"Woo"

Rating: Null/10 (7 February 2001)

"The Matrix" is quite possibly the most overrated film I have ever seen. In it's defense the film has certainly garnished a legion of loyal fans from all over the world. And why shouldn't it? The film features ground-breaking special effects that are becoming more and more mainstream; the action sequences (which are choreographed by Hong Kong cinema legend Yuen Woo-ping) never fail and are always entertaining, and the art direction and cinematography hit their targets well.
But what happened to the story? Everything else about this film works so well that being subjected to a story that borrows from nearly every other Sci-Fi film I have ever seen bores very quickly. Yes, I am fan of Quentin Tarantino who does exactly the same with his scripts. The difference: Tarantino's films ("Resivour Dogs," "Pulp Fiction," and "Jackie Brown") are entertaining from beginning to end and surely contain more intrestingly constructed dialogue than one boring Laurence Fishburne speech about "the real world" after another.
However, the film's most irritating character has to be Agent Smith played by Hugo Weaving. After viewing "Men in Black" it's hard not to laugh at Weaving's character nor feel the nails sliding down a chalkboard when he speaks. "Mr. Anderson..."
Though the single most irritating thing about "The Matrix" is how many people love it and claim it to be the greatest of all Science Fiction films. Would have been intresting to see Yuen Woo-ping direct this film and co-star Jet Li. Neither of which are appearing in the sequels now as once intended.
**1/2 out of ****