A contradiction in terms, a big-budget action/science-fiction epic that’s also riveting, ambitious and intelligent.
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: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
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.
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
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Reviews for The Matrix
A surreal, icky, post-apocalyptic cyberpunk hacker mind-trip of a movie.
What makes the film weirdly compelling is the sheer audacity of its screenplay.
The film ends with Neo looking like Clark Kent, as he is stepping out of a telephone booth.
The Matrix is one dandy piece of eye candy, even if the taste is a little flat.
At least the Wachowski's attempted to do something different than what had been seen before, even if the finished product isn't quite the success they obviously yearned for.
Surreal and visually dazzling, The Matrix is one hearty bowl of sci-fi goulash!
Something that must be seen to be believed; a visionary achievement in filmmaking that delights the eye and the mind alike.
The special effects in The Matrix, the futuristic science fiction-thriller, are worth the price of a ticket. The confusing story leaves a bit to be desired, but overall, this is a solid movie that is fun to watch.
Also, almost every awkward performance is defensible, because many of the bad actors turn out to be software inventions.
The Matrix is mainly also an exercise in outrageous style over substance featuring flowing trenchcoats, sunglasses at night, and LOTS of guns.
And just what is the Matrix? Well, that would be telling. And it would effectively cut out what little conceptual guts power this latest exercise in pure, crazy, graphic novel-inflected cool.
The Matrix does indeed have a plot and sense of "mythos" that grounds it and makes it more than the sum of all of its special effects wizardry.
Even on the level of gunplay, The Matrix is a wonderful film. The action is intensely involving, executed with technical wizardry, and at times evokes the rhythm of Star Wars.
The movie is kinetic, atmospheric, visually stunning, and mind-bending.
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