The Matrix (1999)

[steve jaros]

Title: The Matrix

Tagline: Welcome to the Real World.

Genre: Action, Science Fiction

Director: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Joe Pantoliano, Gloria Foster, Marcus Chong, Paul Goddard, Robert Taylor, Julian Arahanga, Belinda McClory, Anthony Ray Parker, Matt Doran, Ada Nicodemou, David Aston, Marc Aden Gray, Deni Gordon, Rowan Witt, Eleanor Witt, Tamara Brown, Janaya Pender, Adryn White, Natalie Tjen, Bill Young, David O'Connor, Jeremy Ball, Fiona Johnson, Harry Lawrence, Steve Dodd, Luke Quinton, Lawrence Woodward, Michael Butcher, Bernard Ledger, Robert Simper, Chris Pattinson, Nigel Harbach

Release: 1999-03-30

Runtime: 136

Plot: Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth.

 

[steve jaros]

The Matrix has been released in Dolby Cinema for a 20th Anniversary engagement, and I saw it yesterday as an A-List selection at my local AMC. Yes, A-List did cover this, thanks!

I had not seen it in the theater since its original run in 1999, and I was again impressed. The Atmos sound system in particular helps bring out the film's ground-breaking SFX even moreso. Really, the SFX still look good today.

Youngsters may not remember the splash this film made when it came out. It made Keanu a household name, and the "bullet time" effects won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects over the first Star Wars film in 16 years. It won 3 other technical Oscars as well. The Wachowski Bros were able to do whatever they wanted in Hollywood for the next 10 years, including two underwhelming sequels and Speed Racer, LOL.

Still a lot of fun, if it is playing this week in your area, see it!

 

[Robert Crawford]

Unfortunately, I already watched it in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos at home so making that 132 mile round trip journey to the nearest Dolby Cinema theater to me isn't very appealing.

 

[Tino]

Director: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski

When The Matrix was first released the Wachowskis were brothers. Shouldn’t the above credits reflect that? They weren’t Lana and Lily then.

I may go see it in Dolby Cinema because seeing it on a big screen is the way to go.

 

[steve jaros]

Unfortunately, I already watched it in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos at home so making that 132 mile round trip journey to the nearest Dolby Cinema theater to me isn't very appealing.

As a fellow Home Theater enthusiast, I understand. Still, to me, there's nothing like seeing a film on a big public screen.

Plus, for me it's just a 3 mile drive, so there's that too, LOL.

 

[Robert Crawford]

As a fellow Home Theater enthusiast, I understand. Still, to me, there's nothing like seeing a film on a big public screen.

Plus, for me it's just a 3 mile drive, so there's that too, LOL.

I think you guys know that I'm not saying seeing it in my own HT equates to seeing it in a Dolby Cinema theater. That my real issue is that 132 mile journey in which I have to fight through holiday traffic to see it. I'm just saying my HT viewing has kind of lessen my enthusiasm to do so.

 

[Mikael Soderholm]

The Matrix has been released in Dolby Cinema for a 20th Anniversary engagement, and I saw it yesterday as an A-List selection at my local AMC. Yes, A-List did cover this, thanks!

I had not seen it in the theater since its original run in 1999, and I was again impressed. The Atmos sound system in particular helps bring out the film's ground-breaking SFX even moreso. Really, the SFX still look good today.

Youngsters may not remember the splash this film made when it came out. It made Keanu a household name, and the "bullet time" effects won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects over the first Star Wars film in 16 years. It won 3 other technical Oscars as well. The Wachowski Bros were able to do whatever they wanted in Hollywood for the next 10 years, including two underwhelming sequels and Speed Racer, LOL.

Still a lot of fun, if it is playing this week in your area, see it!

Well, I was underwhelmed when it came out, and thought both Existenz and Thirteenth Floor were more interesting in that year, not to mention Dark City, exploring similar issues.
Always thought #2 was better, but when I rewatched them about a month back, I never even finished #3, they have not aged well, IMHO.
The Wachowskis, on the other hand, went on to make Coud Atlas, which is a masterpiece.

 

[steve jaros]

Well, I was underwhelmed when it came out, and thought both Existenz and Thirteenth Floor were more interesting in that year, not to mention Dark City, exploring similar issues.
Always thought #2 was better, but when I rewatched them about a month back, I never even finished #3, they have not aged well, IMHO.
The Wachowskis, on the other hand, went on to make Coud Atlas, which is a masterpiece.

I thought Existenz was underrated. Kind of somnolent, but very good. The 13th floor was really bad IMO, as was Dark City.

Funny though, how so many similar movies came out in that 98-99 timeframe. I guess it was directors grappling with implications of the then-young commercial internet.

 

[Tino]

Love Dark City.

 

[dpippel]

Dark City is the best thing that Alex Proyas has ever done. Great film IMO.

 

[Jeff Cooper]

Continuing off-topic, but yeah, I loved Dark City too.

 

[Hanson]

Saw The Matrix on Thursday. The movie on the whole holds up well, especially the lobby scene onward. Some of the acting the in the first two act is a little wonky. A couple bits of dialog were a bit cringe inducing (I always hated Cypher's, "Kansas is going bye-bye" line).

The SFX in general are still top notch. I still enjoyed the aesthetic. The logistics of the world building make even less sense now.

The presentation was a bit meh compared to Dolby Cinema viewing of End Game and Far From Home. The bass and rumbling wasn't as impressive as the other modern movies.

 

[Patrick Sun]

It was weird seeing this on the big screen 20 years later, but having seen it so many times over the years, and knowing most of the dialogue by now, the viewing went pretty briskly, even with 144 minute running time.

 

[Edwin-S]

Speed Racer has gotten a bad rap.

 

[Sam Posten]

Soooo I did y’all a favor!

 

[Walter Kittel]

Not sure that seeing Neo say "Aww Hell No" would have worked within the context of The Matrix.

- Walter.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Soooo I did y’all a favor!

That's pretty funny!

 

[TravisR]

He's right that he did viewers a favor because I think The Matrix is an entirely different (and likely much worse) movie without Reeves and Fishburne. Also, I definitely can't blame Smith for not getting it because I get the feeling that reading the script, hearing a pitch or explanation or anything else short of an actual visualization of what the Wachowkis' wanted the movie to look like would have sounded insane at the time.

 

[Malcolm R]

So instead, he decided to make Wild Wild West.

 

[Robert Crawford]

So instead, he decided to make Wild Wild West.

Yeah, I loved his comments about WWW.