Watching All of the Wachowskis' Movies for the Sake of Watching All of the Wachowskis' Movies

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But just as The Matrix is about technology run amock, the Wachowskis themselves allow it to get the better of them. Abandoning sets for Speed Racer was a mistake, and watching the characters float within the computer-generated worlds is not fun or quirky, but distracting. CGI characters in The Matrix sequels look rubbery — rewatch the playground fight scene in Reloaded to see Neo briefly turn into Stretch Armstrong while battling regenerating Agent Smiths.

Keanu Reeves stars as Neo in the Wachowskis' iconic film The Matrix.

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The most evident thread that runs throughout the Wachowskis' films isn't any of the things mentioned above in those neat little compartmentalized sections. In fact, those divided passages are a good way of demonstrating the types of things the filmmakers never do.

The Wachowskis are devout followers of the basic tenets of storytelling. It is noteworthy that the novel Cloud Atlas is a fragmented series of stories and that the Wachowskis rewrote it to fit the conventions of filmmaking. Their movies are all tightly constructed narratives. They may get fancy with special effects or action, but they refuse to divert from quaint, old-fashioned mythmaking.

Their heroes, be they computer hackers, racecar drivers, or lesbian ex-cons, always behave as heroes. This means plenty of backs-against-the-wall escapes when you least (read: most) expect it and other tropes lots of folks dismiss as hokey or cheesy nowadays. But the Wachowskis are really damn good at it.