Rating: 
Summary: lost a star
Review: This movie is awesome, but I felt the need to deduct a star because of an inconsistance in the movie. This problem occures when Cypher makes a deal with the "Machines" Cypher goes into the matrix and has a sitdown meeting with the agents. The problem is you can't get into the matrix from the ship, without an operator, who monitors everything that is going on around you in the matrix. That means someone else on board was in on the sell out to the Matrix, or it is a bloop in the film! Most people I've talked to hadn't noticed this slight problem, but after pointing it out I see the light bulb appear over thier heads. Overall this is a great movie, Awesome special effects, great acting, Solid plot except that one blooper. Buy it, and love it. It is a work of art.
Rating: 
Summary: You are the battery
Review: The media is the matrix. The Wachowskis control it today. You are the stupid little battery/powersource that feeds Hoolywood and makes them billionaries. If you want to make a revolution, don't but the video/dvd or see the matrix movies - if you have the power. But I suspect you don't.
Rating: 
Summary: Mind-Bending, Genre-defining film
Review: I concept of the world not being as it seems and the feeling that wool is being pulled over one's eyes is just the very tip of the enormous iceberg that is "The Matrix". Released in early 1999 without much fanfare, but with surprisingly high number of positive critical reviews, "The Matrix" became a science fiction and cinematic juggernaut not seen since the days of the original "Star Wars". It produced a mind-bending story dealing with a fascinating take on reality. It also revolutionized the movie industry through its use of mind-numbing, computer-generated, special effects including the now-famous stop-motion technique known as 'bullet time'. In the same manner by which George Lucas redefined the special effects industry with "Star Wars" in 1977, which created an influence which has been seen in countless movies in the quarter-century since, the Wachowski brothers did the same following "The Matrix". The 'bullet time' technique has been borrowed, ripped-off, and parodied in so many forms in the past four years, one forgets that it was only four years ago that this was introduced to the masses.
The premise of "The Matrix' posits the notion that the world we see and live in is not the true reality. Instead, it is a computer-generated 'virtual reality' designed to make the human mind believe it is living a normal life when, in truth, they are simply crops to be harvested for energy by a vicious race of machines who took control of Earth some 200 years earlier. The very method by which the machines keep humans in bondage is also the means by which many of the humans strike back to reclaim humanity's domain over the world. It is called The Matrix. A cranial connection into this elaborate computer system is what enables the machines to control the human mind. It is also how the few bands of rogue humans who have managed to escape the system will free other humans and seek to bring about the machines' destruction. Operating on the theory of 'nature always finds a way', a few anomalies among humans realized that the Matrix wasn't real, broke free, and began the struggle to free all humans connected to the system. The leader of one of these rogue groups, Morpheus, believes he is destined to find 'The One', the individual who will be able fight the machines and defeat them. He believes this 'One' is Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves), better known as Neo. He believes that Neo will be the one who can defeat the machines and their 'Agent' programs in the Matrix where so many before him failed.
There is a definite mentor-student relationship that takes place between Morpheus and Neo, as well as all the obligatory training and education scenes as Neo comes to understand what reality is. Where this might seem perfunctory in other movies, in "The Matrix" it is amazing as each new path inspires a sense of awe in the viewer. Some believe this movie has no plot or a convoluted one. In truth, it is a plot with such depth that this movie has developed an almost religious following among its fans and in-depth analysis among academics and philosophers. There is not one frame of wasted film throughout the entire movie. Each character has a defined purpose and each one fits perfectly into the overall story arc. In addition to Morpheus and Neo, there is the tough, yet vulnerable Trinity (Carrie-Ann Moss) and well-developed characters like Cypher and the Oracle. "The Matrix" also introduces the audience to one of the best cinematic villains to come along since Arnold Schwarzenneger's Terminator and "Star Wars" Darth Vader. It is one of the 'Agent' programs designed to eliminate the threat posed by these humans. He is called Agent Smith and he is played with such frightening menace by actor Hugo Weaving. Seemingly indestructible and definitely unpredictable, Agent Smith provokes the greatest fear among the brave band who do battle inside the Matrix.
The beauty of "The Matrix" is that it is still as strong four years later as it was when it was first released. The phenomenal success of this film led the Wachowskis to create trilogy out of this story. It has the power and potential to be as strong a remembered as fondly as the original "Star Wars" trilogy. To be able to be there at the beginning of such an amazing story now lets me understand how audiences felt in 1977 when they saw "Star Wars" for the first time.
Rating:
Summary: Enter another world.....
Review: I picked up this DVD after the hype involved with new second movie- matrix reloaded. You must definately see the first Matrix before even attempting to see the sequel. The matrix creates a different reality that is quite hard to follow if not viewed in order.
The Matrix is a sci fi and action adventure movie that breaks the mold- it is beautifully shot, choreographed and filmed. AT the time of its release, its camera shots were one of a kind and are frequently copied.
The matrix stars Keanu Reeves-( i was never a fan of his until this movie.) He does a brillant job of portraying a computer analyst who is a hacker at night and stumbles onto "the Matrix". His guide into this new world is Morpheus- who is brillantly protrayed by lawrence fishburne.
Unlike most films, the Matrix gets better after each viewing as the action is fast paced and there is a lot of intricacy and nuances that you pick up each time you view it. It is a definite must purchase and is already a classic!
Rating: 
Summary: The May Trix
Review: What's so good about "The May Trix?" Are people forgetting that Keanu Reeves is one of the WORST actors around? My goldfish has more facial expressions than him. And Larry Fishburne is too good to star in this vapid geek-magnet of a movie. There's lots of sci-fi and martial arts, but no plot. Skip it and see "Moulin Rouge" instead.
Rating:
Summary: On your own head be it?
Review: I re-watched the Matrix the other night, having just watched its outstanding sequel, Reloaded. The greater emphasis on philosophical themes in Reloaded casts new light on their more tangential (and thus confusing) treatment in the original film. For a kung-fu movie, the Matrix tackles some big issues, and while I'm not altogether sure it's completely coherent about them, I think writing it all off as having been plundered from lecture notes in Philosophy 101 isn't justified either (the same people who tend to do that also tend not to have actually taken Philosophy 101).The Problem of Free Will gets a good outing: are we free to do was we please, or does the chemical nature of the brain, and the fundamental laws of cause and effect, mean that we are not? And in the matrix itself all is not quite what you might expect: Both Neo's in-Matrix boss and Agent Smith offer Neo specific (if perhaps Hobson's) choices: turn up at work on time, or find another job; help track down Morpheus, or suffer the consequences; in any event on your own head be it. Contrast that with Morpheus' first instruction to Neo: "Do exactly as I tell you": Not what you'd expect from the arch-libertarian. The notion of choice, and the value of choice, thereafter reverberates through the film. This of course implies the question of Mind: do chemical and electrical reactions in the brain fully explain consciousness? Is human consciousness simply the product of a glorified organic computer? And if that's the case, what is the difference between the digital consciousness presented by the Matrix, and the "actual" consciousness our own brain gives us? Is there a difference? Segue to Descartes' "Cogito Ergo Sum", an analysis explicitly referred to in Reloaded. All this isn't to say that the Wachowski brothers are necessarily coherent in their philosophy or that they're doing anything other than name-checking famous dead people, (as yet, I'm not sure what point they're making with all this learning) but it does catapult the Matrix beyond the realms of your common sci-fi/action movie, and leaves you pondering all the iterations into the night. Some folk don't want that sort of thing in a kung fu movie, but for me it justifies the price of admission. And then to see Carrie-Ann Moss kicking butt in skin tight patent leather on top of that ... well, it don't get any better than that.
Rating:
Summary: ¿It Just Kicks A--, and Never Stops¿
Review: For me, there are two Matrices: The one I lose myself in while watching, and the one that I dissect afterwards. First, The Matrix in action. The Matrix is the most visually dense, dazzling picture I've ever seen. From the title design of endlessly flowing green numbers, to the fight scene, to the exquisitely choreographed chase, to the bang-up conclusion, the opening sequence is breathtaking. The kinetic action is perfectly accompanied by Don Davis' score, which at that point evokes the dark feel of a classic, Hollywood thriller. And the writer-directors, the Wachowski brothers (Bound), make every shot tell. The story is about a future in which humans created machines so intelligent, that the machines won a war which left the world a desert, and humans their slaves. Most of the humans now live in pods, until they are harvested by the machines for energy. The rest live in "the matrix," a virtual world created by the machines to delude the humans that they live in a gleaming, prosperous city -- actually, gleaming Sydney, Australia. (The movie is muddled as to whether or how some humans aren't living in pods. I've seen it twice, and still am not clear on this.) The idea of "the matrix" as technological dream world, evokes Marxist guru Herbert Marcuse's 1960s book, One Dimensional Man. Marcuse couldn't explain how he was able to see through the technofog that deluded everyone else. The Wachowskis do a somewhat better job of explaining that part. They also take a page or two from Alice in Wonderland, The Planet of the Apes, 1984, and even Japanese comic books. It is the "agents" who give the machines a "human" face. The agents look like feds - replete with ear pieces, sunglasses and interchangeable, nondescript suits - but they are machines; hence their superhuman power and speed. (The Wachowskis also throw in some "shape-shifting," a trope from New Age/American Indian mythology, which was introduced in the movies in Thunderheart.) As "Agent Smith," Aussie actor Hugo Weaving is a memorable heavy. A hardy band of human freedom fighters traveling around in a rusty old "Mark III" ship and a circa-1965 Lincoln Continental (the Wachowskis evidently have a soft spot for old Lincolns), in addition to those whom we don't see, back in the city of Zion at the earth's core, are humanity's last, best hope. The picture alternates between didacticism and action. Most of the lessons are taught by "Morpheus" (Laurence Fishburne) who initially seems to be the savior, but who is actually he who will groom the Saviour, "The One." Enter "Neo" (Keanu Reeves), the hacker whose name is clearly an anagram of One, as in The. The movie hinges on whether Neo is The One. The other main character, "Trinity" (Carrie-Ann Moss), is a passionate, butt-kicking female member of the rebel troupe. Perhaps the greatest accomplishment of The Matrix, is that within a set-up that could easily have deteriorated into New Age verbal diarrhea and emotionally empty technical effects, the movie makes you -- or at least, me -- care deeply about these people.
The cast does praiseworthy work, especially Fishburne, Moss, and in a brief but moving scene, Gloria Foster ("the Oracle"), a woman of a certain age who still looks great. The stars clearly do a lot of the fighting themselves. Note, too, the forty stunt men who risked their very real butts for your movie-going pleasure. Now, let's consider the elements that get lost in the sights and sounds of viewing. The movie suggests a Christ-like savior, but This One has little in common with Christianity's Messiah. I'm not crazy about Keanu Reeves; he's no Gene Hackman. And as for fictional savior types, I much prefer Lance Henriksen's tortured, all-too-human "Frank Black" from the classic Chris Carter TV series, Millennium. The science is terrible, but then, it seems that "s/f" almost always gets the "s" wrong. Computers will never be able to initiate thought and action. A parallel problem is the depiction of human beings learning physical skills without any physical practice, through merely having software downloaded into their brains. Why is The Oracle fallible, and why does she quote the phrase "Know thyself" in Latin, instead of the original Greek? As movie critic Steve Sailor pointed out, the movie perfectly matches Hollywood's notions of multiculturalism: The heavies are all pasty-faced white guys, whereas the good guys are a mix of blacks and whites. All of the above issues must be compartmentalized while watching the movie, in order to enjoy it. (I know - I'm too literal-minded.) Note that while kids usually love The Matrix, it's also not necessarily a good idea to watch it with very young ones. At its conclusion, my three-year-old started wacking away at me, in his best imitation of kung fu. And so, you might not want to show this to any of your children, prior to their thirtieth birthday. The DVD is chock full of goodies. One feature allows you to watch the movie with subtitles, in order to see how Don Davis' musical subtly carries it. Davis breaks in at times, with his own commentary. His score is a serendipitous mélange of styles - from classic thriller-style to punk rock - fashioned to match the unique mood of each scene. Another feature gives you the option of stopping the movie, to view footage of the special effects that went into the scene being shown. The purist in me complains, "That's like a magician explaining how he does his tricks," but the guy who at 18 wanted to become a movie director, says, "More! More! More! The more knowledge, the better!" Yet another feature, on the making of The Matrix, focuses on the Hong Kong-style kung fu training the cast endured for some six months, and the "bullet-time" special effects invented for the movie. With this DVD you get your money's worth, and then some.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Have DVD!
Review: This is a must have DVD. It has terrific sound and amazing special effects. If you own a DVD player then this movie should be in your collection. The story is very compelling and the movie pulls it off nicely with only a few cliches and quirks. This is not the best movie I have seen (especially in the acting department), but if you look at the intriguing storyline, the action scenes and the great special effects, it adds up to one great DVD. Buy it today!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Action Scenes
Review: This DVD has amazing action scenes in it. Wow not to mention cute guys hehe
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: Let me just point out that I'm not a fan of sci fi's or action movies, but when my friend, Miguel, brought it 'round to my house I was totally blasted away! The story is brilliant, the stunts are amazing, esp. the bullet time stuff. Also, I'm a girl and most girls think that the Matrix wouldn't appeal to them. Girls, try it, you will be really suprised. I can't wait for more Matrix.
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