Yar, you be here: The Matrix - Limited Edition Collector's Set > Customer Reviews
The Matrix - Limited Edition Collector's Set Customer Reviews (1 - 3 of 64 Reviews)
Wake up! This is a great film!
What amazes me about the few harsh criticisms of this movie is how banal and superficial they are. Yes, Matrix is loaded with cool special effects, a killer score, and an overwhelming sense of paranoia, but remember that the majority of the film takes place inside of a mainframe - it's not real. Neo is a brilliant hacker without a clue as to how the technology he loves is an extension of a much more sinister reality. I knew I had seen a brilliant movie when the foreshadowed use of Baudrillard's "Simulacra and Similarities", a treatise on the meaninglessness of defining reality in a totally fabricated, digital, mass produced society, kept its theme up until the credits started rolling. The next time you login, go through ticketron, or buy a bag of groceries think to yourself, "I wonder what's behind it all?"
When I think of the pantheon of great film, it's impossible not to draw comparisons between one movie and the next. Sure, The Matrix had elements of 2001 and BladeRunner, but it stands on its own as a landmark acheivement. Dark City explores reality subverted into a scientific experiment, leaving the world, ultimately, in the hands of one man; eXistenz is a game which blends far too easily with reality; The Matrix is something totally new. Reality doesn't exist at all, or at least given the choice, who would choose to live outside the Matrix? The viewer, should they choose to really think about it rather than expect to be entertained, is left with a sense of dread and despair. This is not a feel good, rah rah humanity film, and it is great because it leaves us with existential questions we probably have considered but have rarely seen in any form of media.
The Wizard of Oz said "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!" We should immediately quip "Why not?"
Redefines sci-fi goodness
What can I say about such an overhyped movie that hasn't already been said? I wasn't too interested until my friend asked me to watch it with her, and I was pleasantly surprised.
With an inventively original plot (for American cinema) that isn't afraid to make the viewer think, The Matrix injects some depth into a genre I had all but given up on long ago. Feel-good fluffy garbage like Star Wars (uh oh, here comes my funeral pyre for that one) pales in comparison to a franchise with actual potential.
The paranoiac questions about the fine line between reality and illusion integrate well into the cyberpunk-noir background, and even burned-out concepts like evil robots and far-flung apocalyptic futures are rejuvenated with a flair unseen for quite a long time. The over-the-top special effects, naturally, were the commercial draw, but I quickly tire of gimmicky eye candy. This is where the surprise came for me: amidst slow-motion bullet-dodging, slow-mo 180-degree fight scenes, and unsettling reality warps, the plot actually stood up.
Sharp and intelligent, the concept, though perhaps not entirely original, is executed near-flawlessly. As expected from big-budget blockbusters, the plot inevitably dips into cheese for periods of time (especially the highly forced love scene[s]), but not enough to marr the overall experience. Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss slip into their roles wonderfully, and Joe Pantoliano makes himself wonderfully easy to hate as Cypher. The only downside is that Keanu Reeves, as always, can only be Keanu Reeves. He's typecast as himself. Even the usually-sharp dialogue slows down when he opens his mouth, with lines that seem like the script had blank spaces on all of Neo's dialogue and Reeves just wrote his own in.
A clever, dark, and intelligent sci-fi flick. I think everyone on Earth owns this in their video collection, it's like a law or something, so just go on and buy it if you haven't yet. It may not be the best thing ever made, but it's still good enough to enjoy despite yourself.
Instant bliss!
For movies, the cyberpunk/virtual reality genre clearly didn't work. Keanu Reeves had already tried it with "Johnny Mnemonic" and - admit it - failed miserably.
In 1999, seemingly from out of nowhere, comes "The Matrix". Neo (Reeves) discovers that humanity's everyday world is in fact a computerised virtual reality, known only as "The Matrix". The search for answers takes Neo to Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) who leads a group of guerilla fighters into a furious battle for freedom! Dazzling special effects, an intriguing story and spectacular action sequences make for a unique experience. You have never - and I mean NEVER - seen anything like this before!
I feel I must especially mention Hugo Weaving for his excellent portrayal of the sinister Agent Smith. I don't think I've seen many villains in films that have impressed me more.
The Matrix is no longer just a movie. It has become a phenomenon. A wonderful piece of cinematic work that you just can't afford to miss!
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 | Next Page |
