Ok, so maybe I’m NOT out.
(And, while I tried real hard not to give anything away in my last post, if you haven’t seen Matrix Revolutions yet, and plan on seeing it, and don’t want to take a chance on finding things out you don’t want to know, well, this IS your SPOILER ALERT! Just in case you were wondering.)
One of the biggest disappointments for me in both Reloaded and Revolutions was the apparent loss of the unique vision the Wachowskis showed us in The Matrix and Bound (the low budget, lesbian/gangster flick they did to prove to the studios that they could direct). One of the things that really drew me to Bound was the fascinating way they constructed each of their shots. There’s one scene where Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly are having a phone conversation and the camera follows the phone cord from Tilly’s phone, across the floor, through the wall, up the cord on the other side and into the headset Gershon’s using. I loved that shot. And there were countless others in that film. Then along came The Matrix and you saw the same sensibility in action… each scene was constructed for maximum impact and the visuals in that film were easily as stunning as any of the ideas. (Talk of a “comic book sensibility” was common in discussing The Matrix, and there were scenes that looked like they could have come right form a comic—like the scene where they’re trying to escape by climbing through the walls of the old building their trapped in. The narrow crawlspace, framed with black on either side, carried the image of the comic book panel right into the movie, in a much subtler and more effective way than The Hulk’s obvious comic panels ever could.)
But Reloaded/Revolutions was lacking that same sensibility. Sure, there were impressive scenes in both… Keanu’s superman to the rescue moment in Reloaded probably comes closest to that comic book sensibility, and the battle for Zion, with millions of sentinels pouring into the cavern was spectacular. But nothing to compare with the vision we saw in the first Matrix, nor in Bound. It’s as if all that creative uniqueness that the Wachowskis brought to their films had been burned out of them… they’d become just another action/adventure directing team, albeit a better team than most. But the uniqueness of their directing style was diminished somehow.
As for the Battle for Zion, Dani made a really good point last night. We were talking about it and I mentioned that the scene really worked for me because there was always something going on in it… it didn’t feel like they were killing time till Neo could make his big move. Each step of the way there were people at risk, taking risks, fighting for the cause, and sometimes scoring little victories. And all these little victories (or defeats) helped to propel the scene along (in ways that the Burly Brawl and the freeway chase from Reloaded failed to do). And I mentioned that I’d heard the complaint “but what do we care what happens to a bunch of minor, secondary characters?” But she pointed out that the only way you can justify, and feel good, about Neo’s actions at the end of the film, is if you honestly care about the people of Zion. You have to feel for them and want them to win and know that they’re willing to sacrifice anything for the chance at victory, no matter how small, in order to embrace Neo’s sacrifice—a sacrifice that is essential to the arc of his character and the story. Without that scene, without those characters fighting and dying and occasionally triumphing, Neo’s actions at the end would have seemed empty and superficial… plot-driven ideas that had no real grounding in the story of these people.
Love… I mentioned love as the defining idea between the machines and the humans yesterday, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that it’s not so much the defining idea anymore. After all, as I mentioned yesterday, the two programs at the beginning of the film obviously loved their daughter (and Neo even comments on it). It’s just Agent Smith, at the end, who rejects love as something that only a human could experience. Perhaps (despite the emotionless character of the Neo/Trinity love scenes) love is going to be the defining property between humans and the machines/programs that get it and the machines and programs, like Agent Smith, that don’t get it. Perhaps, in the Matrix Online, that’s where the battle lines will end up being drawn. (See, there I go with the theories again. But hey, it’s kind of fun!)
And finally, Keanu. I know, I keep bashing him. But I have to admit that he was perfect for the role of Neo. And not just Neo of the Matrix, but Neo, throughout the course of the three films. I’ve joked about how he’s perfect for the role because there’s nothing going on behind those eyes, but, ultimately, and despite the failings of the love story angle, he IS Neo, and he did a great job with the role.
And I’ve always found it amusing that he’s starred in both the best cyberpunk movie ever (The Matrix, of course) and the worst cyberpunk film ever—Johnny Mnemonic. What a mess that movie was—the quintessential “Hey, this cyberpunk stuff is hot right now! We’ve gotta make a movie of it!” Hollywood mindset. Too bad no-one at the time could understand the concept. (And poor William Gibson… he virtually invents an entire SF genre, and the only movie made from his stories is this one. That's gotta hurt!)
(And, while I tried real hard not to give anything away in my last post, if you haven’t seen Matrix Revolutions yet, and plan on seeing it, and don’t want to take a chance on finding things out you don’t want to know, well, this IS your SPOILER ALERT! Just in case you were wondering.)
One of the biggest disappointments for me in both Reloaded and Revolutions was the apparent loss of the unique vision the Wachowskis showed us in The Matrix and Bound (the low budget, lesbian/gangster flick they did to prove to the studios that they could direct). One of the things that really drew me to Bound was the fascinating way they constructed each of their shots. There’s one scene where Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly are having a phone conversation and the camera follows the phone cord from Tilly’s phone, across the floor, through the wall, up the cord on the other side and into the headset Gershon’s using. I loved that shot. And there were countless others in that film. Then along came The Matrix and you saw the same sensibility in action… each scene was constructed for maximum impact and the visuals in that film were easily as stunning as any of the ideas. (Talk of a “comic book sensibility” was common in discussing The Matrix, and there were scenes that looked like they could have come right form a comic—like the scene where they’re trying to escape by climbing through the walls of the old building their trapped in. The narrow crawlspace, framed with black on either side, carried the image of the comic book panel right into the movie, in a much subtler and more effective way than The Hulk’s obvious comic panels ever could.)
But Reloaded/Revolutions was lacking that same sensibility. Sure, there were impressive scenes in both… Keanu’s superman to the rescue moment in Reloaded probably comes closest to that comic book sensibility, and the battle for Zion, with millions of sentinels pouring into the cavern was spectacular. But nothing to compare with the vision we saw in the first Matrix, nor in Bound. It’s as if all that creative uniqueness that the Wachowskis brought to their films had been burned out of them… they’d become just another action/adventure directing team, albeit a better team than most. But the uniqueness of their directing style was diminished somehow.
As for the Battle for Zion, Dani made a really good point last night. We were talking about it and I mentioned that the scene really worked for me because there was always something going on in it… it didn’t feel like they were killing time till Neo could make his big move. Each step of the way there were people at risk, taking risks, fighting for the cause, and sometimes scoring little victories. And all these little victories (or defeats) helped to propel the scene along (in ways that the Burly Brawl and the freeway chase from Reloaded failed to do). And I mentioned that I’d heard the complaint “but what do we care what happens to a bunch of minor, secondary characters?” But she pointed out that the only way you can justify, and feel good, about Neo’s actions at the end of the film, is if you honestly care about the people of Zion. You have to feel for them and want them to win and know that they’re willing to sacrifice anything for the chance at victory, no matter how small, in order to embrace Neo’s sacrifice—a sacrifice that is essential to the arc of his character and the story. Without that scene, without those characters fighting and dying and occasionally triumphing, Neo’s actions at the end would have seemed empty and superficial… plot-driven ideas that had no real grounding in the story of these people.
Love… I mentioned love as the defining idea between the machines and the humans yesterday, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that it’s not so much the defining idea anymore. After all, as I mentioned yesterday, the two programs at the beginning of the film obviously loved their daughter (and Neo even comments on it). It’s just Agent Smith, at the end, who rejects love as something that only a human could experience. Perhaps (despite the emotionless character of the Neo/Trinity love scenes) love is going to be the defining property between humans and the machines/programs that get it and the machines and programs, like Agent Smith, that don’t get it. Perhaps, in the Matrix Online, that’s where the battle lines will end up being drawn. (See, there I go with the theories again. But hey, it’s kind of fun!)
And finally, Keanu. I know, I keep bashing him. But I have to admit that he was perfect for the role of Neo. And not just Neo of the Matrix, but Neo, throughout the course of the three films. I’ve joked about how he’s perfect for the role because there’s nothing going on behind those eyes, but, ultimately, and despite the failings of the love story angle, he IS Neo, and he did a great job with the role.
And I’ve always found it amusing that he’s starred in both the best cyberpunk movie ever (The Matrix, of course) and the worst cyberpunk film ever—Johnny Mnemonic. What a mess that movie was—the quintessential “Hey, this cyberpunk stuff is hot right now! We’ve gotta make a movie of it!” Hollywood mindset. Too bad no-one at the time could understand the concept. (And poor William Gibson… he virtually invents an entire SF genre, and the only movie made from his stories is this one. That's gotta hurt!)
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