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The Matrix is one of a handful of movies I can watch over & over again and never fail to enjoy immensely. I really can't say what about it so enthralls me, except maybe pretty much everything. It's also one of two films [the other being Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure] in which I think Keanu Reeves is actually good, so that's a bonus.

This movie is loaded with delightful little tidbits that help to fully realize the extraordinary atmosphere. For instance, Switch's "Listen to me, coppertop," shortly before Trinity removes the creepy thing from Neo's gut, is a nice, subtle hint of what's to come and always makes me chuckle. When Morpheus offers the pills to Neo, I can't help but dig the shot of the dual Neos reflected in Morpheus' glasses, a red pill in front of one & a blue pill in front of the other. That shot has an especially awesome comic book tone to it. And every time I hear it, I shiver at the sound of Neo's scream morphing into a digital drone as his body is located in the real world.

I really like the anti-authoritarian tone of this movie. We're hit over the head with the idea that humans are merely tools of the machines, but the bits I especially like are the subtle digs. When Morpheus is telling Neo about the matrix, he references it by citing activities that in much of western culture equate to forced servitude - work, church, taxes - as if positive human experiences don't exist within the matrix. During the agent training program, while Morpheus is explaining that anyone still in the matrix is a potential danger, the camera pans past a cop writing a ticket just as Morpheus is saying, "These people are a part of that system, and that makes them our enemy." I love that everyone in that scene [until the woman in red shows up] is wearing black, white or grey. The crowds on the street sure look an awful lot like worker insects, ants or bees, busily tending to their assigned tasks. Anyway, down with The Man!

Though it's rarely one of my favourite parts of a movie, a really kickass fight scene can sometimes do me just right. That's definitely the case when Neo & Morpheus have their kung fu face off during Neo's training. Boy, are they fun to watch! Laurence Fishburne is, of course, totally hot, but just about anyone moving that way [or being tossed around on wires that way] can be pretty fuckin' sexy. Really, I'm just saying that a good fight scene is worth the price of admission. The Matrix delivers more than a few.

So many cool characters, I could waste days talking about all of them. One of my favourites is the Oracle - the mother of the resistance, baking cookies and doling out fortunes with like equanimity. She tells Neo he's not The One, casually explaining that he's waiting for something: "Your next life maybe, who knows." Her composure conveys the message that the fate of humanity is nothing to worry one's pretty little head about, as inconsequential as the vase Neo breaks.

Featured in my not exactly vast, but nothing to scoff at collection of geek memorabilia is a book called The Art of The Matrix. It's a large sized hardback with pre-production notes, artwork, the shooting script, storyboards, movie stills, plus interesting notes from the film's production team. Worth checking out if you're a fan.

I would be remiss if I failed to mention how much Reloaded & Revolutions sucked. What makes them even worse is that they were entirely superfluous. The Matrix ended on an excellent note, with the story beautifully wrapped up while oozing with open-ended potential, which I wish had been left unrealized. Ah well, that's just my taste.