The Matrix

Well, here it is! Yay, after being forced to sit through the boring parts of Transformers, I get to watch one of my favorite films of all time! WHOO!

Trinity meets up with Neo, and we see some fantastic acting from our two leads. Sorry for the sarcasm, it's just true. But the acting's not too terrible, and it doesn't really bother me. We are left wondering what the Matrix really is when Trinity leaves. Neo wakes up late for work the next day, and gets into trouble. We learn that his real name is Mr. Thomas Anderson, something that Agent Smith will never ever let us forget.

Neo is contacted my Morpheus at his job, and is warned that people (Agents) are coming for him. He is told when and where to go in order to avoid detection. The problem with this scene is that we learn that those outside the Matrix (where Morpheus is) can only view it in code, as the image renderers work for the Matrix. So...how can Morpheus see such specific images from looking at code?

Neo tries to escape by climbing on the outside of the building, but gives up quickly, letting himself be taken by the Agents. Next comes a great interrogation scene, where our hero (Neo) and villain (Smith) meet for the very first time. Smith refers to Morpheus, the mysterious man Neo's been looking for as "the most dangerous man alive." Neo resists Smith's questions by asking for his phone call, but Smith asks what use that is if he is unable to speak, and removes his mouth.

Sorry, that's horrifying, I know. Also, it's probably Keanu's best acting moment. But, anyways, Neo wakes up, believing it all to be a dream. He's contacted by Morpheus on a tapped line and told where to meet. The movie should've ended right there, with Agents capturing them. But it doesn't.

He almost leaves, but Trinity tells him that he knows what's down that road. What, the sequels?

Anyways, they remove a tracking device from his navel which was inserted during the interrogation scene. They reach the building Morpheus is in, and Neo and him meet face-to-face. You could say it's a Face/Off... sorry for bringing up such an awful movie.

So, Neo is told that the Matrix is everywhere. That he was born into a prison, into slavery. But, no one can be told what The Matrix is, they have to see it themselves, so Neo is given the classic choice, red pill or blue pill.

(To clarify: Red pill=leaving the Matrix, blue pill=staying) Obviously, Neo takes the red pill, and is then taken to a room where he is shown the cracks in reality and ejected from the Matrix into this nightmare:

But, the Machines don't do that, and Neo is flushed down what is basically a toilet and rescued by Morpheus and his crew aboard the Nebuchadnezzar, an interesting name, but one that I'm not sure what the meaning of is. If someone knows why they chose this name, please let me know. (By the way, I already know about the biblical Nebuchadnezzar, I just don't know how the story connects.)

Neo's muscles have atrophied, so they have to electrically stimulate them to repair them. The Wachowskis have covered all the bases of his body having decayed from non-use. (As far as I know, not being a doctor.) We are introduced to the vibrant colors of this film: grays, browns, and greens. We learn that, instead of 1999, it's closer to 2199. Really interesting, fish-out-of-water angle. We're introduced to the superfluous other crew members, who nobody cares about. Who's your favorite Matrix character, little Timmy? Apoc! Shut up.

Neo flips out, and Morpheus tells him that they normally recruit young, as older minds can't handle the strain. Neo is told the legend of The One, a man born in the Matrix who could change anything within it, and that the Oracle prophesied he would be reborn.

Next, we learn that one of the memorable crew members, Tank, and his unmemorable brother, Dozer, were born outside the Matrix. Then, Neo has martial arts downloaded into his brain, prompting this iconic Keanu moment:

Then, they enter a sparring program, where Neo is taught that those who know about the Matrix can bend or break the laws of physics in order to perform impossible stunts, and that they can't get tired inside the Matrix, because they're not really exercising. The kung fu (which Keanu, of course, knows) in this movie is incredibly well-choreographed and thought out, delivering a tension-filled fight which utilizes slow motion in some of the best ways I've ever seen it used in all of cinema.

Neo moves incredibly fast, and he still doesn't believe Morpheus, somehow. He's loaded into the jump program, where he fails miserably, resulting in a clip somewhat like a Wile E. Coyote cartoon.

Everyone's disappointed, but not surprised, because nobody makes the first jump. Neo finds that he's bleeding in the real world, because his mind "made it real." So, his mind caused his lip to bleed? Okay. And if you die in the Matrix, you die in the real world. Morpheus and Neo enter another training program, where Morpheus explains that the people inside the Matrix are dangerous because they will fight to protect the system. In other words, they will "Stick to the Status Quo."

This whole exercise was showcasing that anyone in the Matrix can be your enemy. Keep your focus sharp. Eyes on the prize. Getcha head in the game. No, I won't stick that video in here, I wouldn't put two HSM songs on one post.

We learn that the Agents are the guards of the Matrix, and that no one has survived a fight with them. But Neo can become faster and stronger than them, because he doesn't have to follow the rules of the Matrix.

In the real world, we are introduced to the Sentinels, or Squiddies, which are a killing machine designed for one thing: search and destroy. The ships take them out using an EMP, but have to power down all systems first, in order to remain operational.

Next, we get a scene between Cypher (the bald one) and Neo, and Cypher explains that they have to view the Matrix in code. This scene actually makes Cypher a relatable character, and quite possibly the only one (other than Morpheus and Trinity) to really connect with Neo. This makes it all the more effective when he turns evil and betrays the crew to the Agents in the next scene so he'll be allowed back into the Matrix with his memories wiped, and as someone rich and important, like an actor. They ask him for access codes to the Zion mainframe in return, which he doesn't know, but he promises them Morpheus, who does know.