The Matrix
A groundbreaking film when it first came out, The Matrix harnessed popular culture by referencing Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz and then spawned numerous memes and cultural references.
With a brilliantly imaginative and intelligent script by the Wachowskis, superb direction that, with fight choreographer Yuen Wo Ping, married wuxia with Hollywood's finest visual effects, creating the spectacular 'bullet time' sequences, the film is a visual treat. The aesthetic choices and designs, particularly the costumes, still look incredibly cool and stylish.
In terms of the casting, everyone in the major roles is perfect: Laurence Fishburne gives Morpheus the necessary gravitas and authority, Keanu Reeves is appropriately wide-eyed and confused as Thomas Anderson and Neo, the computer hacker for seeking Morpheus and answers about what 'The Matrix' is, before being freed and burdened with the expectations that he is 'the One', mankind's saviour who will end the war with the machines, before realising his potential. There is great support from Joe Pantoliano as the treacherous Cypher, Hugo Weaving as the deadly computer program Agent Smith, and Carrie-Anne Moss, an actor plucked from relative obscurity to play Trinity, a skilled fighter, loyal crew member on the Nebuchadnezzar hovercraft ship, and Neo's love interest. Of all the fine performances, hers is probably the most surprising and impressive.
I've seen this countless times since watching it at the cinema as it's a brilliant mix of popcorn entertainment and intelligent, thoughtful scriptwriting which incorporates philosophical and religious themes to create something a step above the standard story for a sci-fi-action movie.
Watching the 4K Ultra HD disc today was a fantastic experience because the picture quality is exceptional, better than I expected, and the Dolby Atmos soundtrack makes the viewing experience even more involving and exciting than on any other home video format.
The Matrix Reloaded
It was almost impossible for any sequel to live up to the expectations left by the Wachowskis at the end of The Matrix, a film which took the world by storm and created diehard fans who analysed and interpreted the many mythological or spiritual elements in the 1999 film's screenplay.
There are many who feel The Matrix Reloaded is a huge disappointment, a sequel that is a pale shadow of its predecessor. I'm one of the few who think it is almost as good as The Matrix, and is a genuinely intelligent and exciting film. The cast are just as good as the first film, if not better, thanks to sizeable roles for Monica Bellucci, Jada Pinkett Smith, Harold Perrineau, Gina Torres, Lambert Wilson, and Essie Davis
This is a film which treats its audience as intelligent adults who want to grapple with its philosophical concepts (determinism versus free will and choice), making Neo's conversations with the Oracle and the Architect deep and challenging interactions that benefit from repeated viewings. The Wachowskis no doubt hoped audiences enjoy every minute of the highway sequence, a phenomenal piece of action filmmaking that thrilled me as much yesterday as it did in the cinema nearly 20 years ago and, with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, it's an AV treat and reference quality material for any 4K home cinema setup.
As with the first film, there are moments of heartfelt emotion, glee, and almost disbelief at the scale of the visual carnage which CGI has made possible. The 'To Be Concluded' ending was an audacious cliffhanger and a benefit of making the two sequels back to back so the final instalment could be released very soon after the second film (they were in cinemas about six months apart, an appropriate gap) – I intend to watch it a little later today.
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