Suggestion: The Matrix

[JaredGranda 4]

I think The Matrix is the perfect film to be discussed for inclusion into The Canon. It was a major influence on the movies of the 2000's, basically designing a new blueprint for how blockbuster action sequences would be played out in the future, and its cultural impact is undeniable.

 

The main reason I think it deserves its own episode on The Canon, however, is because it is a movie that is highly entertaining but also highly flawed, and it could be easily argued that the impact it had on the film industry was largely negative. I also know that Devin Faraci is an extreme supporter of the Wachowskis and The Matrix, and I'm very curious to see where Amy Nicholson's opinion falls in comparison to Devin's.

 

Basically, not only does The Matrix deserve to at least be considered for The Canon, I think it would make for a very entertaining episode of The Canon.

[ComedyGangBang 88]

This movie came out when I was a 13 year old boy. It meant everything to me.

[nickperkins 52]

Watched this again today after several years. I think time has actually made this movie better. This needs to be a Canon episode!

[Philly Cheesesteak 92]

How can this "not" be an episode of the Canon? This needs to discussed.

[SiSquires-Kasten 37]

It deserves to be discussed, 1000%, even though I will personally be going into the episode with a "American Beauty"/"Forrest Gump"-style "How was this movie so popular when it came out?" angle.

[Philly Cheesesteak 92]

It deserves to be discussed, 1000%, even though I will personally be going into the episode with a "American Beauty"/"Forrest Gump"-style "How was this movie so popular when it came out?" angle.

 

An odd angle, given it's fairly clear how and why something like The Matrix was so popular. It's the culmination of several geek and non-geek interests coming together (cyberpunk, anime, kung fu movies, John Woo flicks, the BDSM fetish scene, superhero comics, religion, the goth scene, etc) in a then current culture of urban middle class malaise and ennui. It's the inheritor of the likes of Blade Runner, Dune and Star Wars, a perfect blend of every geeky and nerdy love, with all the right conditions set to make it into as big as a phenomenon as its genre predecessors.

[Muthsarah 124]

*yawn*

 

Call me when they do Cloud Atlas. Now THAT would make for a great discussion.

[Philly Cheesesteak 92]

*yawn*

 

Call me when they do Cloud Atlas. Now THAT would make for a great discussion.

 

Nah. What would be more interesting? Russian Ark. Essentially covers similar thematic material, but with greater panache and cohesion.

 

Besides, I'd like some Russian cinema to make it into the Canon.

[NathanGordon 1096]

The Matrix stands so well on its own; I like that you can ignore the terrible sequels entirely. It ends on a perfect note. I don't remember walking out of the theater and saying "man, I REALLY want to know more about the convoluted mythology of this world."

 

I don't think it's possible to overstate just how influential and ubiquitous the cinematography and visual effects of this film were. You can argue about who did "bullet time" first, but The Matrix popularized it to such a degree that it was inescapable in 1999 and 2000, appearing in commercials, parodies, and becoming part of the standard visual language of action films and video games. Other visuals have stayed too, like the cascade of green ASCII characters that represent the code of the matrix itself.

 

I was a huge HK action nerd in the world 1990s and was excited about The Matrix because genius kung fu choreographer Woo Ping Yuen was on board for it. At that point, western cinema hadn't embraced the stylized fights of wuxia and Chinese kung fu flicks. The very next year, Yuen supervised the high flying wire fu of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and was then tapped by Tarantino for Kill Bill. Along with Jackie Chan, Yuen is one of the most important figures in HK action cinema to make a significant impact in Hollywood.

[Philly Cheesesteak 92]

The Matrix stands so well on its own; I like that you can ignore the terrible sequels entirely. It ends on a perfect note. I don't remember walking out of the theater and saying "man, I REALLY want to know more about the convoluted mythology of this world."

 

I don't think it's possible to overstate just how influential and ubiquitous the cinematography and visual effects of this film were. You can argue about who did "bullet time" first, but The Matrix popularized it to such a degree that it was inescapable in 1999 and 2000, appearing in commercials, parodies, and becoming part of the standard visual language of action films and video games. Other visuals have stayed too, like the cascade of green ASCII characters that represent the code of the matrix itself.

 

I was a huge HK action nerd in the world 1990s and was excited about The Matrix because genius kung fu choreographer Woo Ping Yuen was on board for it. At that point, western cinema hadn't embraced the stylized fights of wuxia and Chinese kung fu flicks. The very next year, Yuen supervised the high flying wire fu of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and was then tapped by Tarantino for Kill Bill. Along with Jackie Chan, Yuen is one of the most important figures in HK action cinema to make a significant impact in Hollywood.

 

Thank you.

[HoldenMartinson 221]

Not to beat a dead horse, but The Matrix versus Dark City, or The Matrix versus Fight Club

 

.

[Philly Cheesesteak 92]

Not to beat a dead horse, but The Matrix versus Dark City, or The Matrix versus Fight Club

 

 

There were... so many movies in the mid to late 90's with the same theme: of subversive, malleable and deceptive false realities, usually coated with a little middle class satire, a dash of gnostic subtexts, and a sprinkling of consumerist commentary. Every time.

[Marsellus_H 118]

I think I'm fine with a Matrix stand-alone episode. Although Dark City is in my books superior, it has never ever had the same cultural impact. Maybe it deserves a single episode as well, somewhere down the line?

 

By the way, the options in the voting thread should DEFINITELY be "blue pill" and "red pill".

[CarlosFerreira 20]

I think I'm fine with a Matrix stand-alone episode. Although Dark City is in my books superior, it has never ever had the same cultural impact. Maybe it deserves a single episode as well, somewhere down the line?

 

I agree. Although it's a superior film, Dark City probably does not fit in the Canon, at least until a wider audience (maybe?) finds it. It's a similar case to Repo Man - not for the Canon, but a shoe-in to a vault of eclectics.

[joel_rosenbaum 1269]

I remember back in the early aughts, a lot of discussion about Sophia Stewart -- the obscure author who saw elements of her rejected screenplays incorporated in the Matrix. I've always thought it was a coincidence, but perhaps Devin and Amy could shed some more insight.

 

Besides, even if the Wachowskis ripped her off, she can wait in line with many others. The Matrix is shamelessly derivative yet succeeds as its own work all the same.

[RobertBoberts 62]

 

 

I agree. Although it's a superior film, Dark City probably does not fit in the Canon, at least until a wider audience (maybe?) finds it. It's a similar case to Repo Man - not for the Canon, but a shoe-in to a vault of eclectics.

 

Repo Man totally belongs in the Canon!

[JimmyMecks 49]

You can divide action movies by Pre-Matix and Post-Matrix if you chose to do so, it's a landmark.

[CarlosFerreira 20]

Repo Man totally belongs in the Canon!

 

I agree - but whether or not it will ever gather the widespread recognition that would allow it to be considered canon-worthy is debatable. The film is so tongue-in-cheek, I am not sure a majority of people take kindly to it.

[JosephDaley 26]

The Wachowski Sisters absolutely deserve to be in the Canon. I'd put the entire Matrix saga in (including the Animatrix), Cloud Atlas, Bound, and Speed Racer in too if i were being greedy. They're my kind of crazy and visionary... and CHITOWN LOVE I MEAN RIGHT?

[gene_shallot 79]

*yawn*

 

Call me when they do Cloud Atlas. Now THAT would make for a great discussion.

I'd also go to bat for Speed Racer.

[Muthsarah 124]

I'd also go to bat for Speed Racer.

 

I'll take that, if that's that's the only Wachowski Starship I'm likely to get (other than boring slam-dunk Matrix). I haven't seen it [speed Racer] in any form, but I know it's a highly-controversial technical-failure, so I have no doubt it would make for a fun episode. But I've actually read Cloud Atlas, and seen it, and bought it, and seen it again. So I'm horribly biased. That could be a landmark episode, I feel, if either/both Devin and Amy were sufficiently teetering on the line, as I suspect they would be, since almost every critic was.

 

Ambitious failure? Certainly. But still easy to grok. And several movies in one. Crazy film. What more films should be.

[kubrickshines 15]

I often go back and forth between which trilogy is the millennial 'Star Wars' - the Matrix or Lord of the Rings. In the end, LotR is probably the better whole, but The Matrix is the best standalone film of all six involved. This also might be the best evidence for Davin's as-of-yet unsubstantiated claim that "1999 was the best year for movies".

[joel_rosenbaum 1269]

 

I agree. Although it's a superior film, Dark City probably does not fit in the Canon, at least until a wider audience (maybe?) finds it. It's a similar case to Repo Man - not for the Canon, but a shoe-in to a vault of eclectics.

Repo Man is a touchstone for 80s cult cinema. It's the kind of film, like They Live, that would almost certainly be enshrined in the Canon.

[T.D. 61]

I can't imagine what arguments exist against including "The Matrix" in the Canon. That movie's impact on the culture is almost incalculable, and on those grounds alone I think it's a slam dunk. Aside from that, I think it's just terrific entertainment, and even nearly 20 years later holds up incredibly well (I haven't thought too deeply about this, but I might say it's the best "hero's journey" movie since the original Star Wars).

 

I'd also 100% go to bat for Speed Racer, which is one of my all-time favorite films and the Wachowski's best. It seems ripe for Canon discussion-- it's an overlooked masterpiece that many people are finally getting around to re-evaluating. Maybe Film Crit Hulk could guest again, as it's one of his favorite movies.