The Matrix

Naturally, I had to write a review of this film at some point. The problem with writing one is that most people have seen it. So, I'm going to go a little deeper into theory in this review than I would have normally, and only because we've reached the point in my film class where the ideas behind the The Matrix's screenplay have become clear. In high school or college I never took a class that read Plato's Republic or discussed Plato's Cave. I wish I had -- the similarities between the cave and the cinema are astonishing. The fire throwing shadows of the puppets on the wall, the chained spectators, the "truth" just down the corridor in the real world. Sounds like the cinema to me! I suspect most film theory profs use The Matrix as an example of Plato's Cave, both in terms of the film as a product and its content. It's immediately apparent that the Wachowski brothers read their Plato before writing the screenplay. For instance, when Neo meets Morpheus for the first time, Morpheus asks Neo if he believes in fate, to which Neo answers no because he prefers to believe he's in control of his life. Morpheus spills the news that he's been living in a world in which he has had no control at all, and would Neo like to know what the REAL world is? In other words, the world beyond the Cave, the world that holds the "truth," the world that is not cinema, to take the argument full circle. There are numerous instances of the Cave in the first half of the film (the latter half can be described as spectacular, and with fewer examples of the theory that grounds the film), as well as examples of Freud's theories of dream and how they relate to cinema. Obviously, I could go on and on, but I'll stop here and save you from the rest of this palaver. Suffice it to say, it was eye-opening for me to view this genre- bending, special-effects-heavy film in a new light. I highly recommend first viewings for those who've never seen it, and further viewings for those who've seen it before. I'd be interested to hear your reactions on how the film affects you, with this added knowledge under your belt. (Don't worry, you can scoff at all of this. Some of the psychoanalytic film theory we've read is just pure babble to me!)

year: 1999
length: 136 min.
rating: 4.0
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/combined