What the hell is the "Matrix?"

Rating: 5/10 (18 September 2003)

Launched in 1999 and one of the most successful movies of the year, "Matrix" is an amazing movie. It ranks among the movies that leave the spectator bemused, even after several projections.
In a way, it's very similar to Paul Verhoeven's movie "Total Recall" (1990). The two movies have got a complicated but mesmerizing screenplay, astounding special effects and especially, a main character with two faces: Keanu Reeves. It means that at the beginning of the movie, he's introduced as someone who leads a peaceful but common life. But an unexpected event will transform his life and make him a hero.
"Matrix" is also a very well stable movie that you can divide in two parts: the first one mainly focuses on long dialogs sequences that incline to reflection while the second one honors stunning action sequences.
A remarkable performance crowns it all and Keanu Reeves finds here his best role to date. The sole weakness of the movie is the love affair between Reeves and Laurence Fishburne. The Wachowski brothers felt compelled to include this, maybe to give their movie, a Hollywood nature.
An awesome science-fiction film that easily ranks among the best movies of the nineties.