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Apr. 29th, 2017
The case for the prosecution:
I am probably the wrong person to talk about the Matrix series.
As I sci-fi fan, I was already used to the concept of machines being in charge and other civilisations using humans, so I didn't get the shock of a new concept, which some people did. And my Nan was huge kung-fu film fan so I was used to wire work, so I didn't get the wow of new concept from that either.
Don't get me wrong, the first film used the concept and the wire work really well, but it meant I wasn't as sold as a lot of my friends were. But at least that meant I wasn't as disappointed by the sequels.
I think I've made my dislike of pseudo-mystic stuff quite clear, and oh boy do the sequels ever suffer from that. But if they'd been better, I don't think I would have minded as much, because the first film has that too but styled its way out of it. Style only takes you so far.
For me, the major failing of the two later films was an excess of CGI to create their shock and awe. In the first one, most of the really cool stunts, the ones that look spectacular, the ones you remember, were done using a mixture of practical effects, including wire work and camera trickery. In the others, most of that was replaced by CGI. And the problem was that CGI still hadn't quite progressed to the point where it was capable of rendering reality. Which should be fine, because, hey, they're in the Matrix for most of it, but it just feels flat. There's a lack of danger to the fight scenes, not to the actors and stuntcrew but to the characters.
The scene itself:
Why the scene is so good:
It's the glory of simplicity. Just two characters going at it, no huge armies or anything. Hand to hand, not oodles of weaponry. And it's all done with practical effects. And it's so well done.
It's the only fight scene from the last two films I remember, because it stands out because of this.
I am probably the wrong person to talk about the Matrix series.
As I sci-fi fan, I was already used to the concept of machines being in charge and other civilisations using humans, so I didn't get the shock of a new concept, which some people did. And my Nan was huge kung-fu film fan so I was used to wire work, so I didn't get the wow of new concept from that either.
Don't get me wrong, the first film used the concept and the wire work really well, but it meant I wasn't as sold as a lot of my friends were. But at least that meant I wasn't as disappointed by the sequels.
I think I've made my dislike of pseudo-mystic stuff quite clear, and oh boy do the sequels ever suffer from that. But if they'd been better, I don't think I would have minded as much, because the first film has that too but styled its way out of it. Style only takes you so far.
For me, the major failing of the two later films was an excess of CGI to create their shock and awe. In the first one, most of the really cool stunts, the ones that look spectacular, the ones you remember, were done using a mixture of practical effects, including wire work and camera trickery. In the others, most of that was replaced by CGI. And the problem was that CGI still hadn't quite progressed to the point where it was capable of rendering reality. Which should be fine, because, hey, they're in the Matrix for most of it, but it just feels flat. There's a lack of danger to the fight scenes, not to the actors and stuntcrew but to the characters.
The scene itself:
Why the scene is so good:
It's the glory of simplicity. Just two characters going at it, no huge armies or anything. Hand to hand, not oodles of weaponry. And it's all done with practical effects. And it's so well done.
It's the only fight scene from the last two films I remember, because it stands out because of this.