I did see Matrix this weekend, and thought it
was one of the best action films in years. The Wachowski brothers
do to the moribund action genre what they did to noir with Bound
a few years ago - breathing new life into the genre by generally
eschewing by-the-numbers plotting in favor of creating a
fascinating internal universe used as a springboard for an
efficient plot, a great build-up, and a stunning action finale.
The film certainly has weaknesses but given how
routine and poorly plotted action films have become of late, I
loved it.
I'll admit to being a fan of Jackie
Chan and (some) John Woo films, and I'm sure that does color my
appreciation for the stylized action choreography. But the Matrix
has a much strong narrative structure to it than Hong Kong action
films usually do. Chan films are episodic - the plot is a
frivolous thing that just serves to move from one elaborately
choreographed fight/stunt sequence to another. John Woo films,
like I mentioned above, often never know when to end (The Killer
is an exception to this, as is Broken Arrow). They become boring
because any sense of suspense of excitement disappears as the
hero and villain endless confront and re-confront each other.
The Matrix, however, was structured perfectly.
They hint at Neo's possible powers, and the near-invincible
abilities of the Agents, and build the story until the inevitable
confrontation, which lasts just about as long as it should. I
knew where the story was heading, and I think the film dragged a
bit in getting there, but to me the build up was worth it. Too
many films have a too-early payoff (Mask of Zorro comes to mind
here, where Banderas takes on the two villains simultanaeously,
halfway through the film, and defeats them. This makes it less
exciting when he only takes on one of them in the film's
conclusion). Other films neglect the villains (Blade comes to
mind here - Stephen Dorff is shown as being ruthless, but we are
never shown his fighting abilities). The Matrix avoided these
traps.
The film actually reminded me of Aliens in the
way the story built to its conclusion. It isn't as good as
Aliens, though (few films are). Aliens was amazingly successful
with its supporting characterization, getting a lot of mileage
out of their struggles to survive. When the supporting characters
in Matrix start getting offed, on the other hand, I didn't give a
damn, since they had been underdeveloped in favor of Larry
Fishburne making Zen-like statements on the nature of reality
("you think that's air you're breathing? hmmm")
But yeah, I have been a fan of slo-mo used for
fast action since The Six Million Dollar Man, and my gut reaction
to watching black-garbed sunglass-wearing characters kung-fu
fight and waste the opposition with two guns blazing in
well-executed action scenes is to say "cool".
I liked many things about the Matrix's story.
- The concept. The internal universe of The Matrix is fascinating. You can tell that they barely touched on it, and that there is a lot of potential for the two upcoming sequels. It is a fertile ground for a good story.
- The set-up. The rules were specified. The abilities of the heroes and villains were demonstrated. The heroes were given a believable, and appropriate level, of fear of the villains. All of this is quite basic and fundamental to making a good action film, but it is something that is quite rare lately.
- the pay-off. The film built up to the tension continually, to the inevitable showdown between Neo and the Agents. After which, the movie resolved very quickly, by the demands of the "ticking clock". Again, this is basic, but so many action films get this wrong, coming up with contrived ways to sustain the action without sustaining any of the tension.
- The plays against expectations. Very frequently, the film used our knowledge of the common cliches of action films to surprise us. For instance, think of Neo's "jump" scene. Or, how much would you have bet going in that Fishburne was going to be dead before the film ended? Everything about his character screamed that he was going to die. When they go back to rescue him, it is actually a surprise.
And this is just the story. The art direction, score, stunt work, action choreography, cinematography, etc. are all top notch. Acting is hit and miss. Nobody sucks, but almost all could have been better casted. Only Hugo Weaving really stands out.
