In January 1999, the world was excited about a science fiction movie set to debut that spring. Promising a myth-making vision, thrilling action and ground-breaking computer special effects, it was sure to be the film event of the year.
At least that’s what we thought “The Phantom Menace” would be. Sure, there was another science fiction movie headed to theaters, a cyberpunk something starring Keanu Reeves as an underground hacker. But “Johnny Mnemonic,” with the same star and what felt like the same vibe, had crashed and burned four years earlier. Who cared about something called “The Matrix”?
Turns out we all did, especially after a single Super Bowl commercial introduced us to the concept of bullet-time, gave us guns (lots of guns) and proved that, with the right cyberpunk surroundings, Keanu Reeves could “whoa” himself to superstardom.
This week, Billy and Will re-examine “The Matrix” 20 years later, discussing the computer effects, the jaw-dropping stunts and the talented twosome that made the movie … and then did something even more amazing a few years later.
“The Phantom Menace” went from a disappointment to a joke to an obscurity that few people — even Star Wars fans — talk about much anymore. But “The Matrix,” despite two subpar sequels and countless ripoffs, still has the power to amaze, two decades later.
Whoa, indeed.
