Thoughts on

By Johnathan Pritchett

	A movie article by Johnathan Pritchett Copyright © 1999 Johnathan Pritchett

Well, this isn't really a review. Think of it more as an article on what thoughts came about from watching this movie. First off, it is one of the greatest movies ever made. While sentimentally, I'll always love the Star Wars movies more; cinematically, this movie blows them all away. Go see this movie, then go home and watch the trilogy for the millionth time and see if you get the same rush. I doubt you will. I am not trying to come down on Star Wars. I am as much a fan as the next person, but as fans of the genre, we need to get behind more than one franchise. Sorry, but George Lucas won't be around forever. I really wish those fanatics would quit screaming "everything sucks but Star Wars". Um, in case you forgot, Hollywood is about money. If genre films make too little money, Hollywood will stop making them. I may be the only one, but films like 'Dark City' and The Fifth Element' are equally as good as the Star Wars films. Sci-fi fanatics scream for originality, but when they get it they start screaming, "Star Wars rules and this movie sucks". Well blah, blah, blah. I love film. I want 'The Matrix', 'Wild Wild West', 'eXistenZ', '13th Floor', and 'Universal Soldier 2' to do well. I know they all won't be good, but why not root for them? Why not hope? Why do people only want to like Star Wars movies? Come on, when Lucas is dead, you'll all be crying out to Besson, or Proyas, or the Wachowski Brothers for new films. But, they'll have to reply, "we can't, you didn't like our other films and Hollywood won't back us on sci-fi anymore. We've moved on now..." Where will we be then. We need to get behind these people and support them. Don't let 'The Matrix', one of the best movies ever made, get past you they way 'Dark City', 'Twelve Monkeys', and 'The Fifth Element' did. We need more than one Lucas. These young guys are doing a great job holding their own. They deserve our loyal support as genre fans as much as Lucas does. Hell, he hasn't even proved himself as a great director yet. I know that Episode One will be the greatest sci-fi/fantasy film ever made to date, but Lucas is far better a story teller than a director. He didn't even direct the best film of the old trilogy (TESB). Anyway, all I am saying is that in order for us to not have to go without sci-fi for another few years besides the other prequels, get out there and watch these films. They are good. I hope there are sequels to 'The Matrix', 'Starship Troopers', and 'The Fifth Element'. I know two of those didn't make the box office, and we'll have to wait and see how 'The Matrix' does, but they should have sequels. You never know if the premise to these films can be greatly improved upon. Moving on, don't let any bad reviews of 'The Matrix' stop you from watching the film. Make your own judgment. I'll tell you that I've seen nothing more original than this movie. Sure, it has taken ideas from other films, but it delivers its own unique story in a fresh way. It is also a great action film. Actually, IMHO, the best action film ever made. Yes Cameron fans, it is even better than "Aliens'. As far as the complaints of it having a slow second act, get real people. This movie was never slow. It was a smart, thinking action movie with one hell of a concept. You just have to see it. Every bit of it screamed cool, even between action sequences. I felt that the script was brilliant. You have to think and listen to every word spoken. If you do, you will find all the little treasures of writing to be found in the movie. If people don't get the movie; they either have bad taste in movies, or they are stupid. Its that simple. I do not want this movie to make less than 100 million at the box office, It deserves better. I know so many people who watched movies like 'The Fifth Element', 'Dark City', and 'Twelve Monkeys' on video and whine all night for not having watched them in the theater. Don't let that happen to you with this film. It is one of the greatest, coolest movies ever made. Don't just worship Cameron, Lucas, Spielberg, and Scott (Ridley) forever; get behind the guys who'll make the future classic genre films for your future.

Thank you,
Johnathan Pritchett