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The Matrix (1999)

86 ^%

Reviews Counted: 121 Fresh: 104 Rotten:17 Average Rating: 7.4/10

Consensus: An ingenious combination of Hong Kong action, ground-breaking Hollywood FX, and an imaginative vision.

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Runtime: 2 hrs 24 mins

Synopsis: There are two realities: one that consists of the life we live every day - and one that lies behind it. One is a dream. The other is The Matrix. "Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream, Neo? How would you know the difterence...

One is a dream. The other is The Matrix.

"Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream, Neo? How would you know the difterence between the dream world and the real world?"

Neo (KEANU REEVES) is desperately seeking the truth about The Matrix - something he's heard of only in whispers - something mysterious and unknown - something, Neo is certain, that has unimaginable and sinister control over his life.

What is The Matnx?

Neo believes that Morpheus (LAURENCE FISHBURNE), a person he knows only through legend, an elusive figure considered to be the most dangerous man alive, can give him the answer.

All I am offering is the Truth.

One night, Neo is contacted by Trinity (CARRIE-ANNE MOSS), a beautiful stranger who leads him into another world, an underworld where at last he meets Morpheus and learns for himself the truth about The Matrix.

No one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself.

There, Neo faces another question, as startling as the first:

Is he The One?

Before he even understands what that means, Neo is certain the answer is "no." Some, like Morpheus' colleague Cypher (JOE PANTOLIANO), agree. Others are not so sure.

There are also those who protect The Matrix. Led by the relentless and literally indomitable Agent Smith (HUGO WEAVING), they have methods of gathering information that astound and terrify.

What good is a phone call if you are unable to speak?

Neo, Morpheus and Trinity must battle brutally for their lives against this viciously powerful cadre to find the answers they seek, to understand their own roles in the epic drama unfolding around them, to learn their true power and to recognize their destinies.

Guns. Lots of guns.

Every move, every second, every thought is crucial if they are to free themselves from The Matrix and the existence it represents.

Free your mind.

Every move, every second, every thought is crucial once Neo learns the truth about The Matrix.

It is a truth that could cost Neo something more precious than his life. [More]

Genre: Action/Adventure

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Joe Pantoliano

Director: Larry Wachowski, Andy Wachowski
Screenwriter: Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski
Producer: Joel Silver
Composer: Don Davis

DVD Info

Release:

May 15, 2007

[DVD Details]

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Reviews

1 - 20 (sorted by date)

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The surprise sleeper success of 1999, this ingenious science fiction thriller easily surpassed The Phantom Menace.

Full Review |

Comment

07/15/08

Steve Biodrowski

ESplatter

The paranoid details of the premise are thoroughly worked out; the characters and motives, much less so.

Full Review |

Comment

03/11/08

Rob Gonsalves

eFilmCritic.com

The Matrix is fun, and while it may confuse you first time around, a second viewing is really required to get the full 'entertainment' value out of it.

Full Review |

Comment

01/15/08

Garth Franklin

Dark Horizons

There is no denying that fact that the Wachowski Brothers have amazing imagination and vision. They direct the film with non-stop style and imbue each scene with enough eye-candy to make you stop noticing the gaping plot holes and lapses in logic.

Full Review |

Comment

07/14/07

Joe Lozito

Big Picture Big Sound

A must-see among genre fans, especially guys in their teens and 20s, for whom the script's pretentious mumbo-jumbo of undergraduate mythology, religious mysticism and technobabble could even be a plus rather than a dramatic liability.

Full Review |

Comment

06/05/07

Todd McCarthy

Variety

Top Critic

There's not much humor to keep it all life-size, and by the final stretch it's become bloated, mechanical, and tiresome.

Full Review |

4 Comments

06/05/07

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Top Critic

An inventive science fiction idea that rivals the brilliant thinking behind such movies from last year as Dark City and The Truman Show.

Full Review |

Comment

05/26/06

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

Another slice of overlong, high concept hokum.

Full Review |

2 Comments

02/09/06

Geoff Andrew

Time Out

It's incredible.

Full Review |

Comment

12/31/05

John Venable

Supercala.com

If you're curious where the next generation of auteurs is coming from, look in the art houses and look in The Matrix.

Full Review |

Comment

12/06/05

Ron Wells

Film Threat

As Morpheus says, "The Matrix is everywhere."

Full Review |

Comment

12/02/05

Phil Villarreal

Arizona Daily Star

A tighter, cleaner story could only have helped The Matrix become one of the greats of its genre. I still like it a bunch.

Full Review |

Comment

04/09/05

Robin Clifford

Reeling Reviews

'The Matrix grabs you by the eyeballs, hypnotizes you into a state of visual ecstasy, and doesn�t much care if your brain is following or not.'

Full Review |

Comment

03/22/05

Jeannette Catsoulis

Las Vegas Mercury

A wild ride, and worth the ticket price if only for the first-rate special effects. There�s enough visionary work here to hold your attention for all 130 minutes.

Full Review |

Comment

12/06/04

Jeffrey Overstreet

Looking Closer

A terrifically entertaining and satisfying production.

Full Review |

Comment

10/31/04

Jesse Hassenger

Filmcritic.com

This film is triumph of style over substance.

Full Review |

Comment

11/17/03

Dragan Antulov

rec.arts.movies.reviews

The problem with The Matrix is that the enormously talented Wachowski brothers think their playful premise has metaphysical implications.

Full Review |

2 Comments

05/20/03

Leonard Schwarz

Palo Alto Weekly

The most influential action movie since Star Wars.

Full Review |

Comment

05/14/03

Steven D. Greydanus

Decent Films Guide

The Matrix is a super-dupper sci-fi thriller that reveals the human imagination as a saving force in the universe.

Full Review |

Comment

05/03/03

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality and Practice

The Matrix is a super-dupper sci-fi thriller that reveals the human imagination as a saving force in the universe.

Full Review |

Comment

05/02/03

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality and Practice

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