The tide turns in the favor of the humans in a Man vs Machine epic where a 'The One' begins to believe.

Rating: Null/10 (5 June 2013)

What is the Matrix? For one, it's a highly entertaining film with revolutionary visual effects, path breaking action sequences and a captivating screenplay. (In that order) Now, Imagine a highly trained, highly secretive terrorist unit brainwashed by a know it all fortune teller. This unit, led by their charismatic leader tracks down a 'The One' - a god reincarnate and trains him to 'believe'. To believe and to beat an invisible system that's organized, ruthless and virtually unbeatable. To do this they hack into the system from their safe house and cause havoc in the name of the truth. This system owes some of its strength to strict a set of rules and regulations, but mostly to the blind faith of the general public. Needless to say, it controls everything and everyone within that system. Sounds like a usual anti America topic of conversation at an Al Qaida Sunday brunch. The similarities are uncanny. However this is a story of a rebellion. Man vs. Machine, albeit smarter, slicker and without Schwarzenegger saying 'ill be back' or 'hasta la vista' or any other clichéd catchphrases. The beauty of the movie is that it triggers that struggle for freedom within each of us. Our rebellious side roots for the underdogs and makes us believe in 'The One' just as he starts believing in himself. While watching the film you will be sold on their idea and find yourself investing hope into the rebels' cause. The key is the way Neo (Keanu Reeves) has been humanized. One day he's an average Joe and the next he's the chosen one, the ultimate superhero. One who can dodge bullets, defeat an army and isn't afraid of the emotional repercussions of killing his enemy. All this and he has a sense of style. Leather suits, sunglasses and no underpants on the outside. The protagonist, Keanu Reeves is a genius computer hacker who leads a dual life. One as Thomas Anderson, a software programmer for a 'very respectable' company – Metacortex. The other as Neo, the cyberspace outlaw whose suspicion of the matrix leads him to the great Morpheus. Morpheus opens his eyes to a truth previously unknown to him. He is told its closer to the year 2100 than 2000. The real world, is in fact a planet that is ruled by Machines, where the sun does not exist and only a handful of humans survive to fight the rebellion. In the war that was, the machines defeat the humans and enslave them in a virtual reality – The Matrix. Thus, reducing a human being into Battery. The slave trade of the future. This truth makes Neo realize that his life that was, was a lie – that none of it ever happened. That his perception of reality was projected onto him by a set of computer programmes. That he, was just another slave living in captivity. To add to this, he is also told that the future of the entire human race depends on him - The One. Neo, to his credit takes in all this information without too much drama. As the one he has to lead the surviving free humans, fight the machines, defeat the matrix and expose the truth. This is easier said than done. The odds are not in his favour. No man who has ever stood their ground against the machines has survived. However, he is the one and it's his destiny to do so. It has been prophesied. Some Pressure for someone who has developed atrophy living in a pod. After all this the big question is how to destroy this virtually unbeatable system and free mankind. The answer – love. At the end of the day The Matrix is a story of how a boy meets a girl and the girl makes the boy a man. It's a subtle love story within a complex plot. One with a very dramatic end that's right out of a Rajnikanth film. But there is a message, a moral of the story. It shows us how any man can rise and be a Neo. With the guidance of a mentor, a little help from his friends and the support of a loving woman all he needs is to believe. To believe in himself and be, The One. Keanu Reeves as Neo is convincing as the reluctant hero. His transformation from Mr. Andersen to Neo is smooth and personal. For the audience he is the protagonist, the hero and the guide that takes us through the Matrix. Morpheus (Laurence Fishburn) is a treat. Without his commanding presence, striking dialogue and intriguing look the first half of the matrix would've fallen flat on its face. Laurence Fishburn nails it as a godfather in the future. Carrie Ann Moss plays Trinity. She's beautiful and does a good job of bringing out the layers of her character as a woman. Moss, apart from playing her part in the rebel group is a breath of fresh air from all the men in leather pants and suits. The cinematography and vfx is what takes this film to another level altogether. It covers the loopholes in the story and sets you up for a visual treat like never before. The Matrix deserves its 5/5 rating for doing what a film is meant to do. Entertain an audience and leave them with something to think about. So what is the Matrix? Well, to borrow a phrase, no one can be told what the matrix is. You have to see it for yourself. So, take the red pill and get ready to be blown away.