Neo is the One

Rating: 9/10 (5 July 2007)

Visually gripping. Mind-bending. A masterpiece of sci-fi, with a brilliant story-line. Nothing stands before it, except Star Wars when it comes to science fiction in cinema.
Sure there are a good many ideas for science fiction, and many good movies for it too, like the Terminator, Alien etc. But none are as mind-bending as the Matrix. It involves a hacker by the name of Thomas Anderson, a competent hacker, who soons learns through various run-ins with the mysterious Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) and the venerable Morpheus (Lawrence Fishbourne) and his followers that the world he lives in is a hoax, called the Matrix, and that the true reality is that humans are kept in control of artificial intelligence, robots in a word. Morpheus also imparts to him that he is the One, the One who will save them from this unknown slavery. A whole new world is opened up, and soon, Thomas Anderson morphs into Neo, And Neo is the One.
Magnificent. I saw this movie after seeing Lord of the Rings and many other special effects powerhouses, and I wasn't as impressed as I ought to be by the Matrix, but still, I was amazed. The bullet-time was revolutionary, and the effects still stun me.
The plot is often stretched in the beginning, but is still absolutely engrossing.
The acting is quite good. Keanu Reeves, the hero, is overshadowed unfortunately by Lawrence Fishbourne and Hugo Weaving, who are magnificent in their roles as mentor and villain.
Overall, a great REVOLUTIONARY movie. That is why is deserves its spot in the top 250. It revolutionized its genre, showing a deeper more complex side to science fiction.
9/10