Round 4: The Matrix vs. Pulp Fiction

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

Round 4: The Matrix vs. Pulp Fiction

I don't think it's much of a surprise that either of these films are still around; but only one can remain following this round. Will Round 5 see a battle of the Tarantino classics, or can Neo convince us all that this fight is "not what it seems"?​

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I hated The Matrix movies. Just flat out hated them. I thought the whole plot of the movie was a convoluted mess that wasn't the least bit engaging. The idea was something original, I will say that, but original doesn't mean that it's good. If you're someone that's into all the computer tech and stuff about world's that aren't real with the real world hiding below the surface of an illusion, then you probably loved this movie. Me, I hated it.

Tarantino is someone that, in my view, is a bit overrated. I know a lot of people love his movies, and he has made some damn good ones, but I do think they hype the guy a little too much sometimes. That being said, Pulp Fiction is one of my favorite movies. It wasn't really the action or violence that made me like this movie, it was the characters. Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames & Uma Thurman gave some of their best performances. I was young at the time and I'd never really seen a movie like this that was divided into separate stories yet all intertwined with each other. Even though just about everyone in the movie is a real lowlife in one form or another, I found myself just liking them.

Pulp Fiction didn't have the huge budget or flashy effects of The Matrix but, in my opinion, PF was a far better movie in terms of its story, the cast and the characters they portrayed.

 

[Uncle Sam]

Reloaded and Revolutions are pretty convoluted. They make sense if either A) you pay eye-drying attention or B) you read analyses online afterwards.

The first Matrix - i.e. the good Matrix - isn't convoluted. It's not really even complicated. The exposition is very straightforward and even pretty interesting; it's conducted through kung fu fights, leaping over buildings and badass monologues in "the desert of the real." The whole point of a high-concept movie is that its premise can be easily summarised, as it is with The Matrix - humanity is trapped in a computer program, batteries for the machines, and only The One (Keanu Reeves) can break the rules and set us free. Boom. Sold.

The Matrix, for me, is probably the greatest action movie all-time. I love Paul Vorhoeven - Robocop, Starship Troopers, Total Recall - and John McTiernan - Predator, Die Hard - or even James Cameron - as if you need reminding what he's done. But The Matrix! Oh-ho, The Matrix! It's so well choreographed, so well written; even the soundtrack is incredible. It treads the line between badass and cheesy on so many occasions, but always ends up on the right side. It's smart and funny and exhilarating. It's a blend of kung fu cinema and Hollywood science fiction. It's basically everything I want from a movie. The Wachowskis know what they're fucking doing.

Pulp Fiction, on the other hand, is also fucking awesome. Yeah, I was hoping this was going to be an easy decision too. C'est la vie. Obviously, there's the dialogue, the narrative structure and, well, that's basically Pulp Fiction boiled down to its basest parts. People think Quentin Tarantino's films are about pulpy action for some reason. Other than perhaps Kill Bill Vol. 1, they're not - they're about characters talking to each other. Tarantino's movies are about being hysterically funny or effortlessly cool or unbelievably tense - and all just through conversations. Don't get me wrong, real people don't talk like Tarantino characters do, but it's effective, so who cares? Pulp Fiction is the example of that.

Pick either. Flip a coin. Red pill, blue pill.

 

[Albert T]

Reloaded and Revolutions are pretty convoluted. They make sense if either A) you pay eye-drying attention or B) you read analyses online afterwards.

The first Matrix - i.e. the good Matrix - isn't convoluted. It's not really even complicated. The exposition is very straightforward and even pretty interesting; it's conducted through kung fu fights, leaping over buildings and badass monologues in "the desert of the real." The whole point of a high-concept movie is that its premise can be easily summarised, as it is with The Matrix - humanity is trapped in a computer program, batteries for the machines, and only The One (Keanu Reeves) can break the rules and set us free. Boom. Sold.

The Matrix, for me, is probably the greatest action movie all-time. I love Paul Vorhoeven - Robocop, Starship Troopers, Total Recall - and John McTiernan - Predator, Die Hard - or even James Cameron - as if you need reminding what he's done. But The Matrix! Oh-ho, The Matrix! It's so well choreographed, so well written; even the soundtrack is incredible. It treads the line between badass and cheesy on so many occasions, but always ends up on the right side. It's smart and funny and exhilarating. It's a blend of kung fu cinema and Hollywood science fiction. It's basically everything I want from a movie. The Wachowskis know what they're fucking doing.

Pulp Fiction, on the other hand, is also fucking awesome. Yeah, I was hoping this was going to be an easy decision too. C'est la vie. Obviously, there's the dialogue, the narrative structure and, well, that's basically Pulp Fiction boiled down to its basest parts. People think Quentin Tarantino's films are about pulpy action for some reason. Other than perhaps Kill Bill Vol. 1, they're not - they're about characters talking to each other. Tarantino's movies are about being hysterically funny or effortlessly cool or unbelievably tense - and all just through conversations. Don't get me wrong, real people don't talk like Tarantino characters do, but it's effective, so who cares? Pulp Fiction is the example of that.

Pick either. Flip a coin. Red pill, blue pill.

I had a whole set of things I wanted to say on this subject, but you said them for me, so thank you! I like these choices because both movies are so well planned and plotted that they feel effortless. That's the sign of really satisfying entertainment, when I don't feel overextended in my effort to watch a movie. That being said, I'll pick Pulp Fiction because of how uninhibited the story itself is. It isn't bound by traditional story structure and yet it makes you feel like you are getting just that, a story with a clear and concise beginning, middle and end. The dialogue may be pure Hollywood jargon, but it still enthralls regardless, so its one minuscule weakness still works as a great strength. So once again, to reiterate my choice...


Pulp Fiction

P.S. After all that, I still almost wrote The Matrix. Damn absent-mindedness.