Pretty good movie, but overrated.

Rating: 7/10 (13 November 2001)

Good Points: First and foremost, the concept. A lot of people will think it's a new one, but actually this kind of thing has been written about before in sci-fi novels and short stories for a long time. But for the movies, it is a unique plot. Most average people were probably still trying to wrap their brains around the story weeks after they'd left the theater. And, of course, lotsa brownie points for feeding our brains with yet more mind-boggling special FX goodies and well-choreographed butt-kicking. The cast, except for Reeves, did well, and special thumbs-up to the peformances of Lawrence Fishburne and Joe Pantoliano.
Bad Points: Sorry folks, but any movie with Keanu Reeves in it automatically gets docked a few. Yea, he's cute, and probably a nice guy. But, "Bill and Ted" movies aside, he can't act. Plain and simple. Also, the movie depended too much on eye candy and the directing was way too Hollywood-ized. What could have been truly epic was given the "Let's Give The Public What They Want" treatment and turned into little more than an excuse for a lot of fight scenes and instant-gratification visuals which, while impressive, don't lend much to the real substance of the movie. And to tell you the truth, this whole "Chosen One" crap is getting a little old. Let's come up with some other excuse, okay people? This plot device should have been replaced a long time ago.
Bottom Line: In spite of the flaws, a good movie. Won't go down in history with classics like Star Wars and Blade Runner, but worth watching.