A nice premise became very poor indeed

Rating: Null/10 (23 August 2001)

I have to say, I was very tempted to write 'AWFUL, AWFUL, AWFUL!' in the one line summary, as that is my true opinion of this film. However, I thought it better to be a little more objective than that.
I was intrigued by all the talk of how great The Matrix was, and at first, I was intrigued by it. Thomas Anderson, the agents that came looking for him, the talk about 'Morpheus' made me interested about just how the plot would turn out.
However, after the blue pill/red pill scene, what had been a nice premise became very poor indeed. I can honestly say that I didn't care who was 'the one,' and with all the cryptic phrases and mumbo-jumbo this thing threw in, I began to wonder whether or not I was watching a bible story. It leaves you wondering just exactly what this film is trying to say.
With the exception of Agent Smith, there was not one character I liked. I was praying Morpheus would die, as it might have brought this rubbish to an end. And what was with all those pointless one-liners? "It's Neo." "Dodge this." If I had watched this in a cinema, I would probably have been thrown out for shouting obscenities at the screen.
All in all, a thorough waste of time. The interesting premise, special effects, and well-executed scene where Neo is being pursued by Smith just about lift it out of the dung-heap, but they don't compensate for all its faults.
4/10 - Special effects and cryptic messages do not make a movie