If you liked THIS action...

Rating: 9/10 (2 April 1999)

The one aspect of this film that seems to garner almost universal approval is the action. The reason for this is that the stunt co-ordinator AND martial arts instructor for The Matrix was none other than Hong Kong action director Woo-Ping Yuen, and let me tell you that if you thought The Matrix's action scenes were out of this world, YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN YET.
Woo-Ping Yuen's magnificent Tai Chi series contains some of the most beautifully choreographed fight scenes ever to grace a strip of celluloid, and the most impressive of these films is, without a doubt, The Tai Chi Master (1993), starring none other than the now-famous Jet Li.
Hong Kong comparisons aside, The Matrix is a visually and conceptually stunning masterpiece (despite an incredibly lame, squirming-in-your-seat, why-did-they-have-to-put-that-in-there, Hollywood-esqe speech from Carrie-Anne Moss during the climactic battle) which will leave you wanting more. As several previous reviews have stated, Reeves wasn't given enough dialogue to screw up; thus, the film is mercifully (almost) devoid of horrible one-liners.
Several critics have accused The Matrix of having no original plot, but my contention is that originality isn't necessarily the key; it's how you work with what you've got that makes all the difference in the world. I personally enjoyed picking up on the slew of subtle movie references in the film, which include, but are not limited to, Vertigo (I guess this one wasn't so subtle), Superman II, True Lies, and Dark City/Hellraiser, as well as a Looney Tune or two. There are many more, and seeing them used as tribute rather than rip-off makes viewing the film more fun that it already is.