One of the best sci-fi movies of the decade

Rating: Null/10 (16 May 2002)

`The Matrix' has already become one of the most famous science fiction movies of the last ten years, if not the most famous. This is based on the fact that it's an intelligent, visually striking piece of work  and has a deserved place in the IMDB Top 50.
The story is smart and engaging  Thomas `Neo' Anderson (Keanu Reeves) is a computer programmer by day, hacker by night. He is contacted by the infamous hacker Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), who reveals to him the shocking truth: Neo is trapped in a computer simulation, his real body being harnessed for electricity by machines ruling the earth. Morpheus believes Neo is `The One' who can set about and free the enslaved humanity, and so Neo must begin a quest and battle to save the world. Some people point out the undeniable similarities to `Dark City', but `The Matrix' is, over all, the more satisfying and smarter of the two.
Acting is not the strong point of the movies but Reeves has found his perfect role here  Neo doesn't demand the need to emote strongly, but instead just look damn cool and Reeves is capable of doing that. Ditto for the rest of the cast that includes Fishburne, Carrie Anne Moss as Trinity, and Joe Pantoliano (as Cipher).
It is of course the work of the Wachowski brothers, who wrote and directed the movie, that make `The Matrix' so enjoyable. The set design and costumes are wonderful  everything and everyone looks gorgeous. The direction is spot on  sound is sharp, and intense (it received an Oscar) for example, conveying all the action moments perfectly. The, by now, infamous Oscar winning `Bullet Time' special effects are ground breaking  a mixture of slow and fast motion, that are visually arresting and drag you into the action. The action itself is wonderfully choreographed  a ballet of movement, that manages to distinguish itself from the much-copied John Woo stable of motion.
`The Matrix' is helped by some great pacing with action scenes interspersed among the dialogue to help even the flow. There's a nice sense of something building up  which is natural when the film was planned to be the first part in a trilogy of features.
Some people seem to despise `The Matrix' as a triumph of style over substance, blaming such features for a dearth of `quality' releases in recent years. This is sheer idiocy  `The Matrix' is style with substance. It is both smart and sexy, and its innovative techniques are deservedly admired. It's a great action movie, and along with `12 Monkeys' the best of the science fiction movies of the 1990s. It may not feature the most stellar cast ever, and it may suffer a bit from grandiose dialogue and notions, but when it's imbued with such sheer vision and such fun who can complain?