If you don't like it, you probably didn't get it.

Rating: 9/10 (9 April 1999)

I expected The Matrix to suck.
I had seen the commercial during the Super Bowl, and the first thought that crossed my mind was, "Oh god, another Keanu/poseur-cyberpunk flick. I've never been so glad to be wrong. This film was amazing.
The majority of the people I have seen that disliked this film, seem not to have gotten the point of it. The Matrix bids you take a long, hard look at our perceptions of reality and the absurdities therein. If you're willing to follow it, and take that leap, then this film opens up to you. If you don't, then you'll just look at it as another example of where "Hollywood went wrong"
Most sci/fi fare of late has been like an id software game, about three minutes of story to support two hours of action and special effects, and technological wonders. Not so here. The effects do what they should do, enhance the story. The slow time and bullet tracing effects have their places and a reason to be there. The action and effects are there because they further the story, not because they ARE the story. The backstory and the world the Wachowski brothers have created here are deep enough for a million other stories with or without the principals in this one. (As evidenced by the website, if you haven't already, check it out and read the Gaiman story.)
The acting is generally good, yes Keanu is blank and sort of dazed through most of it, but hell, if I could manage blank and dazed after experiencing what his character experienced, I'd be doing pretty damn good in my book. This script and the character play to his strengths. Fishburne's turn as Morpheus, the "reality pusher" is great.
Yes, the dialogue can be corny at points, so what? I have yet to find a person in real life who could snap off a witty line in any situation without one falling flat every now and then. And when was the last time a throwaway line made you scratch your head and say, "Damn, I always wondered why everything tastes like chicken."
All-in-all this film has a whole lot going for it, its strengths far outweigh its weaknesses, anyone who didn't like it probably didn't want to like it. It may not change your world, but it will at the very least entertain you for two hours.