Rating: 
Summary: Friday night regular
Review: Whenever I am stumped at which movie to rent I always end up renting The Matrix. Without a doubt, this movie continues to amaze me with its special effects. It is expected that the plot would fall second to its special effects, but it holds its own quite well. I cannot wait for the next installment of the Matrix. I
Rating: 
Summary: Awesome
Review: Where does one begin to critique a movie that was so good? The Visual FX were breath-taking and have developed a whole new level of mind boggling movements to this close to mastered division of movies! While many movies these days tend to be heavy on special effects and light on substance, I was pleased to see the Wachowski brothers had managed to maintain an excellent plot structure and build it in an amazing sequence of events straight up to the end. This is a definate must see!!!
Rating: 
Summary: One of the worst movies I have ever seen
Review: Where to begin? This movie was so hyped and so adored by the MTV advertising executives that it actally did well at the box office. Throughout the movie (I would not give this the honor of bestowing it with title "film") there are numerous references to ALice in Wonderland and the Wizard of Oz. If only it were 1/100th as good as either of these tales. The production design was pretty interesting but does not make up for the lack of storyline and the absoultely abhorrent acting abilities of our dear friend Keanu. Avoid this one at all costs!
Rating:
Summary: A Visual Feast - Pig Out!
Review: Where to begin? We'll start with the effects, since that is the main reason most people will watch this film. They are superb, and I cannot fault them in any way. The plot? Surprisingly in a film like this, there is one. And it is actually well planned and thought provoking. Neo (Reeves) find out thanks to a hacker named Morpheous (Fishburn) that the world he lives in is generated by computers. To tell you more is to deny the film some of its impact, so thats as much as I'll say. As for the acting... well, I'm afraid my review becomes a bit mixed. Fishburn is excellent as ever as the mysterious Morpheous, and for once Reeves actualy appears to be acting! Unfortuantely, Carrie-Anne Moss give a really awful performance. I've seen shop mannekins with more animation! There is one point where she is falling forty floors down the side of a building in a helicopter. How does she look? Afraid? Terrified? Perhaps even mildly pensive as she plummets groundwards? NO. She looks, for want of a better word, bored. Watch this film however, ad enjoy what is sure to become a classic along the lines of Blade Runner fors its pessimistic view of the future.
Rating:
Summary: "Welcome, ....... to the Matrix"ΓΏ
Review: Which shall it be? The RED or the BLUE? Hummm... Still undecided. Well, everyone has his or her own opinion about "how good" something is. The question isn't, do I like the movie. The question is. Is it worth buying? I had the same question BUT the movie wasn't available for public purchase yet. I had friends that were able to see the movie on the opening night. The following evening they dragged me out to see it. This was a movie I already had full intentions in seeing, so there was very little persuading involved. After I saw that movie, I purchased the Matrix the next time I fired up my computer... about two months before it was to be released for sale. Yes, I waited almost two months for it. Is it worth buying? Everyone at work that "borrowed it seems to think so" All my friends "borrowed it" eventually give it back. Is it worth buying? Yes, I think it is. Besides if for any off the wall reason you don't like it. It would make a great gift. ;o}
Rating:
Summary: Question Authority (especially Hollywood's)
Review: While I had problems with parts of this film's message, my rating is based on its accomplishments as an action-packed marvel of surreal computer generated special effects. This dark science fiction story deals with the illusory nature of reality, the enslavement of the human mind (by institutions of religion, education, the media and the government) and the question of whether it is better to sleep through life in blissful ignorance of the forces that control it or deliberately expose yourself to some pretty awful truths in order to fight against those forces (or as someone else once put it, whether it is better to die on your feet or live on your knees). It was refreshing to see some of these issues raised in a major motion picture (even if they were dressed up in some fantastic trappings) and on a superficial level, the film had a great sense of style. My problems with it were mostly threefold: 1) Like all action-oriented films (and almost all films, for that matter), the hero was a man. In the first five minutes of the movie, the main female character, Trinity (played by Carrie-Anne Moss), masterfully demonstrates that she can handle herself every bit as effectively as Keanu Reeves' character, Neo, the official "chosen one" she later recruits to her cause. I don't see any reason (at least not a good one) why she could not have been the star (this alone would have set the movie apart from the rest of the pack and made it a much more interesting film). 2) The "reality" presented in this movie is so dismal and horrific that I see no real reason to choose the path of enlightened rebellion taken by its heroes. While there are plenty of opportunities for people in our world to fight "the system" and bring about meaningful change, the situation in this movie seems literally hopeless. I couldn't blame anyone for choosing to remain "asleep" under these conditions (although one unsavory character sinks to reprehensible depths in order to forget the terrible truths he has learned). 3) The best way to subvert the dominant paradigm, according to this movie, is trough superior firepower and fisticuffs. I can certainly enjoy watching movie characters display their skill with guns (Chow Yung Fat in "The Replacement Killers") or martial arts (Jackie Chan in anything), but the excessive amount of blood spilled by the heroes reminded me of African-American poet Audre Lourde's observation, "The Master's tools will never dismantle the Master's house." When it comes to the sort of totalitarian oppression depicted in this movie, fighting fire with fire only leads to more innocent people getting burned. Of course, the movie tries to address this by claiming that no one is innocent (i.e.: "if you're not part of the solution you're part of the problem"). While I can agree with that to a point, it didn't make me feel any less sorry for the dozens of cops and security guards who get slaughtered just for "doing their job" (which, as far as they are concerned, is to stop a bunch of gun-wielding maniacs). The premise behind the movie would provide Keanu's character and his cohorts with a variety of more creative and less violent ways to deal with the forces they encounter, but the writers stick to the cliched method of conflict resolution so often employed in movies (and real life): "shoot them all and let God sort them out." If the movie intrigues you, you might enjoy some related books available from Amazon.com. Many of the elements of "The Matrix" bare a striking similarity to "The Invisibles," a comic book series written by Grant Morrison that presents a much more sophisticated story about a band of radical freedom fighters battling the powers of conformity and control (although "The Invisibles" has frequent scenes of graphic violence even more intense than "The Matrix," it also does something that no action film ever does; examine the emotional consequences of the "good guys" indiscriminately killing the "bad guys," both for the killers and the friends and family of their victims). Collections from this series are available in the trade paperbacks "Say You Want a Revolution," "Bloody Hell in America," "Counting to None," and "Kissing Mister Quimper." Also, if you want to explore some of the real world problems alluded to in the movie, you might want to read "The Paradigm Conspiracy: Why Our Social Systems Violate Human Potential and How We Can Change Them" by Denise Breton and Christopher Largent.
Rating:
Summary: SMASHES STAR WARS!!!!
Review: While I think people are reading a bit too much into all the "symbolism" in this film, I can't deny that it was extremely entertaining, visually stunning, and far and away the best film i've seen all year. Remember the shootout with the SWAT team, with all the marble breaking and dozens of shells falling to the floor??? wasn't that awesome???
Rating: 
Summary: Lots of "flash" with no content
Review: While special effects were well done, the acting, story content, and overall picture quality were generally lacking. You can dress up a pig, but that don't mean you can take him to the banquet! Save your money! Others did by choosing to see Phantom Menace instead!
Rating:
Summary: "Free your mind."
Review: While the idea of someone living in a world that is not what it appears to be is not alien in the realm of science-fiction films, the delivery of this concept in "The Matrix" is solid. If the film was nothing less than some shoot-em'-up action flick, I doubt it would be as successful as it is now. Visually, this film gives you little chance to rest before something even more stunning appears, which is a credit to all those involved. The DVD itself is good (it's still a heavy seller (...) despite being two years old), cementing "The Matrix" as one of the truly great action films of our time.
Rating: 
Summary: The Matrix: Fun but it quickly fades
Review: While this movie is definitely the most amazing display of technology available for movies today, the movie leaves you hanging at the end as many do, in preparation for the sequels that will enter the box office in the coming years...The movie is fantastic at first, yet after seeing it for a second time I became bored with it, as the amazement quickly wears off. Good movie to rent, bad movie to spend 20.00 on...
| 
