"Science-fiction not only shows us the future, it shows us ourselves." — James Pinkerton
With its tale of a world in which people are at the mercy of machines, 1999’s “The Matrix” pulsates with Y2K paranoia. Now, exactly 15 years after its release, the film’s prophecy of technological slavery has largely come true. But while it explores timely and popular sci-fi themes, “The Matrix” ultimately exudes a timeless, universal power.
Keanu Reeves stars as lowly computer programmer Thomas Anderson by day, hacker (alias Neo) by night. His transition from code-writing cog to Internet hacker foreshadows his later transformation from a slave of the system/reality to a rebel who breaks its barriers.
Online terrorist Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and fellow hacker Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) expose Neo to the truth that the world is not unlike the code he programs, a system of control. Reality as he knows it is actually a simulation called the Matrix, a world humans dream of while machines use their sleeping bodies for energy.
As Mike Jay explores in “The Reality Show,” psychoanalyst Victor Tausk categorized this kind of idea as an example of “the influencing machine phenomenon” — schizophrenics’ fear that their minds and bodies were under the control of advanced technologies. Tausk chalked that scenario up to an external cause schizophrenics invented to explain their inner turmoil. Jay suggests that in today’s world, people do not need to “invent” a reason for their fear of being subdued by simulated reality and manipulated by technology; there is proof of it.
Like the characters in “The Matrix,” most of us now find ourselves occupied by simulated societies, engaging with the tantalizingly connected community of Facebook, unaware that we are allowing this virtual world to keep us away from the real one. We live in a media-saturated society defined by diversions and illusions of reality, community, intimacy, identity. As Jay writes, “We Skype with two-dimensional facsimiles of our friends, and model idealized versions of ourselves for our social profiles. Avatars and aliases allow us to commune at once intimately and anonymously. We manipulate our identities and are manipulated by unknown others. We cannot reliably distinguish the real from the fake.”
The real world outside the simulation of the Matrix is a darkly dazzling dystopia — a rotting wasteland whose rust you can feel scraping beneath your fingers. Squid-like machines called Sentinels live up to their name, watching over this world, swimming through its dark tunnels in search of conscious humans. In the Matrix, black-suit-and-sunglasses-wearing authority figures called Agents essentially serve the same function. As leader Agent Smith, Hugo Weaving brings magnetic menace and sardonic wit.
Like the most powerful works of sci-fi, “The Matrix” immerses you in a rich, tactile world and evokes a moment-to-moment sense of discovery — from its unsettling ideas to its exhilarating action scenes. Unlike the recent slew of chaotic messes masquerading as action films, “The Matrix” offers vivid, indelible setpieces that capture and envelop you in moments usually lost in the chaos, such as slowing down to watch bullets fly. In terms of its action, the film has an embarrassment of riches — gritty yet graceful martial arts fighting, white-knuckle foot chases, stunning shootouts, and a helicopter rescue to boot!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggFKLxAQBbc&w=500&h=315]
Behind all of its striking sci-fi spectacles, dazzling action, and existential ideas, “The Matrix” is a touching tale of a man learning to believe in himself. As Neo investigates whether he is "the One" fit for freeing humanity from the Matrix, he shows much doubt. Late in the film, he meets with an oracle, who utters, "Know thyself" — confidence that writer-directors Andy and Larry (now Lana) Wachowski exude in this stunning sophomore effort.
The key to "knowing thyself" is searching for the truth of the world around you, and that's precisely what this film does. The best films not only transport us to thrilling worlds; they offer new perspectives of our own. Eye candy injected with existentialism, popcorn entertainment fused with philosophy, "The Matrix" not only emerged as one of the best films of the '90s; it proved to be a prophecy for the world today.