What is the Matrix?

Rating: Null/10 (5 April 1999)

It took the movie a good hour or so before you had any real idea what the Matrix was. There's a lot of explaining by Morpheus and Trinity, but none of it actually becomes clear until halfway through the movie. Does this take away from the enjoyment of the movie? Not so, partly because we are drawn to the question AND because we can take solace in the movie's breath-taking visuals.
In all, this was a solid piece of sci-fi filmmaking. There were elements of mystery, technological mutiny, questions about humanity...you know, the usual sci-fi stuff. However, the story was original enough to make it better than your avergae run-of-the-mill movie.
Solidifying his reputation as Hollywood's worst actor, Keanu Reeves gives us yet another laughable performance, but as in Speed, he is fortunate to find himself in a very good movie which forces us to look past his performance. His supporting cast is rock solid, which is bad for him since it really makes him stand out as a bad actor. In particular, Laurence Fishburne does a wonderful Morpheus. He appears both invincible and vulnerable at the same time, omnipotent yet confused. His is the best performance in the film by far, but of course, we ARE comparing him to Keanu Reeves.
The coolest scene in the movie has to be the lobby shoot-out. Granted, it's basically a rehash of every John Woo/Hong Kong action sequence ever made, down to the two-fisted gun play, flowing black cape, slo-mo action, and explosions galore. I guess I'm just a sucker for these scenes since it's a reminder of Mr. Woo's contribution to Hollywood action movies.
In all, THe Matrix will likely grab you and make for a very entertaining movie experience. Like any sci-fi film, however, you will have to walk in with a VERY open mind and expect to concentrate on the movie ONLY (and not your date). If you don't pay attention, you'll miss the story and be left with some neat-o visuals to fill the time. Dark City still takes the cake as the best sci-film of the decade, but The Matrix definitely comes in a close third or fourth.