The Matrix Is the Most Obvious KAZOO Rating Ever

THE MATRIX came out in 1999, and it had already changed cinema as we knew it before it was even released.

“Bullet Time,” the instantly famous technique used to slow down time during the movie’s biggest action scenes, quickly became an industry game changer. Hollywood action movies would never look the same again.

They became more dynamic, more creative, and more exciting because THE MATRIX showed filmmakers an entirely new way to present action on screen. But that is not the main reason this movie is probably the most obvious contender for KazooWatch’s first-ever KAZOO rating.

This movie had everything. Kung fu. Science fiction. Huge action scenes. Strange clues. Mysterious characters. Following the white rabbit. A choice between the red pill and the blue pill. A hero who discovers that the entire world around him is not what it appears to be. It is an incredible action movie, but the action is not what makes it one of the best movies ever made.

The real reason THE MATRIX stands above so many other movies is the way this fictional science-fiction story can make you question your entire existence.

For a lot of us, this was one of the first movies that made us seriously think about the possibility that reality might not be exactly what we had always believed it was. It made us more aware of the facade humanity can place over its own eyes and the illusions we accept as reality. You could watch THE MATRIX for the fights, the special effects, and the story. But when the movie was over, the ideas stayed with you.

What if the world around you is not what you think it is?

What if the life you have been told to accept is only part of the truth?

What if waking up means seeing things that other people would rather ignore?

That is a lot for one action movie to put into your head, especially while also delivering kung fu, gunfights, and some of the coolest effects anybody had ever seen.

Then there is Keanu Reeves.

Suddenly, the guy from *Bill & Ted* and that surfer cop movie was Neo. Neo is an anagram for “One,” because he is The One. He is pretty much a Jesus-like figure. He is the person who is supposed to wake up, see the truth, and save everyone else from a world they do not even realize they are trapped inside.

The symbolism is not exactly subtle, but it does not need to be. It works. You already know the story because almost everyone has seen this movie.

Neo discovers that the world he knows is a lie. Morpheus offers him the chance to learn the truth. He follows the white rabbit, takes the red pill, and wakes up to a reality that is much bigger and much more frightening than anything he imagined. From there, the movie becomes both an action story and a story about awakening. That is what makes it special.

It does not just show Neo learning how to fight.

It shows him learning how to see. The real change is not that he becomes stronger. It is that he begins to understand that the rules controlling him are not as permanent as they appear. That idea hit people hard. THE MATRIX made a lot of viewers think about control, reality, identity, and the systems people live inside without ever questioning them. It took those ideas and placed them inside a movie that was still exciting, entertaining, and easy to enjoy.

That combination is extremely rare.

The movie’s influence also did not stop with Bullet Time. It helped open the door for other films that mixed action with deeper ideas. You can see that same kind of energy in movies like V FOR VENDETTA, another story about questioning the world you have been given and deciding whether you are willing to see the truth behind it. And nearly every action movie that used ambitious special effects after THE MATRIX was released was working in a world that THE MATRIX had helped create.

That does not mean every later movie copied it directly. It means THE MATRIX raised the standard. It showed what was possible, and the rest of Hollywood had to respond. More than anything, though, this is a movie people remember because of how it made them feel. It was exciting. It was strange. It was cool. And it made people think. You could leave the theater talking about the fights, the effects, the red pill, the Agents, or whether any of what we call reality can actually be trusted. That is why THE MATRIX still matters.

It is not just a movie that was impressive in 1999. It is still entertaining, and its biggest questions have never really gone away. Almost everybody has seen it. If someone has not, they need to correct that immediately. And until they do, keep an eye on them. There is always a chance they are an Agent. For its influence, its action, its ideas, and the way it made an entire generation question the world around them, THE MATRIX is an easy must watch. More than that, it is the most obvious possible choice for KazooWatch’s first-ever KAZOO rating. You are welcome to disagree. But you are going to need a very good movie to convince me. And that is why I do the ratings. KazooWatch Rating: KAZOO