SF cinema barely gets any better than this

Rating: 10/10 (11 July 2000)

It's difficult to add anything of substance to what people have written here about "The Matrix", except to say that we might now have to view Science Fiction movies in a post-"Matrix" context - The Wachowski Brothers' film changed the cinematic playing field forever.
After seeing "The Matrix" (And spiritually similar films like "Three Kings" and "Fight Club", which do wonderfully subversive things with their chosen genre), I was filled with a sense of possibilities for the future of cinema in the 21st century. "The Matrix 2" can't arrive in cinemas quickly enough.
As far as Keanu Reeves' much-derided acting is concerned, I believe that people are being too hard on him - He has a welcome bravery and lack of cynicism, taking far more chances in the role of Neo than his peers would. He's not afraid to embody an irony-free innocence and to play the whole film's journey towards discovery and identity with great honesty - In essence, he's being true to the Wachowski's material.
The rest of the cast are fantastic - Fishburne is a total Zen master, Carrie-Anne Moss a goddess and the great Joe Pantoliano gets another welcome chance to shine.
Quite simply, "The Matrix" takes you to a completely different world for two hours and that's kind of the reason that I go to the cinema for - To see something new and exhilarating, which this film certainly is.