Whenever my friends would ask me if I’d ever seen The Matrix-and I responded no- they’d react as if I had sinned! To be honest I hadn’t even heard of this movie until 8th grade. So when I heard they were going to play the movie, I just had to go and see what all the fuss was about. I really expected more. I could understand why the film was so successful and why its legacy still continues, however, it really didn’t impress me as much as I’d expected it to (I guess a major reason why is because I’m watching the film 18 years later).

Here’s why:

The graphics seemed tacky and outdated (again, mostly attributed to the fact that I’m watching this 18 years later). The slow motion scenes with the ‘futuristic’ music playing in the background and the overdramatic pauses and lines just didn’t sell it to me. I think the most laughable scene was when Trinity and Neo had their major battle against ‘the bad guys’, in which of course, not a single shot hit them, despite their overexposure. Considering the movie started with a complex idea, I kind of expected it to end with a more complex scene. . . not just a fight scene. I also didn’t appreciate Trinity’s role in the movie. Yes, she seemed like a badass and a woman in control of her own destiny, but throughout the film she was a very static character with short lines throughout different scenes. Her only purpose was to ‘save’ Neo and confirm that he was the one.

Perhaps some of you may argue that I lack taste or appreciation for what this film represents, but here are some things I did like:

I appreciated what this film could symbolize. We are all so consumed within this ‘matrix’ living our lives day to day without stopping to question why and what could be beyond. What is our role within this capitalistic society? Are we just machines to meant to produce and maintain larger corporations and entities? If it came down to it, would we be willing to choose the pill that exposes an ugly truth or the pill that allows us to live blissfully ignorant? As constantly emphasized within sociological teachings, societies create their own social constructs which we perceive to be reality. But what would be of us if we were able to bend the spoon? What if we were able to recognize that the spoon is just a product of our imaginary creation and the only reason we can’t bend the spoon is because our social construct tells us we cannot. Now this, this was interesting.

Similar to works of literature and art, I could see how this film might have inspired other films and stories that follow this narrative (i.e. I thought a lot about Inception). I understand why this might be such a staple film.

Regardless, it’s satisfying to finally be able to say I watched the movie (and be able to understand all the memes related to this film).