Really good noodles

13 years ago to the day, the world was given its first glimpse of Andy and Larry Wachowski’s science-fiction vision – The Matrix.

In the time since, the very landscape of cinema has changed – its state altered irrevocably by the challenging philosophies and unique visual stylings of the film. Its influence can be felt throughout Hollywood, thanks to its popularisation of various elements – cyberpunk, slow-motion, martial arts set pieces, and so on. Slow-motion editing certainly underwent a massive uprising in mainstream action cinema after The Matrix, as can be seen in the films of Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen, Sucker Punch), Michael Bay (Transformers) and Guy Ritchie (Sherlock Holmes), among others. Meanwhile other films share numerous similarities with The Matrix in their shared themes and designs and action sequences, such as Equilibrium, Sucker Punch and Inception.

But that’s not to say The Matrix is the main source or creator or First Cause of all these elements. Far from it. The Matrix is undeniably a product of a mass of influences and borrowed ideas, reaching vastly across cinema history. Drawing from Japanese martial arts films to infuse its combat scenes with an awe-inspiring grace and flow, the chaos and destruction of the gunfights is contrasted sharply with the slow elegance of the protagonists’ martial arts to forge a unique blend. And slow motion seems to be everywhere now, perhaps thanks to The Matrix, but it certainly wasn’t the first film to make notable use of it. Famed scenes from the likes of Sam Peckinpah, Akira Kurosawa, James Cameron and Quentin Tarantino all precede the Wachowskis’, but none really gave it the revolutionary push that The Matrix did. Cyberpunk also existed before 1999, in print, and in films like Blade Runner, Videodrome, and Akira. But what makes The Matrix so important and enduring, is the way in which all these aspects have been combined into one original package.

And therein lies the success of The Matrix. For mainstream Western cinema, it really was unlike anything most people had seen before. So it became a sort of benchmark for future action and sci-fi films. In particular, its influence can be felt in Kurt Wimmer’s Equilibrium.  Y’know, I’ve seen people argue about whether or not that particular film was influenced by The Matrix, and some seem to get really defensive and militant about comparisons between the two, which I don’t really understand. If you ask me, while the two are very separate, individual films that explore different ideas in different ways, there are similarities that can’t be ignored. The dystopian future, the protagonist fighting for freedom, the gunfights. Yes, I know Equilibrium’s ‘gun kata’ is more John Woo and The Matrix is more kung fu, but would Equilibrium and its action really have happened without The Matrix?

Anyway, returning from that digression, what the Wachowski brothers managed to do with The Matrix was really tap into the consciousness of the generation it was aiming for. It modernised the kung fu fad of the 1970s for the 1990s audience, and brought the lesser-known themes of cyberpunk fiction and classic philosophy to the forefront of the public mind. And it did this through its use of stylistic production. Because The Matrix isn’t just an idea and an image, it’s also a brilliant piece of filmmaking. The breathtaking use of moving cameras is an exciting elevation of the action scenes, without relying on nauseating quick cuts or shaky cams, and there’s a real sense of dedication and commitment in the post-production. For example, the large scale shots, quiet-but-noticeable green tint, and slow motion help turn the diegetic world of ‘the Matrix’ into a very different world from that of the ‘real world’, which allows for a contextualisation of the astonishing sequences we see. And it’s this phenomenal achievement of technical prowess that makes The Matrix as memorable as it is. These fantastic and scarcely-believable images are etched into the minds of the viewers, giving indelible weight to the symbolism and ideology that overrides the film.

Few films can be said to have had the same cultural impact as The Matrix. Since 1999, it has cemented its position in the public consciousness and influenced an entire generation of viewers and filmmakers alike in a way that perhaps hasn’t occurred since Star Wars in 1977. Personally I credit it as the sole film that got me interested in cinema in the first place, and alongside Alien, is my joint-favourite film. I owe as much to The Matrix for inspiring and exciting the young me as millions owe to Star Wars for much the same thing. May it continue to inspire and amaze for decades to come.

AND THEY NEVER MADE ANY SEQUELS *fingers in ears* LALALALALALALA