Science Fiction

Rating: 8/10 (2 April 1999)

It seems to be as difficult for Hollywood to put together a good science fiction movie as it is for a Catholic to take the pill. That is what makes The Matrix such a pleasant surprise. The opening scene (which is most of the trailers) is engaging, very well-shot. Keanu Reeves (who's Johnny Memnonic almost made me swear off Sci-fi)is, believe it or not, very good in this part. Even more unbelievably, he performs the high-impact martial arts scenes flawlessly. And when I say high-impact, that's just the tip of the iceberg. Very well-choreographed, and paced. All the actors do their own fighting in this one, and all do a good job. The plot is disturbing, and took a lot of balls to spend this much money on. The directors only occasionally dip into the realm of cheesiness that haunted Bound, and the rest of the movie more than compensate. I gave it and 8, which is for me very good. I think this is probably the best sci-fi movie released in the last five years. Very well-done.