I need to get out of this 'zoo', this 'reality' whatever you call it.

Rating: Null/10 (6 November 1999)

I enjoyed this movie for what it was, a spectacular special effects, action packed sound managed extravaganza.
But was it really such a good science fiction movie? No way. A good science fiction movie or book always requires you to suspend belief to some extent in order to make the story believable. But it has to at least follow a logical order and rules set within the movie for it to be remotely believable. But the plot behind the story of the Matrix falls flat. Badly.
Take The Terminator. For a moment you believe that time travel is possible, and the rest of the story follows a logical progression that makes it believable.
If you really follow science fiction like 2001, 2010, Contact, Terminator and some of the more thought provoking Star Trek movies, you will sit throughout 'The Matrix' thinking to yourself every five minutes 'hey that doesnt make sense', 'that cant happen', 'what nonsense'.
A few big holes. [SOME SPOILERS HERE SO KEEP OUT]
"The humans 'scorched the sky' in order to destroy the machines who relied on solar energy." well, Human beings rely on the sun just as much in order to survive. No matter what we eat, vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, its available because the sun gives heat and energy to our planet. You scorch the skies, and you commit suicide. Bad idea.
The machines used humans like duracells and maintained their energy by liquifying the dead. Sorry not on. You cannot just endlessly circulate a fuel and use it as well, especially when you have to waste energy to liquefy it.
The agents can infiltrate anyone who has not yet been unplugged from the system. What about the first scene when Trinity was being cuffed and a dozen cops were standing around her? Did the agents have a migrane or a hangover at that moment in time? But when Morpheus has to be captured, the Agent decides to make an entrance. So convenient. Also when Trinity and Neo are in the Lobby shooting off rounds like there was no tomorrow, what was keeping the agents occupied, were they listening to their favorite radio station on their com sets. If you make your villains ominous like the Terminator or Darth Vader, you cant pull away their power just to keep the action flowing.
If the Matrix is a simulation, then the programmers have complete control. No use running around frantically looking for a telephone. And what has the Matrix got against using a cell phone anyway. Its all a simulation so there is no difference. Also being a simulation, you can have the entire system crawling with thousands of agents, not just three. Hell you dont even need agents for a simulation. Didnt the machines have the latest Norton Antivirus update?
The effects, action etc were all spectacular, but surely the story has to hold together somehow. I think we are all in the Matrix anyway. 'Born in to a prison you cannot see or smell or touch'. Everytime I see people mindlessly raving about a movie without actually sitting down and thinking about what they saw, it just shows how we are being systematically numbed into unthinking zombie-like creatures.
The Matrix is an enjoyable movie no doubt. But effects aside, one of the most enjoyable features of this movie I found was the character of Agent Smith. Agent Smith has a character all of his own which is very unusual in movies nowaday. His dialogue in the interogation room is superb, 'You have a social security number, you pay your taxes........and you help your landlady carry out her garbage'. Absolutely brilliant. For me Agent Smith was the star of this movie.
Anyway, if you want to enjoy this movie, just switch your brain off for the best part of an hour and you will love it.
I'll give 'The Matrix' 6 out of 10. For me 'The Thirteenth Floor' handled the matter in a more thought provoking and logical way. But dont anyone here watch it, you will only curse me afterwards for it being to slow and boring.