There are those moments when going to see a new movie in
the cinema can allow you to be a witness to a sea change in filmmaking. When The Matrix was released in March 1999 I
don’t recall thinking much about it beforehand in the way of anticipation. But
when the movie finished, I had but one thought in my head: “Tremendous!”
The Matrix
utilized state of the art technology and equipment to employ special effects in
ways that augmented the story rather than supplanting it like so much of the
effects-driven tripe we see now. Beyond the fantastic look of the film, it’s also
a movie that strives to say something interesting. It is philosophical in
nature, asking the BIG questions about destiny, technological advancement, the
nature of reality and the meanings of these things for humanity. Andy and Larry
Wachowski, who wrote and directed the film, are clearly movie and comic book
nerds (a term I use without derision) with a solid background knowledge of the
classics.
