One of the many great innovations of the original Matrix film was “bullet time,” where we saw Keanu Reeves dodging a bullet, complete with reverberations rippling through the air.
It was an incredible effect, and it was one of many visual flourishes that proved very influential on today’s movies. Seriously, how many films and trailers have we seen that have aped the Wachowski’s frantic, multi-speed shooting style?
Actually, the Wachowskis now wish to be referred to as Wachowski Starship; they can’t be called the Wachowski Brothers anymore because Larry is now Lana and has been living as a woman for years. All that aside, the Wachowskis of course have another highly ambitious sci-fi film in the form of Cloud Atlas, which audiences are already divided on, but the moviegoers who get it feel it’s an epic masterpiece.
The trailer for Cloud Atlas proves that whether audiences love it or hate it, it is definitely a very ambitious and risky undertaking. Now a report on IndieWire tells us that the Wachowskis are hoping to top themselves visually with their next film, which is called Jupiter Ascending.
At Fantastic Fest, the Wachowskis said they have a “big visual idea” for Jupiter that they feel will be “the evolutionary jump from bullet-time.” But this idea could be so big, it could be too difficult and expensive to pull off, which made Indie Wire wonder, “with all the advances of technology, if there is really any digital effect that would truly be too ‘expensive and difficult’ to pull off at this point.”
IndieWire of course mentioned Avatar, but that movie cost a fortune, and Cameron initially abandoned it back in the 90’s for being too ambitious. There is indeed a lot we can do with effects these days, practically anything we can imagine, but effects sure haven’t gotten any cheaper as time goes on.
More than incredible effects, a great story is most important, and it Cloud Atlas looks like it has six of them all wrapped up in one movie.
Frankly, it would be great if the Wachowskis could come up with something that inspires the same awe as bullet time did back in the day, and they were able to pull off The Matrix on a much lower budget than it would cost today. (They saved big bucks by shooting it in Australia),
Whatever the Wachowskis are working on for the future, it should be interesting to see what the final verdict is on Cloud Atlas when it hits theaters on October 26, and where the Starship will go from there.
