Great special effects, pity about the rest.

Rating: 3/10 (2 December 2001)

When I first saw this movie I was impressed. Perhaps I was swept along with the millions of people who were amazed at this slick, smart, sci-fi. Recently, I watched it again, and realized just how disappointing this movie is.
The idea is a winner, I'll grant that, and yes, it is beautiful, everything looks good. The special effects are to die for, and the action sequences towards the end rank among the best I've ever seen. But that must've been all people remember about this movie, because the rest is truly horrible: corniness to the max.
Not only are the lines continually terrible, the script writers seem to be trying to be so mysterious and philosophical that some of the things (especially Morpheus) people say come out sounding like they're a complete space case. They simply dont make sense.
The acting is truly dull. Absolutely lifeless, except for a reasonably impressive performance by Hugo Weaving, which doesn't save the rest of the cast from looking completely pathetic.
Perhaps I am being too harsh, because this movie is worth watching if you're prepared to sit through the cringe-worthy script at the beginning to see the end. And after all, it's science fiction, and there are, indeed, very few that manage to weave a clever script into them. So watch it, but at your own risk.