Visually stunnning, initially edgy and engaging, but ultimately disappointing.

Rating: Null/10 (2 April 1999)

Is The Matrix worth the price of admission? Absolutely. With effects that are masterfully employed to slam home the horror of the main character's (Neo's) revelations at the start of the film as well as to bring the superhuman abilities of the characters to life, the door price is more than worthwhile. It doesn't hurt that the fight scenes are beautifully choreographed, the performances by Reeves and Fishburne are at least competent (though both are certainly capable of better), and Carrie-Anne Moss turns in what is arguably the best performance of the show (plus, she's a pleasure to look at). To top it off, the art direction and costumes were top notch, greatly enhancing the very dark "post- apocalyptic/GenX angst meets John Woo" feel of the movie. BUT...
Sadly the plot is uninspired, becoming a veritable blueprint of science fiction cliches and totally predictable plot twists after the film's initial and only surprising shocker (which was itself pretty easy to come by in the press prior to release). The effects and action sequences go some distance in making up for this, but even when the Wachowski brothers go for high-adrenaline, John Woo style action sequences, my interest frequently flagged due to poor edits that concentrated more on showing actors in cool poses than on keeping my pulse rate up and showcasing some truly stellar rapid-fire choreography. A far too liberal use of slow motion shots (Is Keanu on screen? Slo mo!) also managed to lower my pulse rate as well as the pacing of action that was (presumably) supposed to be fast and furious. An absurdly bad "heroic" comeback by Neo at film's end hammered home the lack of thought and effort that went into the story.
This is a good sophomore effort by the Wachowskis, but ultimately it is just a "flavor of the month" that will be tossed in the dustbin with Independence Day and Men in Black to be forgotten when The Next Big Thing comes along. The truly disappointing part is that if half the care had been put into the story as was lavished on effects and fight sequences, this could have been a true science fiction cinema milestone. And that's a damn shame.