Does "The Matrix" still hold up for you?

Or is it dated, stiff and seems silly now?

Ive never been the biggest Keanu Reeves fan as far as acting goes, though I admire him as a person.

"The Matrix" was an exception though. When it came out it was the cutting edge of effects, had a cool and timely storyline and was just cool as ice cool.

As the 20th anniversary of the movie passes by does the movie hold up to its 1999 legendary blockbuster status?

Were you a fan then but not now?

Or do you still think its an awesome movie?

I never saw "The Matrix" in the theatre. I was in college and the second movie "Reloaded" was on and other students were watching it. So I grabbed a soda and watched it also. I thought the effects were obviously cool but was completely lost thinking this was the first movie. Finally I saw the first movie and enjoyed it much more as a complete movie. I dont even think the other two were needed and may have tarnished the entire thing.

I was reading the other day a few "does it hold up" reviews. Each one seem to be scathing. From making fun of the clothes to the dialogue to the dated 90's feel; critics seem to think the movie has not dated well at all. And dismiss it.

I think that both are kind of true. It is dated in some ways. Lawd, those clothes. The music score is very 90's. The feel is very much 90's. Computers are so much a part of our lives now that we arent really threatened by them. Maybe we never were. But computers, to me, are not the subject of the movie. Its a classic good vs evil placed in a futuristic science fiction story. I kind of like it also because it *is* of the 90's. Call me sentimental, Mr. Anderson...

So whats your take?

Do you still like to take the red pill from time to time...or are you sticking with the blue one?

 

I take the red pill every so often. I love the movie! I think it’s a science fiction masterpiece with fascinating themes. Take your pick regarding themes and interpretations. At the risk of getting political, I see it as a story of how society and the corporate world has blinded us to the truth in order to use us to keep the economic conveyor belt running smoothly. In the film, people are batteries for the machines. What is the work force here in the real world? We’re figurative batteries for the machine. We’re the worker bees for the system. The rich get richer. The poor get poorer. And the corporate media keeps us in the dark about what’s really going on. That’s one interpretation, anyway.

And it’s just a damn good action flick that has aged very well, in my humble opinion.

 

You're lucky you never saw "The Lawnmower Man"!

 

I still like the first one.

 

I loved those films when they first came out but I hate them now. I don’t personally care about whether or not they seem dated. My problem has more to do with the story itself. Before I didn’t notice since I was taking it on face value but now I’m more analytical. What I once thought was genius now seems stupid.

Of course, this is just my opinion.

 

I think the first one is a classic, and was a surprise breath of fresh air in the “Summer of Star Wars”.

 

Still love the first one.

You'd think they would do something for the 20th Anniversary.

 

Still pretty good. Some dated stuff. But the cgi was ahead of the curveball at the time 20 years ago.

 

It's still a cool movie with a very distinctive look. The close ups and camera angles are western like. The effects are great. Love the script. Morpeheus is the best charcater, classic even.
The soundtrack and score is probably the only thing that I thought could be better or different.

 

I'm taking the red pill, but they could pretty much burn the sequels for all I care. Total wastes of time to me. Loved the first film.

I've watched that "Neo & Trinity Battle Scene" where they attack the lobby of the building, shooting up the Agents with about 150 automatic weapons, about 50 times.



That is a damned good scene, jaw-dropping back in 1999. (Jump to 1:23 if you want to bypass the intro.) I think the audience I was with 20 years ago applauded by the time the two lead characters made it to the elevator.

 

The first one is a classic and invented a new style of shooting (slow motion, flying with wires) in american action movies. Great story, great look, great action scenes, great camera.

The 2nd one had some good scenes, but boring overall.

The 3rd one was a disaster.

 

It's still a great sequence. Despite the annoying music

 

Some scientists and philosophers seem to appreciate the concept. From Business Insider:

'The Matrix' hit theaters 20 years ago. Many scientists and philosophers still think we're living in a simulation.

 

A few cool action scenes but too much pseudo intellectual mumbo-jumbo nonsense and poorly written/developed characters. Could have been much better if it was written and directed by someone else.

 

Didn’t like it at the time. Haven’t seen it in many years, but can’t imagine my opinion has changed any.

Fassbinder’s World on a Wire is a much more interesting take on the same premise.

 

The sequels most certainly, but the 1999 original film? I would strongly beg to differ; it's one of the few films that I would say is practically flawless in both concept and execution, and how many films can you say that about?

And it still holds up today as effectively as it did upon initial release... fashions and technology changes but quality endures.

Here endeth the lesson.

 

Matrix is one of the few Science Fiction movies which looks great today, like Alien (1979), Blade Runner or 2001: A Space Odyssey.

 

The first Matrix film is a classic. I would like to see the sequels re-edited into one film.

 

I think that young viewers can't really understand how much of a revolution and a shock the first Matrix was at the time. It was really groundbreaking. On the other hand, the sequels were a huge disappointment.

 

I enjoyed all three movies. Still do.

 

Most sequels are bad, see Alien, Indiana Jones, Terminator, Matrix and others.... one of the better sequels is Bourne.

 

No, I never liked it at all. I thought it was a half-ass Phillip Dick premise with cheesy videogame effects. The fetish costumes and pretentious airs render it completely unwatchable. And I've had to suffer through it three or four times, since friends inevitably screen this when they do a major A/V upgrade -- because I like science fiction, right?

 

As long as you don't take it too seriously it's good.

 

No, I think they're garbage. I liked the first one when I saw it, but subsequent views have left me cold. The sequels are awful.

And I say this as a big Keanu Reeves fan. "The Matrix" is his worst franchise (but probably his most lucrative in terms of $; in fact I bet it's not even close).

 

"The Matrix" is an original idea and a brilliant one IMO, the execution is not it's equal but it is what we have.