One of the most over praised blockbusters of recent years.

Rating: 7/10 (30 July 2003)

CONTAINS POSSIBLE SPOILERS
The Matrix is essentially a cross between The Truman Show and The Terminator, and it's not as good as either. It lacks the topicality of the former, the excitement of the latter and the emotional impact of both. Frankly, I think it is one of the most over praised blockbusters of recent years.
In all fairness, it's still a very enjoyable film. The basic plot about the world today being a computer generated simulation created by machines who use us as batteries is daft in the extreme, but its put forward with such conviction that one takes it seriously. Keanu Reeves plays his `chosen-one' type hero role very well, and is ably supported by Lawrence Fishburne among others. And of course Hugo Weaving's Agent Smith makes a cracking villain. The Warshowski brothers both write and direct stylishly, and visually at least, the film has been hugely influential.
My problem with the film is not with the overall plot or special effects, which are indeed tremendous (thankfully that flo-mo shot is used sparingly so it doesn't become too gimmicky). A number of other factors prevent the film from being truly great. First, the use of music. Although the main score works fairly well, I question using of the likes of Marilyn Manson to punctuate the soundtrack. A lot of this contemporary music will date the film very quickly. More seriously, the mid section is saggy. Specifically, I would have cut three scenes. First, the scene with that annoying spoon bending kid (who sounds disturbingly like the `Simon Fisher' character from one of Alan Partridge's radio 4 chatshows) and the subsequent reference to that scene. Second, the bit where Neo is told he can be `set up' with the woman in the red dress, as I feel it is out of keeping with the spiritual tone of the rest of the film. Thirdly and most crucially, I would have cut the `ignorance is bliss' scene where Cypher arranges with Agent Smith to betray the others. There is no information in that scene you don't find out later, and the plot would have been better had the betrayal come as a surprise.
However, my final problem with the film is the casual way the heroes consider it perfectly acceptable to kill innocent people in the Matrix. I know the film tries to paper over this by saying until they are rescued they have to be considered the enemy but frankly it doesn't wash. This is particularly disturbing in the sequence where Neo guns down umpteen security guards. This scene was, of course, notoriously linked to the Columbine murders (not that I think it had anything to do with it).
That said, I'm still giving the film a high rating. The first act is genuinely intriguing and the third act is never less than exhilarating.