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Movies / On DVD / The Matrix
The Matrix

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The Matrix (1999)

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86 %
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Reviews Counted: 122

Fresh: 105

Rotten:17

Average Rating: 7.4/10

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

Runtime: 6 hrs 43 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

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... 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 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]

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

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Joe Pantoliano, Gloria Foster, Marcus Chong, Anthony Ray Parker, Belinda McClory, Julian Arahanga, Matt Doran

Director: Larry Wachowski, Andy Wachowski

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

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Sep 21, 1999

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for The Matrix

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed

The original Matrix stands perfectly well on its own, despite the fact that the filmmakers went on with second and third episodes.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
04/06/09
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review

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

Full Review Source: Cinefantastique | comment Comment
07/15/08
Steve Biodrowski
Cinefantastique

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

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment 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 Source: Dark Horizons | comment 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 Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment 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 Source: Variety | comment Comment
06/05/07
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon 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 Source: Chicago Reader | comment 10 Comments
06/05/07
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon 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 Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Another slice of overlong, high concept hokum.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment 4 Comments
02/09/06
Geoff Andrew
Time Out

It's incredible.

Full Review Source: Supercala.com | comment 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 Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Ron Wells
Film Threat

As Morpheus says, "The Matrix is everywhere."

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment 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 Source: Reeling Reviews | comment 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 Source: Las Vegas Mercury | comment 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 Source: Looking Closer | comment Comment
12/06/04
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer

A terrifically entertaining and satisfying production.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
10/31/04
Jesse Hassenger
Filmcritic.com

This film is triumph of style over substance.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment 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 Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment 3 Comments
05/20/03
Leonard Schwarz
Palo Alto Weekly
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Latest News for The Matrix

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