Original and great, but with one important flaw

Rating: 8/10 (19 November 2017)

Released in a time of ground-breaking CGI advancements, the Matrix notched itself above the rest of the competition in terms of film- making. Visually stunning, thought-provoking, and fun, The Matrix is a near-perfect film for any sci-fi fan or any movie fan.
Let's start with the plot and writing. The plot revolves around a hacker named Thomas Anderson who acts as a somewhat ill- explained hacker named Neo by night. One night, he gets contacted by a mysterious internet group led by the omniscient Morpheus. One step leads to another, and Neo, "much like Alice" goes tumbling down the rabbit- hole, leading to a world-changing (quite literally in this sense) discovery that will cause him to question his very own existence. Right from the start, the plot hooks you, making the viewers themselves feel like Neo, questioning their own existence. Interwoven with the thought of questioning one's own existence, is a religion intertextuality with Neo and Christianity, making the depth of the film felt even more. The writing is fantastic and philosophical, particularly with the dialogue between Neo and Morpheus. It eclipses in the scene with the Oracle and the famous line "There is no spoon", which is where the movie takes a sharp turn. For about ¾ of the movie, I was locked into the originality of the plot and storytelling. However, in the film's final act, specifically around (spoilers) an incredulous scene involving a lobby, the movie collapses onto itself with the most unrealistic and bombastic endings that one could describe as Michael Bay-esque. The final half hour of the movie, while entertaining with fight sequences and explosions, seems pulled out of a video game. You don't feel that the characters are in any real danger at this point, and it all leads to the ending, which is satisfying, but left a sour taste in my mouth because of how unoriginal and cliché it is compared to the rest of the movie.
Despite the problems I had with some of the plot, the film- making is amazing. Never before has a film influenced future movies as the Matrix did. With its famous bullet-time sequence, and choreographed fight scenes, the Matrix set an industry standard that few films have accomplished or eclipsed since then. Finally, let's talk about the acting. The performances are mostly perfect for their characters. Fishburne's enigmatic performance as the audience's guide into the world and Weaving's subdued acting as the monotone and (spoiler) robotic antagonist. However, the one that confuses me is Reeve's performance as Neo. One could argue that due to Neo's character of being Zen-like and unknowing, Reeves is the perfect actor for this role. However, I think any actor of the same age as Reeves could play Neo and the character would have been realized the same.
Overall, The Matrix is groundbreaking in both film-making, world-building, and storytelling, a must-watch for any movie-goer. However, the ending, while satisfying to most audiences, will disappoint those who would expect something different and bold from a truly original movie.