effects, quotable lines, and a terrific supporting cast (led by Carrie-Anne Moss, in her first major Hollywood film), THE MATRIX is a bold triumph that raises the bar for all science fiction films.
Awards:
1999 - Academy Awards - Best Sound - Winner
1999 - Academy Awards - Best Visual Effects - Winner
1999 - Academy Awards - Best Editing - Winner
1999 - Academy Awards - Best Sound Effects Editing - Winner
Main Cast & Crew:
Andy Wachowski - Director
Larry Wachowski - Director
Carrie-Anne Moss
Gloria Foster
Hugo Weaving
Joe Pantoliano
Laurence Fishburne
Keanu Reeves
Anthony Ray Parker
Belinda McClory
Julian "Sonny" Arahanga
Marcus Chong
Details
- Format: DVD (Repackaged, Amaray Case, AC-3, Dolby, Widescreen)
- Run Time: 136
- Color Format: Color
- UPC: 085391163176
- Genre: HORROR / SCI-FI / FANTASY
- Rating: R (MPAA)
- Release Date: May 2007
Movie Reviews
Synopsis:
An imaginative hybrid of action, kung fu, and science fiction, THE MATRIX is a hyperkinetic, mind-bending, and visionary spectacle. Keanu Reeves stars as Neo, a disaffected computer hacker seeking the answer to the question, "What is the Matrix?" His search leads him to the elusive Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), who begins to enlighten Neo about the illusions of his so-called reality. In accepting the answer Morpheus provides, Neo is hurled into a futuristic world where old realities are shattered, and he must fight for his life, and the future of humanity, against a dangerous group of inhuman government agents.
Notes:
Theatrical release date: April 2, 1999.
THE MATRIX won three Academy Awards: Achievement in Film Editing, Sound, and Visual Effects (beating out STAR WARS EPISODE 1: THE PHANTOM MENACE). In each category, the winners quoted a line from the film.
The Wachowski brothers got their start at Marvel Comics, where they wrote dialogue for Clive Barker's HELLRAISER.
The official website, www.whatisthematrix.com, features a revolving showcase of comic book writers.
The actors initially thought combat training would take a few weeks. They eventually trained for more than five months (October 1997-March 1998), primarily because the actors and the Wachowskis wanted to limit the use of stunt doubles in the picture; the directors wanted the audience to see that the actual actors were performing the stunts.
Each actor had their own kung fu master on the set.
Neo is an anagram for "One."
The Wachowskis named Neo's alter ego Thomas, for the biblical Doubting Thomas.
SIMULACRA AND SIMULATION, Jean Baudrillard's theoretical text concerning culture, reality, and simulation, is the title of the book Neo uses to keep his contraband.
Carrie-Anne Moss sprained her ankle during the filming of the federal lobby scene but told no one at the time, even though she was unable to walk the next day.
Moss appeared in the 1993 television show MATRIX, about a hit man working for the underworld.
A musical theater piece by the Live Bait Theater group in Chicago (the Wachowski brothers' hometown) called NEO: A MATRIX MUSICAL ran in May 2000.
Producer Joel Silver called THE MATRIX "the first film of the new millennium."
Talking about the making of the film, Fishburne compared the brothers Wachowski to the Brothers Grimm in their ability to tell fairy tales.
Weapons expert Rock Galotti taught the cast how to realistically hold and shoot all the weapons in the film.
Reviews:
"...A feast of unexpected fidgets and perspectives, punctuated by trademark overhead shots and teasing detail and detour....THE MATRIX is a wonderland of tricks and stunts..." - 07/??/1999 Sight and Sound, p.47
"...THE MATRIX soars with its feet in the air..." - 05/29/1999 Rolling Stone, p.76
"...A breathtaking rollercoaster ride..." -- 4 out of 5 stars - 11/01/1999 Premiere, p.134
"...Clever....This virtual-reality saga takes advantage of Reeves' sometimes endearingly boyish personality..." - 03/31/1999 USA Today, p.12D
"...A wildly cinematic futuristic thriller..." - 03/31/1999 Los Angeles Times, p.F1
"...THE MATRIX is a visually dazzling cyberadventure, full of kinetic excitement....It's great looking, both in its design and in the kinetic energy that powers it. It uses flawlessly integrated special effects and animation to visualize regions of cyberspace..." - 03/31/1999 Chicago Sun-Times, p.48
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