Turning 'trix: Moviegoers don costumes for 'Matrix' opening

When "The Matrix" opened in 1999, the question was, "What is the Matrix?" When the sequel, "The Matrix Reloaded," opened last week, the question was, "Would anyone dress in costume for opening night?" "Star Trek" fans have been going various places (movies, conventions, the grocery store) in costume for decades now, and recently fans of the "Star Wars" movies attracted attention by dressing as Jedi, Wookies and, of course, Darth Vader, for the openings of "The Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones." "The Matrix" was -- is -- hugely popular, but was it the kind of popular that inspired people to put on costumes and stand in long lines, without regard to personal comfort and the opinions of others? \nAt first the answer seemed, at least in Bloomington, to be "No." When Showplace West 12 showed the sneak preview last Wednesday plenty of people came -- the theater lobby was jammed with people an hour before showtime -- and at least one person was wearing a "Matrix" t-shirt, but there didn't appear to be anyone in costume. Waiting in line, IU student Andrew Osborne commented that the excitement "The Matrix" provoked manifested itself intellectually -- for instance, a friend of his was teaching a class on "The Matrix" -- rather than acting on the impulse to put on costumes. \nThe majority of the people in Showplace's lobby appeared to share Osborne's opinion, or perhaps they just didn't want to bother. Toward the head of the line, however, was a knot of ominous-looking men in black clothes and mirrored sunglasses. Rodney Terrell, Randy Duncan, Kevin Knickerbocker, Cody Arthur and Mike Jones had come in costume. Knickerbocker, Arthur and Jones had chosen only to evoke the feel of the movie's fashions, wearing black clothes and trench coats, but Terrell and Duncan were identifiable as characters from the movie: Terrell, his hair slicked back and his sunglasses reflecting what ever his gaze fell upon, had donned a replica of the vestment-like overcoat Keanu Reeves wears in the movie (Terrell's girlfriend bought it for him at Hot Topic). Randy Duncan represented the other end of the moral spectrum, wearing a coat and tie, sunglasses and an earpiece with a curly cord descending into his jacket. He topped off his impression of the villainous Agent Smith with an accessory he neither bought nor made: a menacing and permanent scowl twisting his face into a reasonable facsimile of the actor Hugo Weaving's.\nWhat was the appeal of "The Matrix" for them? Jones was succinct and direct: "It's a great movie." Terrell elaborates by saying it was an action movie where, "they wear a bunch of cool clothes and kick a bunch of butt," while at the same time having "a very good message about hope, spirituality, and God, whatever form you see him as."\nWhen asked why they decided to come in costume, Terrell cites the example of the "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" fans, and says, "We all kind of feel this is our generation's 'Star Wars.'" But he says the main reason they dressed up was to "be with friends...and... have a good time." \nHad their costumes earned them any jeers from passers-by? Not really; in fact, one man coming out of "X2" had his picture taken with them. About the only negative reaction they had received, Terrell said—his words tinged with a certain "people in glass houses" tone—was when they were mocked by some "stupid Abercrombie & Fitch wearers," but he shrugged it off as those people not knowing how to have fun. Besides, Duncan added, falling into character, they "help fuel the machine."\nEven though "The Matrix" has a special place in their hearts, they're going to try to turn this into a tradition. Duncan and Terrell say that they will at least dress up for "The Hulk" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" as well. Which means if you have some need for purple pants or hoop earrings and eyepatches, you should buy now to avoid \nthe rush.