BFI Modern Classics: The Matrix

by J.D. Lafrance

J.D. Lafrance , a film critic from Canada, is currently researching and writing a book on the films of Michael Mann. He writes weekly DVD reviews for the online film magazine WhatDVD and has a regular column, entitled "Cinematic Pleasures," for the online pop culture magazine, Erasing Clouds.

So much has been written about The Matrix (1999) and its sequels (there are entire websites devoted to discussing them) that any new book analyzing the film is approached with some trepidation. What is there left to say that has not already been discussed in great detail? Joshua Clover’s book, under the British Film Institute Modern Classics imprint, acknowledges this as an obvious caveat but is it able to say something new about this popular film?

The Matrix is about the awakening of Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves), an office drone by day, super hacker by night and his quest to find the elusive hacker cum international terrorist known only as Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne). They eventually meet and Morpheus explains to Anderson that he is actually living in a virtual construct known as The Matrix and offers to help him wake up to what is really going on: a nightmare world ravaged by machines who harvest humans for energy. Thomas Anderson is resurrected as Neo and heralded as a savior against the oppressive machines.

Clover begins by tackling the film’s famous special-effects—specifically bullet time—and points out that The Matrix did not pioneer it as is popularly thought (that honor belongs to Smirnoff and Gap ads). However, Clover argues that the film's innovation lies in “the wedding of bullet time and wire fighting...a little robotics, a little kung fu.”

He displays a good sense of humor as well. Keanu Reeves’ acting style, in particular his reactions to others, is described as being “so minimal they can verge on the autistic, which sometimes leads to the sensation that his character is simply incapable of registering what’s happening to him.” Clover argues that this made Reeves the ideal choice for The Matrix because his role calls for androgynous blankness that the actor personifies so well. Thomas Anderson is a superficial construct with no real experiences. Once he is awakened and becomes Neo, he must have skills uploaded into his brain.

Clover examines the film’s legacy and influence, which Neo’s closing soliloquy seems to anticipate: fashion, commercials and countless cinematic imitators, including two more sequels. However, he also points out that Neo’s parting words are “a promise that the film is not a vision of the future, but a start to it.”

The Matrix is a dazzling blend of science fiction, kung fu movies and video games. Clover examines their influence on the movie and how, in turn, it has influenced them. The Matrix simultaneously revels in their visceral, entertaining aspects (the numerous fist fights and gun battles) and aspires to transcend them by immersing the viewer in religious and philosophical concepts. Clover argues that, in many respects, The Matrix is the ultimate video game movie. It completely immerses the characters and the audience in a digital world but with graphics and imagery more detailed then in any game. The audience identifies with Thomas Anderson as a proficient gamer and Neo as the ultimate game character.

Clover hits a lull in Chapter Three, “Bad Digital,” when he discusses The Matrix in relation to the work of post-modern philosopher Jean Baudrillard, of whom the film references visually in a scene. Clover gets bogged down in philosophical ramblings and how The Matrix shares some similarities to Kathryn Bigelow’s Cyberpunk crime thriller, Strange Days (1995).

Fortunately, he gets back on track in the next chapter as he takes a look at the film’s influence on popular culture. The film grossed hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide because of the universal appeal of its genres: action and science fiction. Keanu Reeves’ presence was also crucial to the film’s success because, as Clover argues, the actor’s blankness was something audiences could identify with as they could project themselves on him. The Matrix also helped the DVD medium explode commercially by topping the home video sales charts two years in a row. Before then, no one cared about DVD sales—it was a medium in its infancy. The Matrix quickly ushered in its maturity.

What made The Matrix so special and sell so many DVDs? Clover reasons that it allowed viewers to watch the film’s breathtaking special effects in slow motion and marvel at them, reliving their favorite moments again and again like a video game. Clover writes, “We select a constructed world and its features, leap at will from scenario to scenario. And it’s within our grasp to accelerate, slow or stop the action.”

Clover’s book is well-written and structured. It does tend to get tangled in convoluted webs of philosophical digressions at times but not enough to distract from the enjoyment of the book. While Clover does not say anything new, he does provide a critical voice to counter the superficial backslapping found on the supplemental material on the DVDs or on fan websites. He also provides a convincing argument for The Matrix as an important, even landmark, cinematic achievement.