So if reality is actually real.... what is & why?

Rating: 10/10 (24 June 1999)

This is terrific fun, the last time a picture had this effect upon me it was Star Wars back in the 1970s.
I didn't find the storyline as convoluted as some claim & soon got the hang of what was going on. Basically it plays to every teenager's feeling that reality is somehow flawed & that they can just perceive this, not from the outside, but right on the edge. The Matrix takes that to fantastical extremes.
The special effects are superb & the violence graphic. This is the first time I've ever seen a true representation of what a rifle bullet will do to scenery for a start! But don't let that distract you & certainly don't go to see it just for the effects, there's a staggeringly good plot in there too.
All the actors are well chosen, with what must be a first, Keanu Reeves proving he can act. It's good to see him a in decent part like this, the best he's played since Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. Lawrence Fishburn is always a bit wooden for me, but he's perfected his persona & plays it for all he has which fits this film like a glove. With the support of Carrie Anne Moss sex oozes from all the lead actors. This is a very well thought out series of images, even the bad guys are cool, have depth & interest.
There's little doubt that the action sequences have been heavily influenced by the likes of John Woo & his contemporaries in the Hong Kong school of direction. It could have been rather over the top & might have dominated things, but it's well pitched & adds to the mix just right.
There's little to fault the plot, although the story rather skips any explanation of why Reeves is "The One" this is understandable. Also anyone who knows about the Second Law of Thermodynamics may object to the explanation of how the humans are kept fed by the machines, since it's a cold world with no sun by the look of it. But these are very, very minor points.
Overwhemingly this is a staggeringly good film, it has plot, style, sexyness, good effects & gripping action. For your dollar or your pound, this has to be the bargain of the year, giving far more in one sitting than all the others I've seen this year.
Only one question remains. Was it a good thing to release humans from the Matrix? After all it's possibly humans that screwed up the world environment in the first place. Inside the Matrix they still live in the comfort of the late 20th Century, oblivious to the suffering & struggle that would await them in the real world of 2199 ad. An interesting dilemma, no?