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The Matrix Customer Reviews (121 - 123 of 132 Reviews)

See It Twice
This movie must be seen twice in order to be fully appreciated. The first viewing should be spent enjoying it for its eye-popping special effects, for its outrageous action, for its killer industrial soundtrack, and for the pleasure of watching Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss run around looking fabulous.

The second viewing should be spent contemplating the questions The Matrix raises about our perception of reality. It's hard to believe that such a slick, glossy production starring Keanu Reeves conveys such deep, mind-boggling concepts, but it does.

The directing Wachowski brothers (the guys responsible for the wonderfully outrageous Bound), have been influenced heavily by other filmmakers, authors and artists, and they don't try to hide it in the least. However, rather than a blatant rip-off, this plays more like a reverent homage.

Laurence Fishburne projects a powerful presence as the wise Morpheus, although it often seems that he employed William Shatner as his dialogue coach. Keanu Reeves is in his element. The Matrix maximizes his strengths (his ability to look completely dumbfounded and his unique physicality) and minimizes his weaknesses (just about everything else). The role of Neo is tailor-made for him. The real standout in the cast, however, is Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity. She is a real find, and while she is stunning in a shiny black cat suit, her purpose in this film is not simply ornamental. She is responsible for at least half of this movie's excitement, and she gives it its emotional heart.

The Matrix is two movies in one. One is a truly awesome action movie, and the other is a deep meditation on the nature of reality. It can be enjoyed equally on both levels, but maybe not on first viewing. See it at least twice.

Stay tuned after the credits for 4 behind-the-scenes vignettes, one of which shows Reeves, in full wicked-bad regalia, perform a hilarious, unintentional pratfall.

One of the best/original movies I have seen in a long time!
Now that all 3 movies in the Trilogy are out. I will review each one.

This Matrix is the first installment in the Matrix trilogy. It focuses on Thomas Anderson aka NEO. Neo is a software developer by day, computer hacker by night. He knows that there is something wrong with the world but can't quite figure out what it is. When he meets Morpheus he decides he wants to know what the Matrix really is. After Neo finds out he does not believe his eyes. Towards the middle of the movie, NEO finally comes to grips that the Matrix is just a computer program that humans are plugged into while the machines live off of them. After knowing this NEO slowly discovers that he can do superhuman things while in the Matrix because the Matrix world is not "real".

Many of you already seen the movie so there is no need for me to go into much more detail about the plot. But I will say that this is one of the best movies I have seen in a long long time. After figuring out what the Matrix really was, I was blown away by the original storyline, and I began to think to myself "what if the world I'm living in is like the Matrix?" I have seen this movie at least 20 times, and I never get tired of it. The speical effects and fighting scenes are nothing short of spectatcular. This is a must have title for your collection. I can't believe anyone would give this movie anything less than 4 stars. Its not your average movie and it does require some thinking to see what is actually going on. If one does not really understand the storyline, then they will write this movie off as another action flick when in reality this movie goes so much deeper. 5 stars in my book!

Whu-oh!
Great concept, but as usual Hollywood falls short. Despite its obvious popularity, I can only say that this is a mediocre movie at best, but a fresh groundbreaking in the western film market nonetheless. It's the visual effects influenced by Japanese anime that save it. Everything else is rehashed regurgitated refuse.

The first problem is Keanu. My suspended disbelief came crashing to the tatami mat, as I watched this uncoordinated lanky white guy pretending to know kung-fu. It was farcical and embarrassing to see Keanu run up the side of a wall and flip in some sort of clumsy slow motion Karate Kid-like kick over Laurence Fishburne. I give props to Keanu for doing the hard work practicing the moves, but I blame the directors for not hiding his lack of finesse, speed, and agility. (Laurence looked great however.)

Also, after Morpheus (Fishburne) did the incredible leap to the distant building, Keanu did his signature "Whu-oh." Did no one else expect him to turn and see Bill or Ted-whichever one he wasn't-from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure and say "Awesome!" ?

That's the only gripe about casting, everyone else were great choices.

Besides that and a few other instances of poor direction plus stupid plot devices (could we not have cut out the whole slow paced oracle scene?), there was the drawn out third act. I'm talking about the climax of the whole movie, where the bad androids are tearing into the ship as Trinity tells the incredibly dead Neo how much she loves him. The Wachowski brothers watched Disney's Beauty and the Beast a little too much I think. When someone is dead, I don't care if you tell them you love them or what, they're not going to come back just to give you a kiss and make everything better and change into Superman. I'm willing to accept it in a Disney cartoon, not a sci-fi/action flick. The brothers should have let someone else write the intimate scenes because it comes off as trite and idiotic. It reminds me of Terminator 2 where Arnold the killing machine asks the boy "Why do you cry?".

I cry, Arnold, because folks think that poor scenes like this give the movie "heart".

Regardless, I still think this is a good movie worth the price of admission, I'm just not in love with it enough to fawn over Keanu, ignore the superficial plot, and to type in ALL CAPS.

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