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Rating: Null/10 (13 July 2003)

With dazzling special effects, great cast and intriguing story, 1999's 'The matrix' is a fantastic movie, with a huge following around the world. This film has started a number of movies to follow the similar sorts of formula, some succeeding and some not. However, the Matrix is a film that many people keep returning too, saying that it is what they expect, when it comes to special effects. Who I am to disagree?
Reality: That world is a hoax, an elaborate deception spun by all-powerful machines of artificial intelligence that control us. Whoa. Mind-warp stunts. Techno-slammin visuals. Mega-kick action. Morpheus and Neo (the 'one') lead the fight to free humankind in The Matrix, the see-and-see-again cyberthriller written and directed by the Wachowski brothers. The story sears, the special effects stake out new moviemaking territory. The 'Matrix' rocks!
Now I am one person who believes that special effects are only one small part of a movie, but when they enhance it, like they do in this film, then they are very special. There are so many scenes in the film that show the use of special effects, however I unsure which is the best one. Scenes such as the introduction into the world of the Matrix, the way Neo learns that he has special powers, the weapons that appear in one section of the film, the famous fighting scenes of Neo towards the end of film, where he dodges bullets are all memorable. But I am not going to say one is better than the other, as all are terrific.
There are some fine actors taking on challenging roles in the Matrix. I have been a critic of main star Neo (Keanu Reeves), but in this film he suits the genre and is a fine looking man when finally gets used to the virtual-reality world of the Matrix. The supporting cast includes the Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne), who makes the whole transition of the Matrix for Neo be as gentle as possible. I love the kung fu scene both Reeves and Fishburne share at about the halfway mark of the movie. The female member of the cast is a girl, who seems anything but a girl, that of Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss). She has complete admiration for Neo, realising that he is in for big things.
Cypher (Joe Pantoliano) is one character that I am sure we are not able to distinguish as being either good or bad. Both Moss and Pantoliano were a part of 2000's fantastic movie, 'Memento'. Yet we do get to see the baddies which are part of the Matrix. Agent Smith (Australia's Hugo Weaving), is a real revelation as the 'bad guy' of the Matrix. His confrontation at the end of the movie with Neo is a big highlight of the film from my prospective.

The way the stunts were incorporated into the Matrix was terrific. This area of the movie must have taken along-time to organise, and is a great achievement by the actors, stunt doubles and the people working 'behind the scenes'. The costumes designed for the Matrix were also amazing. I love the slick black costumes that Neo, Morpheus and Trinity wear, while the bad agents all looked impressive in their suits. The great glasses worn by everyone in the film were also terrific, and made all these characters in the Matrix look 'cool'.
The director/writers of the Matrix were the Wachowski brothers, who did a fine job in bringing through the other important aspects of the film, not only the great special effects. I believe they made the story genuinely interesting, via the screenplay, with the script having obvious religious reference through the entire film. They also allowed us to be introduced to the world of the Matrix extremely well. Their placement of a 'green tinge' to almost every scene in the movie is another small, but quite extraordinary feature.
Look I am a fan of this movie, for all of its aspects, not just the special effects. But I can understand a person not being a fan of the Matrix, as they would expect a lot more of movie, than just great special effects. A detractor could say that the Matrix only has that feature. The matrix is such a positive movie for the Australian movie making industry, showing that special things can be done in this country. It was also great to see the locations of Sydney in the film. The Matrix DVD is one of the great DVDs going around, with heaps of special features unlocking the secrets of the film. I must also make mention of another movie like the Matrix, that of the David Cronenberg's masterpiece 'eXistenZ'. If it was not for this film, I have no doubt that 'eXistenZ' would be an even greater movie than it is. So with the two Matrix sequels coming up 'back to back' in 2003, here will be three films that I feel will go down as a part of 'cinema history'.

CMRS gives 'The Matrix': 4.5 (Very Good-Brilliant Film)