Full Review of the Matrix
So Rob and I saw the new Matrix movie last night at 10 pm before the majority of the world. Yay us...except for the movie wasn't that great.
I think my main problem with the movie was that I focused in on the plot and tried to understand. I don't think it is meant to be comprehended. I think it's a bunch of intelligent ideas thrown together in a cheesy way that contradict and being too much ended up making no sense.
I like intelligent movies. This was not. I also like when ideas are introduced to you subtlety in a way that makes you believe you knew it all along. That is genius to me. I also like mindless movies too. But the ground rules have to set it up as that. This was not promoted as such, so I couldn't get into the action that way. The only time I really enjoyed the movie was when I forget it all during the highway scene.
As far as the action scenes went, I wasn't that impressed. I was entertained but only for a little compared to the whole of the movie.
I don't understand why they didn't hire real martial artists for the parts. Usually they get "actors" because martial artists mostly can't act or so they say. Moss and Reeves can't act at all. They also can't kick or punch right. Their moves are a parody of what Western audiences think martial arts are. The fights scenes are "special" just because of what the computer can do. Take away the computer effects and also the harnesses, and the fight scenes would be nothing at all.
I thought the acting was bad. I haven't seen worse acting in an action movie since the last Star Wars flick. Yes, I know you don't go for action movies for the acting, but this built itself up as more than just a simple fighting movie and maybe if most of the characters weren't based on stereotypes, it wouldn't be as painful.
I wanted Trinity to die. Yeah, I did. They used the "free will" argument to explain her choice of going to the apartment after Neo. But according to Greek myths, you can't stop a prophecy and if you try to, it's just going to make the way you get to that point worse. In Oedipus Rex, he was going to marry his mother and kill his father no matter what, but because he tried to avert his destiny, he only made it worse.
We never saw Trinty die in Neo's dream. She just fell. Maybe she would have lived if Neo had been in honest and trusted her about what he saw in his dreams. Trust in the movies was secondary to the theme of anti-authority. But instead, we get crap about choice, her dying and Neo brings her back to life since he loves her so much and blah blah blah. What the fuck?
I hope the brothers who directed this didn't fall the George Lucas way. After the first Star War, Lucas knew his limitations as a director and writer, and had someone else direct the new two and other writers to help him write. Those two were the best of the series. But for some reason now, he thinks he has talent and can do the the next two by himself, the end result being they're empty.
I liked the first movie a lot. The main themes of anti-authority and choice and trust mixed in with Greek legend and Alice in Wonderland mythology. There were other references but they didn't distract. Some of it was too forward (I prefer "show" not "tell") and the dialog seemed forced, but on the whole, the story was alright. And the action was great. It fit in, it was exciting. That was a good movie. The new one is not.
And one last thing, the Wachowski brothers did not invent stop-motion or bullet-time.
I think my main problem with the movie was that I focused in on the plot and tried to understand. I don't think it is meant to be comprehended. I think it's a bunch of intelligent ideas thrown together in a cheesy way that contradict and being too much ended up making no sense.
I like intelligent movies. This was not. I also like when ideas are introduced to you subtlety in a way that makes you believe you knew it all along. That is genius to me. I also like mindless movies too. But the ground rules have to set it up as that. This was not promoted as such, so I couldn't get into the action that way. The only time I really enjoyed the movie was when I forget it all during the highway scene.
As far as the action scenes went, I wasn't that impressed. I was entertained but only for a little compared to the whole of the movie.
I don't understand why they didn't hire real martial artists for the parts. Usually they get "actors" because martial artists mostly can't act or so they say. Moss and Reeves can't act at all. They also can't kick or punch right. Their moves are a parody of what Western audiences think martial arts are. The fights scenes are "special" just because of what the computer can do. Take away the computer effects and also the harnesses, and the fight scenes would be nothing at all.
I thought the acting was bad. I haven't seen worse acting in an action movie since the last Star Wars flick. Yes, I know you don't go for action movies for the acting, but this built itself up as more than just a simple fighting movie and maybe if most of the characters weren't based on stereotypes, it wouldn't be as painful.
I wanted Trinity to die. Yeah, I did. They used the "free will" argument to explain her choice of going to the apartment after Neo. But according to Greek myths, you can't stop a prophecy and if you try to, it's just going to make the way you get to that point worse. In Oedipus Rex, he was going to marry his mother and kill his father no matter what, but because he tried to avert his destiny, he only made it worse.
We never saw Trinty die in Neo's dream. She just fell. Maybe she would have lived if Neo had been in honest and trusted her about what he saw in his dreams. Trust in the movies was secondary to the theme of anti-authority. But instead, we get crap about choice, her dying and Neo brings her back to life since he loves her so much and blah blah blah. What the fuck?
I hope the brothers who directed this didn't fall the George Lucas way. After the first Star War, Lucas knew his limitations as a director and writer, and had someone else direct the new two and other writers to help him write. Those two were the best of the series. But for some reason now, he thinks he has talent and can do the the next two by himself, the end result being they're empty.
I liked the first movie a lot. The main themes of anti-authority and choice and trust mixed in with Greek legend and Alice in Wonderland mythology. There were other references but they didn't distract. Some of it was too forward (I prefer "show" not "tell") and the dialog seemed forced, but on the whole, the story was alright. And the action was great. It fit in, it was exciting. That was a good movie. The new one is not.
And one last thing, the Wachowski brothers did not invent stop-motion or bullet-time.