Weird!

Rating: 8/10 (10 July 1999)

I went along to this film expecting to see a run-of-the-mill, standard the-big-guys-are-out-to-get-me affair - it's all been done, hasn't it? Wrong!
The baddies are bad, the goodies are good, and there is no grey area. It's a perfect film in that way, in that you don't have to think for it to tumble along. That leaves it open for the ratehr complicated and frankly terrifying concept at the heart of the Matrix to come to the fore, and it does, with electrifying pace and sparkle.
Yes, it's deep. Yes, it's intellectual. But hell, what cool fight scenes! The plot works in such a way that people can do Nike-ad-style jumps over buildings and the sort of martial arts moves that aren't usually seen outside of Mortal Combat, and they look SO cool!
This is one of the few films I've seen that affects you for a while AFTER leaving the cinema. All films affect you in some way - but this film made me look about and go "Is it all real?" It's great, and very enrtertaining.
Incidentally, be prepared for the Star Wars blags. Most notable of these are when Morpheus is talking about the Matrix "It binds us, and holds the universe together" and "It also obeys your commands!", as well as the obvious "You must go to the Degoba system for your training!" These get laughs when they're not supposed to, but only for me, 'cuse I'm like that!
Bad points? Well, It may be a little slow for some people - I personally didn't think so, but it takes a while to get to where it's going. Mind you, when Keanu wakes up in that tank - it's just such a shock that it's worth the wait.
All in all, a very good film. At the time of writing, it's rated as the 20th best film EVER on the IMDB rating - a bit high, but it's understandable. I found myself humming Strawberry Fields Forever "Nothing is Real" through the film - when I start humming tunes, you know it's a goodun!
In summary, go watch this film if you like to think a bit, but like cool fight scenes and plenty of drama. The romance knackers it, but hey - it ain't a love story!