Before the machines rose, before we all realised there was no spoon, and before the crappy sequels, there was just The Matrix. Its sometimes hard to believe its only four years old, given how swiftly the image of Keanu Reeves in that long black leather coat became embedded in modern day cinematic iconography. But is it really as good as it now seems universally acknowledged to be, or does the downright awfulness of the rest of the trilogy just make it seem that way?
Where we enter the story, Reeves is still plugged in, as it were. Hes Thomas Anderson, the slightly boring software writer. But hes also Neo, the slightly boring computer hacker. He knows his life is incomplete in some way (perhaps he should try smiling sometimes?), but its not until he meets so-called terrorists Morpheus and Trinity (Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Ann Moss) that he realises just how right he is.
Without giving too much away, what unfolds is a battle for the future as Neo assists his new buddies in squaring up to a race of machines and virtual reality baddies who, unbeknownst to Joe Public, exercise outright control over the world as we know it. The sods.
The Matrix is one of those movies thats so packed with info, action and minutiae that its worth spending the pennies on the DVD in order to see it over and over again. Unfortunately, whilst such repeated viewings will certainly allow a better understanding of Matrix philosophising, they might also bring about the gradual dawning that this film isnt quite as superb as it first seemed. The final third veers disappointingly off into cliché, the characters are only marginally more human than their robotic foes, and taking the wooden Mr Reeves seriously is nigh-on impossible regardless of how deadpan he is in his handling of the role.
Regardless, theres plenty to enthuse over. The premise has the fresh originality many modern sci-fi outings tend to lack, theres just the right amount of action to keep the plot moving along swiftly, and Hugo Weavings Agent Smith makes for a memorable baddie. The special effects, meanwhile, are arguably the best since Terminator 2 and Jurassic Park in the first half of the 90s.
Its tough to predict whether the turgid sequels will make this original look better or worse in years to come, but right now it has to be one of the must-have DVDs for any collection.