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The Matrix

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The Matrix (1999)

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Reviews Counted:123

Fresh:106

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

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Reviews for The Matrix

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments)
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It's astonishing that so much money, talent, technical expertise and visual imagination can be put in the service of something so stupid.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment 15 Comments
01/01/00
Bob Graham
Bob Graham
San Francisco Chronicle
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 12 Comments
06/05/07
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The least humane, least responsible, least pardonable movie I have ever seen.

Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks | comment 9 Comments
01/10/03
Nick Davis
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks

Another slice of overlong, high concept hokum.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment 7 Comments
02/09/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out

The Matrix soars with its feet in the air -- the rest crash-lands.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment 5 Comments
05/11/01
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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 4 Comments
05/20/03
Leonard Schwarz
Leonard Schwarz
Palo Alto Weekly

The only things energetic about The Matrix are its special effects.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment 3 Comments
01/01/00
Philip Wuntch
Philip Wuntch
Dallas Morning News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Aimed specifically at a young, male audience, this challenging sci-fi adventure is big on visuals and short on story.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment 3 Comments
01/01/00
Susan Granger
Susan Granger
rec.arts.movies.reviews

The Matrix is really about filmmaking style rather than context.

comment 2 Comments
01/01/00
John Anderson
John Anderson
Newsday
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A blast of Holly-Kong glitz that never approaches the stylistic cohesiveness of, say, John Woo's Face/Off or the charisma of that film's propulsive star John Travolta.

comment 2 Comments
01/01/00
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

When there was so much potential for an intelligent story here the Wachowski Brothers have opted to spend most of their screen time on mindless action.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment 2 Comments
01/01/00
Mark R. Leeper
Mark R. Leeper
rec.arts.movies.reviews

The Matrix did not bore me. It interested me so much, indeed, that I wanted to be challenged even more.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment 2 Comments
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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It doesn't do anything interesting with the futuristic vision that it takes forever to explain!

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment 2 Comments
01/01/00
Steven Rosen
Steven Rosen
Denver Post
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With its cool gadgets, natty outfits and smashing action-set pieces, Matrix kicks serious butt, virtual and otherwise!

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment 1 Comment
01/01/00
E! Online

Silly and dense!

comment 1 Comment
01/01/00
Jay Carr
Jay Carr
Boston Globe
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N/R

..

comment Comment
02/01/01
New Times

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
03/02/02
Hollywood.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
03/24/02
Boston Phoenix

One of the most visually stunning films of all time, and a welcome reminder as to why sci-fi fans, such as myself, became sci-fi fans in the first place.

Full Review Source: Juicy Cerebellum | comment Comment
01/01/00
Alex Sandell
Alex Sandell
Juicy Cerebellum

A lot of the fighting and shoot-out scenes are positively balletic and great fun to watch.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Amy Taubin
Amy Taubin
Girls on Film
 
 
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