"The Matrix" left me speechless.

Rating: 10/10 (17 June 1999)

Having read many positive reviews of "The Matrix", all of them intelligent and succinctly written, I feel that I am finally able to put my own feeble thoughts into words.
First off I should say that I absolutely LOVED this movie! I've seen "The Matrix" four times and still can't get enough of it. Going in the first time with little expectations of a plot, I was pleasantly surprised to find a compelling and thought-provoking story. Initially, I chalked up my enjoyment to the fact that I got a little more than I'd expected, and had been temporarily overwhelmed. Upon second viewing, however, I was struck by it even more. It seemed so plausible because everything 'fit' so well. The story, the mood, the actors, the dialogue. It just grabbed me as a whole. Made me want to be there. To believe it. To experience it for myself. And I realized, any movie I've ever really loved, I've never been able to say why in any coherent fashion. "The Matrix" left me speechless. It just blew me away.
One specific thing I'd like to comment on, which only occurred to me after viewing number four, seems strange even to myself. The main characters, for all their Kung-Fu training and gun-wielding antics, seemed hauntingly, and somehow appropriately, gentle. As if they were compensating for, through their interactions with each other, the violence they had to endure - and even perpetrate - elsewhere. The juxtaposition of human emotion and technological horror during the final climax was especially poignant. Although I'd be inclined to give the lion's share of the credit for this to the actors, the Wachowski Brothers provided them with stunning material to work with and through.
Just another of the many twists to ponder in "The Matrix". So go see it a few times. It's well worth the $8.75 several times over.