Doesn't quite fulfill it's promises (spoilers)

Rating: 7/10 (19 April 2000)

The first two thirds of The Matrix are simply stunning. The visuals are unlike any movie, the Wachowski brothers have created a roller coaster ride with only a few stops (although those stops are just as beautiful as the rest of the movie - I especially liked the sensitive display of Neo's healing process after he had woken to the real world). The premise of the movie - that the world might be nothing more than an illusion fed to our heads - is a bit of a science fiction cliché, but it can still be used to make an excellent sci-fi film (and most of the time The Matrix does just that). The acting is good, even Keanu Reeves manages to be credible, by acting as little as possible. Carrie-Anne Moss is also good, though her screen time could have been longer. The one who really steals the show, though, is Laurence Fishburne. His portrayal of Morpheus is excellent, I especially like the little touches that separate his Matrix persona from the Morpheus of the real world. To sum it up: technically speaking The Matrix is nearly perfect.
So, the set is excellent, the actors are good, and the speed is breathtaking - what is there to complain about? The problem, as in so many other big budget science fiction movies, is the ending. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the last third as well, but only on a physical level, not intellectually. The shoot-out in the lobby is one of the greatest action scenes cinema has ever produced, but that's all it is - a great action scene. The deeper elements of the plot (such as the agony agent Smith feels having to live in a world populated by humans) are left unexplored when the rumble begins. Scenes like Keanu Reeves yelling "My name is NEO!", or Carrie-Anne Moss reviving Neo with a kiss make my cliché-o-meter bounce up to ten. And why, oh why does a film with such potential have to end in a kung-fu fight? Having already seen Bound, the Wachowski brothers' previous film, I had high expectations for The Matrix, but in the end it was clear that the low-budget Bound would still remain the better one of these two. Big money doesn't always equal conventionality, but in this case, sadly, it does.
Let's just hope that the success of The Matrix gives the Wachowski brothers the courage to make movies which are satisfying both visually AND intellectually. They certainly are capable of doing so.