I know I’ve used this space to praise David Edelstein before, but I’ll do it again: his NYT article on the Matrix is one of the clearest summaries of why the film is important without falling into marketing hyperbole. “The films that have followed in its wake don’t have the same aesthetic foundation or feel for the way bodies move in space,” he writes. “They’re simply collections of eye-popping stunts: martial arts plus special effects plus Cuisinart editing.” Whereas so many blockbusters are content to mix genres to gain audience segments (witness the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean Johnny Depp vehicle), the Matrix actually tapped into the worldview of martial arts action, Philip Dick sci-fi, and special effect film simultaneously and seemingly effortlessly. It’s distressing to see the marketing machine overhype it this time around (do we need Behind the Matrix TV documentaries before the film comes out?), because the sequel does sound promising - they should let the movie speak for itself.
No comments have been added to this post yet.