Loved it (but violent!)

Rating: Null/10 (11 May 1999)

After all the hype, I expected something dreadful, like 'Independence Day', but found myself enjoying every minute of this movie.
Like most reviewers I found the visual effects astonishing and only slightly overdone. This was complemented by a great soundtrack (loved the gunfight to 'Propellerheads'), and the cast were adequate (though character development was pretty sketchy.)
There were minor inconsistencies in the rules of the Matrix - but hey, this is a work of fiction (I hope), call it artistic licence, and overall the thing hung together remarkably well. There were many religious themes (resurrection, Messiah, Last Supper, (complete with Judas) even Baptism) but they weren't intrusive.
My only reservation was the gun-associated violence (Neo: "Guns... Lots of guns...") There were about two dozen people shot dead by the GOOD guys, mostly innocents (cops/military following orders), and just at the moment gun-toting people in black trenchcoats seems to be an unpopular image.
I enjoyed this movie so much I went back with some friends, and will be buying the DVD when it comes.