Marvel comic in film form (with cool Kung-Fu)!

Rating: Null/10 (21 June 1999)

Well, this film had aroused more curiosity in me than nearly every film released in the UK so far (including SWTPM but not including Eyes Wide Shut). A bit of background: I am an admitted Sci-Fi nut. I love the genre as a whole and I'm always interested in seeing original new movies in this genre. I must admit I was expecting a lot more from this film. The reviews all claimed that The Matrix was an intelligently scripted story with gob-smacking effects to boot. Surely a combination that has studios falling over themselves to produce? The end result? Well, what you got here is certainly an effects leaden movie with A script. Is it as intelligent as we're being led to believe? NO WAY! This is a Marvel comic book brought to life - not surprising when you discover that the brothers Warchovsky actually worked as comic book script writers first and that The Matrix started out as a plot for a comic book series.
The plot is a great concept and one that is currently very in vogue with Hollywood (see eXiTenZ, Dark City, The 13th Floor etc) but there's nothing in script that would tax your average 13 yr old kid.
In a nutshell it's a sci-fi King-Fu movie. Films like Starship Troopers, Bladerunner and Alien are all head-and-shoulders above this kind of High Concept porridge. When will we ever see the likes of a Bladerunner again I wonder? Probably never, as big bangs now equal big bucks in Hollywood.
Ridley! We need you man.