Will Smith as Neo?!?

[YI]

Watch what you all say about Reeves, the motherfucker was in my favourite film of all time.

If that isn't Bill & Ted then you like a mediocre film too much

Edited February 1, 2008 by YI

[JairusCain]

I also enjoyed The Lake House. And that other one he did... can't remember the fucking title though. With Woody Harrelson and Winona Ryder (I think).

[brenchill]

I'll be honest, a few years on and The Matrix doesn't hold up well at all to me, it feels like it belongs in a bargain basement bin as a series whole, the first film is still good alone, but it's not among the epic top level films it used to feel like.

[Benji]

Don't get me wrong, when I first came out of the theater I was one of the ONLY people who I could tell genuinely enjoyed the films (probably because I read deeply into the plot details and I love when you can do that with a film), but it's just time, especially considering it's less than a decade and is already losing a lot of its sheen, is clearly going to take a bat to this former gem.

[Summers]

I also enjoyed The Lake House. And that other one he did... can't remember the fucking title though. With Woody Harrelson and Winona Ryder (I think).

A Scanner Darkly. Phenomenal movie an even more phenomenal style.

Confusing as all hell, but superb.

[RPS]

Benji, I don't think its necessarily that The Matrix has lost its touch, just that it had such a HUGE influence on movies, that it'll be largely discarded for a while. But I assure you, within a decade, the original Matrix will be seen as a really important movie in helping to shape SciFi movies for at least a decade or so. I didn't really like the movie, but its effect on movies was really big. Its just it became really saturated.

[MyKILLv2.0]

I've always said that if Will Smith had taken the role of Neo in the Matrix, the series wouldn't have been as successful. I believe (and it is only my opinion. However I've always said this, based on the fact that the majority of the Matrix core audience, I believe would have been turned off by someone the stature of Will Smith. The Matrix really became a cult film on the outset, and with an established star in place, I don't believe the movie would have ever gotten the following it recieved...

..I could be wrong. Maybe Will Smith would have brought in a different audience, and the movie would have been just as successful. Needless to say, I think he made a TERRIBLE choice, since the Matrix was a lot better of a movie then "I Robot".

[Herr Matzat]

i think you could have replaced reves, or any other actor (rxept maybe mrs. belluci becaus shes hot), by tin cans.

It´s not that the matrix lifed to it´s story depth (it´s only an idea, the rest was in your head), let alone acting qualety.

[Benji]

Benji, I don't think its necessarily that The Matrix has lost its touch, just that it had such a HUGE influence on movies, that it'll be largely discarded for a while. But I assure you, within a decade, the original Matrix will be seen as a really important movie in helping to shape SciFi movies for at least a decade or so. I didn't really like the movie, but its effect on movies was really big. Its just it became really saturated.

I don't believe that's it at all, I tend to evade movies that look like clones of another popular movie unless suggested by someone I trust in film judgement, thusly I've never seen a film that's that similar to the Matrix barring it's rather generic Alice In Wonderland, Biblical and Semi-Futuristic references. I think it's down to the acting, when you first watch it, the stern and deep brooding characters are great to watch, but after a while they feel more like they're cold and dickish instead, and the dialogue is absolutely tripe upon rewatching, it's just over delivered to make it sound more significant than it is.

I'm not saying it's a horrible, I do love Biblical connotations and Alice In Wonderland as inspirations, but it didn't even try to hide them, it was so unashamadly blatant that once I actually rewatched it you wonder why those things did seem good in the first place, though like I said, it's likely down to their over delivery.

[The Quasi Juice]

I've always said that if Will Smith had taken the role of Neo in the Matrix, the series wouldn't have been as successful. I believe (and it is only my opinion. However I've always said this, based on the fact that the majority of the Matrix core audience, I believe would have been turned off by someone the stature of Will Smith. The Matrix really became a cult film on the outset, and with an established star in place, I don't believe the movie would have ever gotten the following it recieved...

..I could be wrong. Maybe Will Smith would have brought in a different audience, and the movie would have been just as successful. Needless to say, I think he made a TERRIBLE choice, since the Matrix was a lot better of a movie then "I Robot".

[naiwf]

I'll be honest, a few years on and The Matrix doesn't hold up well at all to me, it feels like it belongs in a bargain basement bin as a series whole, the first film is still good alone, but it's not among the epic top level films it used to feel like. Smith is a better actor than people give him credit for, but I believe Keanu was better, the cold but confused acting he conveys is a great for the role.

[Benji]

I don't agree naiwf, the fight scenes I have no issue with and still love, like I said, it's in the delivery, the characters and the actors that fall apart. The physical aspect and technology could be god awful, but if you've got acting that doesn't hold up well without that initial "wow, that's quite profound" moment, then a film easilly falls apart.

[RPS]

Well, obviously it is going to fall apart since the acting is pretty awful in the movie. Carrie Ann Moss and Keanu Reeves aren't the greatest actors and their characters are very one dimensional. But in terms of its influence on action movies in terms of the fight scenes and the style of the movie, it was and still is a very important movie.

[Benji]

I never would say it wasn't, but there's a difference between something that influences and ageing, Elvis Pressley was influential as fuck but if you put him in a modern setting with the same schtick he'd probably seen as an epileptic pop retard (maybe not the best example and blatant hyperbole, but you get my point).

[naiwf]

I don't agree naiwf, the fight scenes I have no issue with and still love, like I said, it's in the delivery, the characters and the actors that fall apart. The physical aspect and technology could be god awful, but if you've got acting that doesn't hold up well without that initial "wow, that's quite profound" moment, then a film easilly falls apart.

[RPS]

I never would say it wasn't, but there's a difference between something that influences and ageing, Elvis Pressley was influential as fuck but if you put him in a modern setting with the same schtick he'd probably seen as an epileptic pop retard (maybe not the best example and blatant hyperbole, but you get my point).

Well, because context is everything. Sure, the Matrix doesn't nearly look as revolutionary today, but its because of the context of which it was made. The same argument can be made about any movie - heck, you look at Safety Last starring Harold Lloyd or Star Wars or any other movie ahead of its time and you'd think the movies were ridiclous. Technology advances, acting techniques differs, scripts are approached in different ways. But given the time period, these movie is complete genius and ahead of its time. Very few things are timeless, and things that are timeless don't have nearly the same immediate effect as movies like the Matrix. Sure, it may not be a classic, but its effect on the modern state of movies cannot be understated enough. Will it be the same in twenty years? Hell no, but VERY, VERY, VERY few movies actually do.

[Herr Matzat]

If you go in that direction you could also say starship tropers is an influential movie becaus it was the first to use greenscreen instead of bluescreen. The invention is influencial, not the people that use it - they are just afected by the influence. If you go with the Elvis comparison, the "character" was the influential thing, and since that was Elvis - he´s the legend.

Go for Hitchcock if you want to see influence in Moviemaking, Storytelling ect.