An Incredible and Revolutionary Sci-Fi Thriller; An Exceptional Addition to the Cyberpunk Genre.

Rating: 9/10 (10 August 2014)

After their remarkable debut movie 'Bound' in 1996, the Wachowski Siblings come up with their incredible and revolutionary sci-fi thriller 'The Matrix'. These siblings always know how to enthrall both the mind and the heart. With such a brilliant concept, spectacular and innovative action sequences, and a gripping story, they keep you hooked and in awe throughout the movie. The characters, the dialogues and the scenes have become legendary now. No matter how many times you watch it, it thrills you every single time.
The movie can be seen as a stand-alone one or the first part of the trilogy; no matter how you watch it, it's simply brilliant. It is a metaphor and allegory for so many things. Mainly, it tries to tell how our urban lives are so commercialized and media-driven that we're almost blinded by it. The film blurs the lines between fate and reality; ultimately, it depends on us as to how we take our life forward. A life of ignorance or a life based on knowledge - though happiness/satisfaction is possible either way, only one of them can keep a particular person happy; sometimes, it's our choice what we choose to go forward with, and we should have the strength to go forward with the choice we've made.
An average living-day-to-day guy waking up one day to find himself to be different, important, and many people depending on him - Who hasn't had that dream? This would be one of the most full-fledged and elaborate execution of that fantasy.
Bill Pope's cinematography and Zach Staenberg's editing make the action sequences seem out of this world (pun intended); it takes you to a completely different level of cinematic action. I remember, when I first saw the movie (back in 2000 or something), I was completely blown away.
Keanu Reeves is perfect for the role of Neo, and he slides in perfectly into the character of the young naive programmer trying to understand and grasp the limits (or should I say, no limits) of the new reality presented before him. Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne, and Hugo Weaving perform commendably, and form outstanding and memorable supporting characters of Trinity, Morpheus and Agent Smith respectively. Each one of them has their own unique part to play.
From the prophecy of 'The One' to self doubt, there are many Christian references in the film, and there are influences from other religions as well. Influence doesn't matter, as long as it leads to the creation of something unique and exceptional. Japanese anime and Asian martial arts films had great influence on the Wachowski Siblings, but it was Mamoru Oshii's 1995 animated film 'Ghost in the Shell' that pushed them to delve into the cyberpunk genre. And as we all know it now, the result was one-of-a-kind.