A film whose visual appeal far outweighs its intellectual appeal.

Rating: 6/10 (21 February 2000)

You'd think THE MATRIX was a very special movie indeed based on all the extremely positive comments preceding this one. I must admit that it is quite entertaining and has no boring moments. It features some great special effects and is visually exciting. But these adjectives could also be used to describe an MTV music video. In fact, it seems music videos, along with Japanese animation and the slow motion action scenes from John Woo movies, were the main inspiration for this film. Throw in a science fiction plot containing lots of pseudo scientific jargon and you have a movie that is not only action packed but seems quite intellectual as well. But it is this intellectual aspect of THE MATRIX that I feel has been overrated. The film's central question, -- `Just what is reality?' is drowned out by all the action and not examined in any great detail. A motion picture that tackles this very same question in a much more fascinating manner is 1998's highly underrated DARK CITY. Both films explore similar territory, but because DARK CITY was not geared towards the mainstream by incorporating a modern music score and a shoot-em-up sensibility, it was not as popular. Like little children fascinated by bright colors and loud noises, modern audiences tend to be transfixed by films like THE MATRIX. But this movie's lasting power (like last months number one pop hit) won't be long term. Entertaining  yes, great or meaningful  No.
Final verdict: 6 out of 10.