The Sci-Fi Classic On Netflix Is Better Without Sequels

Seeing it for the first time in my early 20s, I found myself immediately identifying with Neo (Keanu Reeves) as he seems trapped in an office job. The escape that he is offered by Morpheus is one that not only freed him from the droll life he was living, but also worked to free him from the actual bonds attached to him by the Sentinels. When the concept behind The Matrix began to unfold before my eyes, I had the realization that I was watching a film like nothing else I had seen in my massive sci-fi library.

The Matrix does what I believe every science fiction film or book should do, vault the consumer out of their reality into ones that only exist on the fringes of the human imagination. The film’s ability to make sense of why we sometimes feel bogged down while simultaneously reframing the question “what else is out there” to read “what else is going on in there.” The parallels to the philosophy behind Rene Descartes “First Meditation” are as ripe in this film as ever, positing that the top layer of human existence is one that serves to distract us from what is really happening.

Aside from waxing philosophical on the various themes and symbolism within The Matrix, I watched it over and over for the incredible action sequences that were layered by film score that was riveting and adrenaline inducing. Aside from one notorious scene where Neo and Trinity wage a gun battle to end all gun battles, my favorite moment was the ending. The feeling I always had at the film’s conclusion is why I always thought making a sequel was a terrible idea.

Neo making a veiled threat through the payphone while inside the Matrix was the defining moment of the film for me, even though it occurred in its final frames. It showed he was fully aware of his power and that he was not afraid. As he takes flight and Rage Against the Machine’s “Wake Up” is played over the end credits, I’m left fulfilled every time.

The end of The Matrix leaves so much to the imagination, which is what helped to make it one of the greatest final moments in sci-fi films. Has Neo figured out how to master invincibility within the Matrix? Will the Sentinels revive and grow even stronger? The possibilities were seemingly endless.

The decision to create sequels was a great financial strategy as the second installment nearly doubled its predecessor’s box office returns. The third film was still a success, though far off the mark of the previous movie. By the time The Matrix Resurrections was released in 2021, audiences seemed to have had enough, though, as this film bombed.

The box office returns of the second and third films aside, the continuation of the storyline established in the first film lacked the original’s imagination and energy disrupted the balance necessary for great storytelling. Audiences want some explanation but going too deep in the weeds with the inner workings (as the second and third films did) ruined it.

I love the music, the action, and the brilliant storytelling behind the film. And while Keanu Reeves might have the acting ability of a stump, he was fun to see in this role. Carrie-Anne Moss’s performance was something to behold, as was Laurence Fishburne.

GFR SCORE

The Matrix will still be a 4.5/5.0-star film for me, no matter how many sequels they make. As for the other films, I choose to take this blue pill and will wake up and hopefully believe that they were all part of a bad dream.

You can stream The Matrix on Netflix.