The Matrix (1999) ✦ Full-Length Watchalong Reaction
Added 2023-09-23 01:32:57 +0000 UTCThanks again for voting for this one in the Keanu Reeves poll that I did a few weeks ago! For those of you who didn't vote for this one, I hope you still enjoy the watchalong and/or the edited reaction! I knew of some things going into this movie, because I feel like discourse around this movie is almost harder to avoid than Star Wars or Harry Potter, but then at the same time there was so much of this movie that wasn't what I expected at all! Thank you for watching and have a fantastic weekend! Please enjoy! [Direct link here.]
✦ KL
Comments
Didn't see anyone else mention it, the 506 at the beginning could reference error code 506 which is a status code to indicate that the server has detected an internal configuration error or a conflict between two different versions of the same resource. (The Matrix vs reality)
Nathan Jasper, the Artist Formerly Known as Primary
2024-10-13 14:36:46 +0000 UTCLove this! Thanks so much!
kaiielle
2023-12-02 20:46:55 +0000 UTCsome added stuff i dont see anyone else bringing up (apologies if i just missed it) As you've probably seen the Wachowski Sisters have both since come out. they also talked about how this movie is an allegory for the Trans Experience, and its one of those things that once you know you cant unsee it. the biggest one is that Estrogen pills were red in the 90s which makes the whole "Red Pill" movement even more hilarious lol But there is a LOT more Neo always feeling like something was off, living a fake life as Thomas Anderson, while being his real self Neo as a second life, the fact that the agents refuse to call him Neo and refer to his dead name and everyone outside the matrix never uses Mr Anderson once. Switch was actually going to be a different gender in the matrix compared to out of it originally and the big one, the idea that on a dime, anyone you know/meet could turn into an Agent, aka, anyone you meet/know could react with hostility to them being trans. there are more but these are the ones off the top of my head, but yea once you know it as that its really easy to see how it all lines up anywho, great reaction and i look forward to seeing the your reaction to the sequels when they come
Tesh
2023-12-02 13:15:14 +0000 UTCWeaving, who is Australian, has lots of hidden gems over there. I also like the two films he did with Jocelyn Moorhouse, Proof (1991) and The Dressmaker (2015).
Tyler Foster
2023-09-27 17:45:43 +0000 UTCAww that's so kind of you! Thanks for watching and thanks for the info.
kaiielle
2023-09-27 17:23:57 +0000 UTCThanks for all the info! I def didn't realize there was a fourth one.
kaiielle
2023-09-27 17:23:31 +0000 UTCI instantly resubbed when I saw this reaction of yours. And I absolutely loved it! So there are 2 more movies that were made back then and 1 that came out recently. I would suggest keeping this a trilogy for now and watch the 4th one when the remaining 2 have been released and watch those as a trilogy. Currently the 4th one by itself takes away from the original trilogy. Exactly what I can't tell you because I lack the words for it. And obviously I dont wanna go on a rant and accidently spoil anything. Im glad you started this journey! Super hyped! I honestly thought you already saw these so I didn't expect this reaction at all. Have a good day!
Lifehouse
2023-09-27 16:13:39 +0000 UTCFun fact: Keanu’s stunt double for the film is Chad Stahelski … who would go on to direct Keanu in the John Wick franchise which has Matrix franchise Easter eggs/cameos. And for Hugo Weaving, one of my favorite movies he did which is such a big departure from his roles here, in the MCU, Lord of the Rings, etc. is in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
Ian Forbes
2023-09-25 14:48:48 +0000 UTCSurprised nobody else mentioned that there are actually four Matrix movies, not three. The original trilogy was released close together: The Matrix (1999), The Matrix Reloaded (2003), and The Matrix Revolutions (2003). Almost 20 years passed before Lana Wachowski, without her sister Lilly (who was making a TV show for Showtime at the time), directed the fourth Matrix movie, The Matrix Resurrections (2021). I definitely hope you watch all of them. Also, if it doesn't scandalize you too much as it's quite risque, I also recommend what is, IMO, still their best movie, the 1996 neo-noir thriller Bound. In the feature-length documentary The Matrix Revisited, which was filmed while they were working on the first two sequels (which shot back-to-back), I believe they say that they took The Matrix script to Warner Bros. and that while WB wanted to make the movie, they wouldn't give such a complex movie to first-time filmmakers. So The Wachowskis wrote Bound in like a week and then went and made it, and then came back to Warner, who then agreed to let them direct The Matrix based on the strength of that film. Bound wasn't a commercial hit ($7m on a $6m budget) but it is recognized as one of the major important queer movies of the '90s (even moreso since both Wachowskis have come out as trans). That said, I really recommend basically all of The Wachowskis' movies. Lots of people have advocated for V For Vendetta, which they wrote and produced (and are rumored to have ghost directed at least partially), so I'll throw out that Speed Racer (2008) is an underrated masterpiece.
Tyler Foster
2023-09-25 00:10:38 +0000 UTCThe film is Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” with guns. Seriously though, the stated intentions of the creators was to pack as much philosophy into a science fiction action film that they could.
Nicholas Bielik
2023-09-24 23:23:43 +0000 UTCOh my gosh Happy early Anniversary! That's amazing.
kaiielle
2023-09-24 18:33:03 +0000 UTCThis takes me back to the early days of dating my now husband. I saw this movie for the first time on VHS at his place after we had been out for dinner, it was fantastic and still a favorite movie to rewatch in our house! Next month we will celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary, we have actually known each other/been together for 24ish years. Great reaction for you and even better memories for me. Have a great week!!!
CheshireKat528
2023-09-24 17:46:34 +0000 UTCThat's very cool, thanks for sharing! I love that the training for this movie is what got Keanu a new hobby/obsession. So fun.
kaiielle
2023-09-24 15:07:31 +0000 UTCThose sound like fun comics!
kaiielle
2023-09-24 15:06:41 +0000 UTC"Bullet Time" as they call it, the slow-mo effect where the camera appears to move really fast but everything else is in slow-motion, this was the very first motion picture to use that to such great effect. This movie came at a perfect time where digital cameras became cheap and fast enough that it was possible. There are a couple more "action-movie staples" that feel almost cliché now, that The Matrix actually popularized in Western movies. A lot of inspiration was taken from anime and Eastern martial arts movies. The second Matrix movie is my personal favourite, though the first is generally considered the best. You wondered how long the actors trained for the fight scenes; Over half a year of training, both martial arts and weapons training. Every actor/character had their own martial arts specialties, but for example Keanu Reeves focussed on jiu-jitsu, wushu, boxing, and krav maga. It was the start of a lifelong obsession for Keanu, and a large part of why he is now also so well known for his portrayal of John Wick. As mentioned by others, you'd love V for Vendetta with Hugo Weaving.
Onno Smits
2023-09-24 01:00:03 +0000 UTCJust finished my watch. Loved your reaction. You definitely came across as awestruck by the effects and what I will call philosophical questions of reality it raised. I enjoyed your reaction on the soundtrack as much as the images on the screen. Now that you’ve dipped your toe into these s I-fi franchises, you might appreciate something for comics. Back in the 90’s both Robocop and Terminator had comics published within their respective universes. They were also brought together in Robocop vs. Terminator where it was revealed Skynet owed some of its evolution to the science pioneered in making Murphy a cyborg. I no longer own them and haven’t read them in 30ish years, but I like to think that Robocop’s cyborg schematics helped Skynet. I also like to think this is the future if the resistance under a John Connor fails to stop Skynet. The computers take over, use our BTUs for energy and John and Sarah’s efforts are lost to time.
Bryan Dempsey
2023-09-23 20:04:07 +0000 UTCI definitely didn't miss any of their buildup, I just didn't feel there was enough of it. But I have had this criticism before. When things (to me), feel too much like "We need to have the male and female lead fall in love with each other", it's slightly off-putting. But it depends how it's done. I'm picky about it, and I'll admit that LOL. V for Vendetta is one I'd like to watch one day and it's been suggested a few times on my form! And LOOOOL to your last comment. I hope so too.
kaiielle
2023-09-23 16:53:25 +0000 UTCWhat did you end up deciding? 👀
kaiielle
2023-09-23 16:51:56 +0000 UTCYes, I'm excited to rewatch again through editing.
kaiielle
2023-09-23 16:51:46 +0000 UTCYes, it's definitely an iconic 90s movie I think!
kaiielle
2023-09-23 16:51:36 +0000 UTCI still want to watch Bram Stoker's Dracula eventually. 😅 Love that this movie was so fun for you! Thanks for sharing your experience.
kaiielle
2023-09-23 16:51:24 +0000 UTCLOL amazing.
kaiielle
2023-09-23 16:50:55 +0000 UTCI didn't miss all the hints and such to their kiss buildup, I just didn't feel it was *enough*, personally. I've had this minor criticism with some other movies in the past, tbh. It feels too much like there is pressure to have the male and female lead have romantic feelings for one another to make a certain audience enjoy it more, I dunno. 😂
kaiielle
2023-09-23 16:50:35 +0000 UTCAre you saying you don't believe in true love's kiss? lol. There wasn't a lot of buildup between them. Definitely some sexual chemistry, but there were hints. You'll probably notice more in your editing rewatch. In the opening when Trinity is talking to Cipher, he's poking fun at her for watching Neo so much. Plus in a lot of their scenes she gets real close to him. I hate to say this is one of those movies that I didn't give much credit to when it was advertised. Keanu was known mostly from the Bill & Ted movies at that point. He had done a few sci-fi and action films that were mostly mediocre (Speed, Point Break, Johnny Mnemonic, not to mention Bram Stoker's Dracula) So I wasn't a huge fan. But once I finally got around to watching it I was blown away like so many others. The "bullet time" camera shots started to become huge after this film. The next 2 sequels are worth a watch as well. They don't quite capture the same magic and fun as the first one, but they're still good. Especially if you love the more philosophical undertones of this one.
Marty McGee
2023-09-23 05:00:51 +0000 UTCThe 3rd movie is my favorite for spoiler reasons. When I was a kid I had a teacher who's last name was Anderson. So I loved mimicing Agent Smith's voice and saying Mr Anderson.
Yoshi1990
2023-09-23 04:50:34 +0000 UTCGot dragged to the theater to see this one, thinking 'this is going to be a piece of sci-fi Keanu Reeves (whoa!) dogshit.' Then the lights went down and the movie started, and holy fucking crap...I think this was what it was like for an older generation sitting in the theaters watching Star Wars for the first time. To just have your mind, and your expectations, completely warped and transmogrified before your very eyes. My friends and I went back a few times, and kept watching it when it came out on DVD (yes, I'm old). It didn't get old or repetitious because there was so much wonder and artistry in it. I'll keep my lid zipped on the sequels...but this one changed things. It opened up possibilities, and imaginations. It made going to the movies fun again. It reminded us that new things are possible. And Keanu Reeves...fuck yeah, Keanu Reeves. It's not his fault Francis Ford Coppola cast him in Bram Stoker's Dracula.
Steve Mercier
2023-09-23 02:52:40 +0000 UTCThe last futuristic action movie Keanu had done before this was Johnny Mnemonic, which I wasn't a fan of, and when I saw the trailer for this one during the superbowl, I remember thinking it looked cool but was probably another bad sci fi movie. I didn't even plan to watch it, I just happened to be at the mall, we got bored and there was a midnight showing for it so we went in and was just totally blown away. I saw it four more times in the theater... it was one of the first DVDs I ever bought and just couldn't get enough of this movie. And the fact that you knew some parts of it is a testament to how iconic it was in the pop cultural space.
Joits
2023-09-23 02:31:58 +0000 UTCWhen I first saw the Matrix it blew my mind 🤯 It took me a couple of watches to fully get it. It was also the first time I was introduced introduced to the concept that life as we know it could be a simulation
Future_Boy85
2023-09-23 02:21:14 +0000 UTCPanicking because it is bedtime. And work starts in 9 hours. Aw, jeez, do I watch this tonight, or tomorrow?
Richard Flores
2023-09-23 02:17:55 +0000 UTCHeck yeah!
Bryan Dempsey
2023-09-23 01:36:55 +0000 UTCClosing out of Starfield to watch this now. Thanks so much, KL! Edit after watching: I do understand your feelings of the buildup between Trinity and Neo. It can definitely feel like a stretch, I feel like it starts actually pretty strong in the club after Neo follows the white rabbit and they meet up and they are having the conversation in each other's ears as it feels very intimate in that moment, but then it peels back quite a bit for the remainder of the film. However, Trinity is dropping small hints about her potential feelings throughout that are easier to see, after you're aware of them. Hugo Weaving is one of my absolute favorite actors. Although his role here was absolutely phenomenal, my favorite role of his is in another of the Wachowski sisters' films (at least they wrote it) - V for Vendetta. Masterclass performance and another story that they wrote in which we can see mirrored in today's world. Lastly, the one small thing that I get a kick out of from a lot of the "manosphere"/"red pill" groups (mostly the Andrew Tate types) that speak about "being out of The Matrix" and "being taken down by The Matrix" when they are held accountable for their horrible actions is that they are buying into a sci-fi story written by two trans women. And I hope that bugs the ever-living shit out of them.
Dan Dedrick
2023-09-23 01:35:04 +0000 UTC
