By and far, THE action movie of '99!

Rating: 9/10 (7 October 1999)

Let me be completely honest and open when I say that "The Matrix" is a REALLY FRIKKIN' WEIRD movie. I breezed into the theater expecting a run-of-the-mill action movie with lots and lots of things that go boom with a decent plot to move the story along, without much thought needed. Whoo boy, was I wrong. We have good ol' local boy Keanu Reeves as Neo, a hacker with some incredible power buried deep within him, and Laurence Fishburne as the enigmatic Morpheus, an equally powerful hacker who trains Neo in the use of his incredible abilities, ranging from jumping vast distances to nigh-unstoppable speed, strength, agility, and stamina, and the ever-cool ability to dodge bullets and occasionally stop them dead in their tracks. While I can't tell much more without spoiling the unbelievably cerebral plot, I can tell you that seeing "The Matrix" will give you a completely new perspective on life. Oh, and I did try and run up a wall in a paintball game after I saw this movie. If it makes you feel any better, and especially if it gives you a good laugh, I fell flat on my ass.